What became such a promising postseason for the Minnesota Timberwolves has ended in a disappointing defeat.
After sweeping the Phoenix Suns and bouncing the Denver Nuggets, the Wolves fell to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. The bright side is the franchise advanced in the playoffs for the first time in 20 years, but a bitter feeling will linger into the offseason.
It’ll be a fascinating summer for the organization, too.
Minnesota only has a few notable free agents, but high-priced extensions kick in for Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels. Can the Wolves afford to keep all three—and Rudy Gobert—or is a blockbuster trade on the horizon?
Having the core of a competitive roster locked into contracts for the next season is objectively a good thing.
Also, it can be very expensive.
While that’s not a surprising reality for Minnesota, it will be a new situation. The franchise had a modest $166.3 million cap sheet this season but already is responsible for $186.3 million in 2024-25.
Subsequently, the Wolves are entirely expected to jump above the projected $190 million second apron—barring a massive trade, something I’ll cover shortly. As of now, they’ll be very limited in free agency and able to offer minimum contracts only.
Because of how close Minnesota currently is to that second apron, it likely won’t have enough space for the $5.2 million taxpayer mid-level exception (TMLE), either.
