Chris Finch enters this season carrying a different kind of heat.
He’s been with the Timberwolves since midway through the 2020-21 campaign, and as he heads into his sixth full year in Minnesota, only four NBA head coaches have been on the job longer. That kind of stability is rare in this league. So is the margin for error.
Minnesota’s roster has been shaken up with the goal of becoming a more serious contender, and that puts Finch squarely in the spotlight. The Wolves also took a step back last season, which only sharpens the pressure around what comes next.
By any reasonable measure, Finch ranks as either the best or second-best coach in franchise history, depending on how someone stacks him against Flip Saunders. But that doesn’t guarantee anything. If Minnesota doesn’t deliver a better season in 2026-27, Finch could find himself in the crosshairs.
The organization has clearly acted like a team that believes it can go all the way. Tim Connelly doesn’t overhaul a roster that has already won five playoff series over the last three years unless he sees a path to something bigger. That’s what makes this summer so significant.
The personnel changes tell the story. Minnesota brought in LaMelo Ball and moved on from both Julius Randle and Naz Reid, a switch that changes the way the team plays. The Wolves also addressed their need at power forward by signing Jonathan Kuminga to start.
There’s also the broader NBA lesson hanging over all of this. Finch and Tom Thibodeau have a connection, and Thibodeau is a reminder that even a coach with plenty of success can still get pushed out. Minnesota also watched Mike Brown take the Knicks to the ultimate prize, a move that showed a coaching change can pay off in a big way.
Other teams saw that too. Sometimes a good team needs a new voice, a jolt in the room, something to get it over the top.
That’s the uneasy part for Finch. It probably wouldn’t be fair if he were the one to take the fall, but fairness has never been the NBA’s favorite currency.
Some fans were already ready to move on from him after last season. Now that the Timberwolves have made clear win-now moves, the pressure only rises. If it doesn’t click, the head coach is usually the one who pays.
In Other News...
Wolves GM Just Raised Big Questions About Two Core Decisions
Matt Lloyds latest comments offered a fairly clear snapshot of how Minnesota is trying to balance the present with the future. The Timberwolves GM talked up the arrival of forward Cody Williams as a player whose defensive versatility could fit multiple lineups, and he also addressed the signing of Jonathan Kuminga while touching on LaMelo Balls work ethic since joining the team and Ayo Dosunmus expected role in the rotation. Along the way, Lloyd also praised Anthony Edwards growth as a leader, a reminder that the Wolves are still trying to build around their young centerpiece even as they keep adding pieces around him.
The bigger long-range questions, though, remain tied to the rosters veteran core and one injured wing whose path back is still uncertain. Lloyd discussed Donte DiVincenzos rehabilitation from a torn Achilles and the teams approach to extensions for DiVincenzo, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert, leaving the timing of those decisions very much open. For a Wolves team trying to stay competitive without boxing itself in, those calls could shape not just this season, but the one after it as well. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Face One Huge Rotation Question In Their New-Look Lineup
The Timberwolves reshaped roster has pushed Chris Finch into one of the more interesting lineup puzzles of the offseason. After trading Julius Randle and Naz Reid for LaMelo Ball and adding Jonathan Kuminga on a two-year contract, Minnesota suddenly has a different kind of top-end talent mix, and the early question is how all the pieces fit without disrupting the balance that made the group work.
Kumingas willingness to embrace a complementary role could make that transition easier, but the bigger challenge may be finding the right rhythm for Ball in a system that will need both creativity and structure. Finch now has to decide how to keep the offense flowing, manage the workload of his new point guard and still leave enough room for Anthony Edwards to stay at the center of the teams identity. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Just Made A Cap Bet On One Young Roster Holdover
The Timberwolves have spent the offseason trying to thread a very specific financial needle, and it led them to clear room below the second apron by moving Josh Green to the Jazz and waiving and stretching John Konchars contract. Those moves opened the door to sign Jonathan Kuminga to a two-year, $12.4 million deal while also keeping Cody Williams in the fold, a reminder that every roster decision now comes with a cap-side consequence.
Williams is the younger holdover Minnesota chose to protect as it sorted through the back end of the roster, even if the choice came with dead money spread across the next three years. The appeal is straightforward enough for a team that values flexibility on defense: Williams gives the Wolves a more useful long-term piece than Konchar, and the front office made its bet accordingly while accepting a short-term hit to preserve that option. [Read more 🡒]