The Minnesota Timberwolves have spent the offseason trying to close the distance in the Western Conference, and the big swing was adding LaMelo Ball to pair with Anthony Edwards. But even with that move, the Wolves are still staring up at the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
What makes Oklahoma City so tough to chase is that the Thunder have been trimming payroll all summer and somehow still look dangerous. They sent Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks and Isaiah Joe to the Detroit Pistons, then moved Lu Dort to the Hawks in a three-team deal with the Dallas Mavericks. That trade brought back three second-round draft picks and a $17 million trade exception.
On paper, that kind of turnover might look like Minnesota has gained ground. In reality, the Thunder may have only sharpened their edge, especially in the frontcourt, where they can still make life miserable for the Wolves next season.
Minnesota’s new look backcourt gives the team more juice, but the price was a major gap up front. Rudy Gobert remains the defensive anchor at center, yet power forward is wide open after Julius Randle and Naz Reid left the room without an obvious replacement waiting behind them.
That creates a tricky balance for the Wolves. Playing Gobert alongside a less traditional power forward could open up more on offense, but it also asks more of him on defense.
Against Oklahoma City, that’s no small thing. The Thunder still have size, strength and enough perimeter talent to pressure Gobert once they get downhill.
Oklahoma City also handled its own business with the cap. Isaiah Hartenstein passed on his initial option, then came back on a three-year, $75 million deal. Kenrich Williams looked like a possible departure after the Thunder declined his option, but he returned on a one-year, $5 million contract.
The Thunder then kept filling in around the edges with low-cost talent. They used the 12th overall pick on 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara and took Bennett Stirtz with the 16th overall pick to give them a sharp-shooting answer for Joe.
And there’s still room for more. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Hartenstein and Alex Caruso still in place, Oklahoma City could get even stronger if it works out a rookie extension with Cason Wallace before the season.
Add in the pile of young talent and draft picks, and the Thunder have the kind of flexibility that can turn into another upgrade before the deadline. That leaves Minnesota with a steep climb, especially with the dream of landing LeBron James in Minnesota looking less likely as he weighs his decision, and with Victor Wembanyama looming in the conference as well.
So even after Oklahoma City’s summer of cost-cutting, the message for Wolves fans is simple: the Thunder are still very much there, still elite, and still one of the biggest barriers between Minnesota and a championship.
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Timberwolves May Be Exactly What Isaiah Evans Needs Right Now
Isaiah Evans first summer league appearance in Minnesota had to wait because a pending four-team trade kept his acquisition from becoming official, but once he got on the floor he had a chance to show the Timberwolves why they were interested. Across his first run of games, he averaged 10.5 points and flashed the kind of scoring touch that made him worth watching, even if the efficiency was all over the place early on.
The encouraging part for Minnesota is that Evans looked better as the week went on, which fits the idea that he could settle in more comfortably once he is playing in a more organized NBA environment. Summer league is often a messy proving ground, but Evans late improvement gave the Timberwolves a reminder that his game may translate better when the structure around him is cleaner and the talent around him is more reliable. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Fans Wont Like Where This Anthony Edwards Fear Is Going
The Hawks have spent the summer quietly reshaping their roster, adding Kingston Flemings in the draft, bringing back CJ McCollum and landing Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins from Oklahoma City. Those moves have given Atlanta a mix of contracts and assets that can be useful in the trade market, which is why people around the league are already looking at the franchise as one that can stay aggressive if a star ever becomes available.
For Minnesota, the uncomfortable part is less about what is happening now and more about where the conversation could go later. Anthony Edwards is still with the Timberwolves, and the front office has tried to support him by adding LaMelo Ball, but the idea of a future trade request is the kind of fear that lingers for a team built around a player of his stature. Even when nothing is imminent, that sort of speculation has a way of hanging over the season. [Read more 🡒]