Minnesota Timberwolves: What if… Kevin Love had never been injured

2015-2016 Season and beyond

The Timberwolves have a great draft. Sacramento’s pick from earlier comes in at sixth so they’ll get that pick instead of not having a lottery choice, and Memphis picks lands at 25th, giving Saunders two picks to deal with.

At the draft, the Timberwolves select Frank Kaminsky to help with low-post game, Kevon Looney as another rotation piece, and trade for Tyus Jones. Unfortunately, it’s just not enough.

In the end, the allure of a championship win was too strong for Love to resist, and he took less money and joined the LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and a Rookie of the Year in Andrew Wiggins on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland wins the Finals that year, like they did in reality.

The Timberwolves, due to their stellar season last year, are now without Wiggins or Karl-Anthony Towns (who in this world was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers), and they hobble to just a 20-62 season. In the following years, they’d trade for Jimmy Butler, but because of a lack of star power don’t make the playoffs, and aren’t able to keep him.

The organization tumbles into chaos after the death of Flip Saunders, and with nobody to lead them, in 2020 Minnesota has yet to have a +30 win season and their postseason drought is going on 16 years.

Kevin Love will always be remembered as a missed opportunity by Minnesota Timberwolves fans, and one of the worst side effects of having one of the worst front offices in league history. His tenure could’ve been salvageable, but the changes would’ve needed to start much, much sooner.