The Minnesota Timberwolves came up short against the Memphis Grizzlies in one of the most highly contested and entertaining bouts of the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs.
Now, as Ja Morant and the Grizzlies continue their postseason run, the T-Wolves brass will begin scheming ways how to better their team and maximize their chances at a title in the near future.
Minnesota will find it difficult to add significant talent in free agency, as they’ll be close to the salary cap no matter how they handle their options, cap holds, and non-guaranteed contracts. They do have the right to their own pick in the upcoming draft, but their selection will fall at No. 17.
Unless they’re able to trade up or mine a gem post-lottery, they shouldn’t count on a huge rookie contributor next season.
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What the T-Wolves do have in their favor is an ample amount of young talent that can be used as trade capital. Between Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, Jaden McDaniels, and Jarred Vanderbilt, Minnesota has an entire core built of players under 27-years-old and some to spare.
The player most likely to get the boot would have to be D’Angelo Russell. As an offensive star with an expiring $31 million salary figure, Minnesota should be able to find a suitable return for their young point guard.
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After averaging 18.1 points and 7.1 assists in the regular season, he struggled in the first round against the Grizzlies and those numbers dropped to 12.0 and 6.7 respectively.
If one of their core members were to be identified as the weak link, Russell has to be the answer. Perhaps a trade would be the best thing for the T-Wolves and Russell moving forward.
