Minnesota Timberwolves: Offseason grade and win-total prediction

The Minnesota Timberwolves have had quite the uneventful NBA offseason but if they got a letter grade, what would it be?

The Timberwolves had a very average offseason, to say the least. The team had no draft picks and only made two small signings in free agency. The team had a couple of trades worth noting, including the one that sent former sixth-overall pick Jarrett Culver and Juancho Hernangomez to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for point guard Patrick Beverley. Minnesota also traded point guard Ricky Rubio to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Taurean Prince.

The NBA season is just under two months away and the main part of the offseason is over. How have the Minnesota Timberwolves done since the season ended?

The two signings that have been made so far this offseason are two way signings that won’t really have a large impact on the team or their success in 2021. The Minnesota Timberwolves signed former Atlanta Hawks forward Nathan Knight to a two way contract as well as signing McKinley Wright IV to a two way contract.

The retention of players has been one positive thing that’s happened this offseason. Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell are all still in Minnesota and seemingly content with where they’re at. The loss of Jarrett Culver hurts just because of how much the team put into him with picking him so early in the draft. The team hasn’t re-signed any players but that hasn’t hurt them at all. The only players they lost were Rubio, Culver and Hernangomez, and the latter two of the group played at a replaceable level.

The Rubio trade might hurt them but the addition of Taurean Prince adds more wing scoring which will help them improve drastically offensively. The facilitation took a step back but it was a necessary move in an attempt to get to the playoffs and help satisfy the young core and the fans.

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The Timberwolves got unlucky in the draft lottery, losing their pick to the Golden State Warriors because of the protection on it from the D’Angelo Russell for Andrew Wiggins trade. On the bright side, the T-Wolves have their first and second round picks next year along with a pair of seconds acquired through various trades. It doesn’t affect this season at all, for now at least, but it does give fans something to look forward to.

Chris Finch has hired the rest of his coaching staff. Joseph Blair was retained as an assistant coach after his time last year in Minnesota. Former player and offensive coordinator Pablo Prigioni was also promoted to the role of assistant coach. Former Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings assistant coach Micah Nori was brought in as well. Nori also spent 15 of his 23 years in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors organization.

Overall, it was a very average offseason in general. The Timberwolves appear to still be in on Ben Simmons so this grade is subject to change but until then, it was an okay offseason. There were some positives and some negatives but nothing overwhelming. The hope is that the injuries and exposure to COVID-19 will be minimal and that the T-Wolves will be at full strength for a majority of the season.

Projected Record: 39-43, 10th in the Western Conference

Offseason Grade: C