The Draft is firmly in the rearview mirror and now the focus has shifted to who will sign where and for how much. For the umpteenth time in the franchises history free agency will not provide much excitement on the Prairie, which is fine since there are more than enough other items to discuss!
The series against Memphis included some welcome flashes of what may yet lie ahead for the team *cough cough* Jaden McDaniels as the third member of the Tri-Pack while Anthony Edwards continued establishing his bona fides with 19+ points in every game. The elder statesman of the roster wasn't quite as consistent but he also showed enough to believe that better things can come in the future.
Towns' good buddy wasn't nearly as up to meeting the challenge and thus became the burning question of the offseason. From the first reports that Rosas was all in on Russell there was skepticism that he would prove worth it. After the play-in game that seemed like a bad take but then our mercurial point did his best impression:
With one year left on his max contract there are several different avenues the team can take. If no team wants the expiring contract then they will have a top-20 PG looking to earn his next deal. With Tim Connelly's penchant for trading that could create possibilities around the next deadline and at worst would give the team max contract flexibility one year from now. There is a best possibility in that mix but at this point it's taster's choice in making the lemonade.
With all the speculation floating around it's tough to know what the most likely outcome is, let alone what is desirable. Sure, the pipe dream of trading him for a cheaper starting point and someone else would be terrific but that would hinge on the inclusion of draft capital. Would be a worthy sacrifice if the additions help them get to the second or third rounds but outside of Malcolm Brogdon the pickings are questionable.
There was hope that the team may address the position in a semi-meaningful way during the draft but the one they selected is years away from coming over. That could be taken as a hint that Connelly & Co. have a plan in the works, but again - there's too much dissident noise to know.
Of the players they did select, it's fair to be optimistic about all of them. Yes, Spagnolo won't be a factor for some time but adding another potential Rubio is never a bad approach. As for Walker Kessler, a lot of the conversation so far has been about how his game will translate to the pros. That's far from an abnormality after drafts but instead of focusing on what his floor may be, let's think about his ceiling or at least the space in-between. Minnesota got the best defensive player in the country who can take a bit of the load of Towns at center while going with Naz Reid when Finch wants to stay giant. With Beverly, Vanderbilt & Kessler there's the possibility for a lockdown lineup. He will have to answer the questions about his flexibility at this level but instead of being mired in the past let's try to imagine the possibilities!
Wendell Moore may spend a fair amount of the upcoming season with Iowa, especially now that Taurean Prince has signed on for two more seasons, but as with McLaughlin & Reid, Las Vegas will play a significant factor in determining his role for the first month of the season. If he can show an aptitude on defense then all the better for the chance to lock-up any given opponent!
But today is as much about free agents as anything, which leaves the question - what holes are there to be filled?
It's a bit redundant but point guard is the top position for the team figure out. However Connelly goes about it, we're in a holding pattern for now.
Adding another proven option at wing is the second item on the hierarchy as far as I'm concerned. The list is not exactly a who's who of pros but with the mid-level exception at their disposal one of them could be in the mix. It may bring up some unresolved trauma from the Kahn days but Nic Batum is one option to keep a side-eye towards.
Others might say adding another big and were enamored with the thought of trading for Clint Cappella. At 28 years old he doesn't have as much wear as I would have thought but with Atlanta stealing Dejounte Murray from San Antonio it seems even less likely that Minnesota could add the vet than it was just 24 hours ago.
All things considered it was a good season and some of the core guys gave reason to think that the decades of misery may finally be curb-stomped. We're still in the early stages of that process though, so resist the urge for cheap, microwave type options that will fizzle out as quickly as the Jimmy Butler experience.
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