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Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 big questions following 2019 NBA All-Star break

By James Grieco

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 27: The Minnesota Timberwolves huddles before the game against the Utah Jazz on January 27, 2019 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 27: The Minnesota Timberwolves huddles before the game against the Utah Jazz on January 27, 2019 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

1. What happens if the Wolves miss the playoffs?

The Wolves have to jump over the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers to get to the 8-seed in the West. To do that, they’d likely need to go at least 17-8 down the stretch, which would get them to 44 wins. Maybe that would do it, but 44 isn’t even a guarantee.

The question of whether Minnesota will play beyond the first week of April is a rather cut-and-dry “no,” no matter how small a gap of four games seems. The aftermath of this team missing the playoffs is where things get interesting.

  • Ryan Saunders and the head coaching position is going to get the most attention, and while Saunders has helped improve the atmosphere around the team and gotten passable results with a broken roster, he is still a far from sure thing at this point.
  • The front office search is going to define the next decade of Timberwolves basketball. If Glen Taylor gets it wrong again, he may not live to see the Wolves ever win a playoff series again.
  • The Wolves already have over $100 million in salary on the books for 2019-20 (assuming Teague picks up his $19 million player option). Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson, both main contributors on this squad, are free agents. How much will it take to keep both vets? Will they even want to return to a team that isn’t a lock for the playoffs? And what the heck does Minnesota do to replace them if they walk?
  • I am not exaggerating when I say that Andrew Wiggins is at a professional nadir. ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported that the Wolves rebuffed several lowball offers for Wiggins at the trade deadline, a decision that could and likely will end up haunting the Timberwolves. Who cares about getting pennies on the dollar when you get out from a contract as bad as his?
  • Poor Timberwolves fans are already dreading the possibility of Towns one day asking for a trade. Pray for the (American) north!

dark. Next. Week 19 NBA Power Rankings

As the remainder of the 2018-19 NBA season wraps up and the faintest glimmers of playoff hope burn out in Minnesota, the league will come to realize that the Timberwolves enter the summer of 2019 with one of the most volatile situations in the league. How the franchise handles this offseason is the real question to ask.

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