A fatal mistake the Timberwolves must correct at the 2025 NBA trade deadline

The The Minnesota Timberwolves have caught the critical eye from the entire NBA fan base for their reckless decision making during the offseason. In the name of prioritizing the long-term financial health of the franchise, the Timberwolves decided to trade franchise cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns, whose supermax contract was set to begin, to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julio Randle and Donte DiVincenzo (and a well-protected first-round pick). in a move that can only be attributed to a cost-cutting maneuver.

The move did nothing but hurt the Timberwolves’ championship hopes. They don’t look nearly as competitive as last season. They made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last season, and with more maturity when it comes to executing in the clutch, it’s not a stretch to say they could overcome the problem and secure a trip to the 2024 NBA Finals.

Alas, there is no use crying over spilled milk. What’s done is done, and all the Timberwolves can do is keep moving forward as they look to make the most of Anthony Edwards‘talent. Edwards has been on a bit of a roll lately, though, and the Timberwolves will need more from him if they want to climb to the top of the Western standings.

To that end, this is a fatal flaw that the Timberwolves will need to fix in 2025. NBA trade deadline.

The Timberwolves can’t string together any consistency

All season long, the Timberwolves have felt like they were hoping to fall into some sort of winning formula after a middling start to the 2024-25 campaign. They were not consistent at all; one night, their defense just can’t seem to get it together. And then, for a significant period of time, it’s their offense that they can’t figure out.

On Saturday night, in theirs 127-125 loss to the Memphis Grizzliesthey were outmatched — Memphis made 25 more field goals than Minnesota, thanks to a 14-rebound offensive advantage in favor of the former. With the two of Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Naz Reed on the court almost all the time, losing rebounding and physical combat is inexcusable. Being on the losing end of a game in which they shot 47/83 (56.6 percent) from the field had to hurt for a team that has been finding answers to its painful offense all season.

If anything, the Timberwolves could use a little more stability in the running game and possession to bring some balance back to the roster. With Mike Conley in the midst of a slump and Donte DiVincenzo taking over the starting role, finding a veteran playmaker to save Randle and Anthony Edwards from their worst habits could be useful for them to focus on with less than a month left. . trade deadline.

There are no easy funds for Minnesota in terms of roster upgrades

Even with the offseason trade of Karl-Anthony Towns, The Timberwolves are far from the second apron for the luxury taxlimiting them pretty tightly in terms of their roster flexibility. For one thing, they can’t exclude anyone from the buyout market unless that player’s salary is worth less than the taxpayer’s mid-level exemption.

This then rules the Timberwolves out of potentially signing Ben Simmons. Simmons won’t help their spacing issues, but his passing ability and positional versatility could make him a solid table-setter in lineups alongside Edwards and Reed in the middle. Alas, this is nothing short of an impossibility, as they will have to trade for Simmons — an impossibility considering the Brooklyn Nets’ point guard is making $40.3 million this season.

Malcolm Brogdon could be another potential target for the Timberwolves, but again, the new CBA will prevent Minnesota from signing him if they secure a buyout from the Washington Wizards. Brogdon’s $22.5 million is also impossible to trade.

For better or worse, the Timberwolves will need to fill out their current roster and hope Rob Dillingham blossoms into a long-term guard at this point. That is, unless they can find a trade involving Julius Randle worth making.

Anthony Edwards needs to be more consistent

Anthony Edwards has had quite the split this season. He was as cocky as ever, declaring himself one of the best, if not the absolute best, in the game. And yet, here it is, complaining about double teams and settling for more triples than ever, which is catching up to him in recent games.

Edwards hasn’t been as consistent as the Timberwolves would like. His increased three-point rate allows for explosive scoring plays, most notably his 53-point outburst against the Detroit Pistons, but it also leads to more off-nighters than ever. Against the Grizzlies, he shot 4-13 from the field and 0-5 from beyond the arc.

Moving forward, Edwards can’t have this kind of variability in his performances. As the star of the Timberwolves, his production needs to be more consistent.