The Minnesota Timberwolves have already spent the offseason sending a clear message to the rest of the league. Adding LaMelo Ball in a trade and signing NBA champion Jonathan Kuminga changed the conversation around this team fast. Now the bigger question is simple: does all of it actually click?
Anthony Edwards sure sounds ready to find out.
“Y’all see what going on. This sht over, man.
Wrap this sht up. This sh*t over this year, man,” Edwards said.
Even after those headline moves, Minnesota still has room to add to the roster, and one familiar name is back in the mix: Kevin Love. Jon Krawczynski said on a recent episode of his Jon Krawczynski Show podcast that Love could be open to a return.
“From what I understand, Kevin Love is open to coming back to Minnesota," said Jon Krawczynski on a recent episode of his Jon Krawczynski Show podcast."I do think the Wolves have some interest in bringing him back as well. It would just be a phenomenal story if the Wolves did decide to fill that spot, and they did it with Kevin Love."
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus sees the same fit taking shape. He noted that Minnesota has an open roster spot, even if signing Love would come with roughly $8.5 million in extra luxury-tax payments. Pincus also pointed out that the Wolves could simply stay at 14 players, but that Love’s path back to Minnesota would carry real storybook appeal after beginning his career there in 2008 before later joining the Cleveland Cavaliers for their run starting in 2014.
“The Minnesota Timberwolves have an open roster spot, though signing Love would trigger about $8.5 million in additional luxury-tax payments. The Wolves could stand at 14, but Love began his career with the franchise in 2008, developing into an MVP contender before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers for their run starting in 2014. It would be a tremendous story for Love to finish where he started,” Pincus wrote.
Love’s value at this stage is about more than box-score numbers. His minutes have been limited to around 15 per game for some time, but his leadership and presence in practice still carry weight for a team trying to push deeper into the postseason.
He has made $277 million in his career, and if Minnesota does bring him back, it could set up a fitting final chapter. The Timberwolves believe they have a real shot at the Finals, and for Love, ending it there would be about as clean a finish as it gets.
In Other News...
Timberwolves Still Have One Roster Risk They Can't Ignore
The Timberwolves have the kind of starting group that can make a roster look solid on paper, but the margins behind it remain worth watching. Frontcourt depth is the main concern, especially with only Joan Beringer and Trey Lyles available as backup bigs on standard contracts, which leaves the team a little thin if injuries or foul trouble start to pile up.
Minnesota does have an open roster spot, and that gives the front office some flexibility as it weighs veteran options such as Drew Eubanks or Kelly Olynyk, along with the possibility of a trade deadline move. The team could also patch things together with two-way or 10-day contracts, but the question is whether that is enough for a group with bigger ambitions once the season starts to get tested. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Already Face One Big Offensive Question With LaMelo and Ant
The Timberwolves new backcourt pairing brings plenty of juice, but it also comes with an early roster-building question: how do they keep the offense humming when Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball are both out of the game? Chris Finch has already made clear he does not see a need to lean on either star for all 48 minutes, which means Minnesota will have to make those non-star stretches count if it wants to maximize what those two can do together.
Balls workload is expected to be managed carefully, so the Wolves are going to have to find scoring from elsewhere in the rotation. Jaden McDaniels, Ayo Dosunmu, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Bones Hyland are among the players expected to help fill those gaps, and how well that support group holds up could go a long way toward determining whether Minnesotas offense stays steady or bogs down whenever its two headliners sit. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kuminga Already Puts The Wolves In A Tough Spot
The Timberwolves have added Jonathan Kuminga on a two-year contract, and the early read is that he is being slotted in as the starting power forward. It is the kind of move that can reshape a rotation quickly, especially for a team trying to sharpen its frontcourt and get clear answers about how the pieces fit around him.
The interesting part is what happens if the fit is not as smooth as expected. Minnesota would then have to decide whether to keep Kuminga in that role or rethink his usage, and that is where the history matters. He was not especially comfortable with coming off the bench during his time with the Warriors, so any future move out of the starting group could become a sensitive part of the equation. [Read more 🡒]