3 NBA teams who’ll be kicking themselves for not upgrading in free agency

NBA Team #2: Minnesota Timberwolves

Entering year two of the questionable Rudy Gobert trilogy that began a summer ago, it has been pretty quiet improvement-wise for the Timberwolves. The double-big, all-length lineup still brings intrigue, but it is no secret that the development of Anthony Edwards is the Wolves’ embellishment. An entertaining, electric rising superstar for Team USA has brought promise and the upmost confidence to an organization that has been so accustomed to crumbling when the lights turn bright.

Despite an eerie slating next to Karl-Anthony Towns, the Gobert acquisition would have made more sense in the latter half of their continuity. Edwards still has blossoming to do through playoff reps and battle tests before he can drive the ship and will his team through postseason wars. Though he has proven to be box-office, one of the elite two-way talents in the league, there are still numerous All-NBA bosses and contenders in the way of the Wolves.

Retaining Naz Reid surely does not hurt, if you like the team’s format and style, that is. They inked subsidiary depth-fillers in Shake Milton and Troy Brown Jr. There were more leaders or vets on the market that could have brought more adulthood to the locker room or amplified the rotation. Minnesota did incorporate Mike Conley into the mix in February, igniting some previous chemistry that was built with him and Gobert in Utah, but they only finished with a .500 second half.

There is just not much of a ceiling for the Timberwolves with the current landscape of the league, let alone the west, as fans’ petitions have floated around directing Town’s future. Edwards’ first All-NBA campaign could be on the cusp, but is it as significant a leap that it boosts Minnesota that much beyond the premature playoff stages? There is a good chance the Timberwolves will not be a contender yet.