The most significant move that the Minnesota Timberwolves made this offseason was also a very necessary one, that being trade with the Charlotte Hornets to bring LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota. 

Ball is the one that obviously grabs the most attention for the Timberwolves and that's for good reason, he is the answer to all of their playmaking desires and possibly the most ideal person to pair star Anthony Edwards with, both in terms of basketball fit and personality fit. 

Edwards and Ball together have the potential to be the best backcourt duo in the NBA and if nothing else, some very exciting basketball is sure to follow the two once they finally step on the court together for the first time.

But that doesn't mean it was an offseason without sacrifice for Minnesota.

They traded Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets, a move that was expected even as the Timberwolves were in the playoffs this past season and was largely done to shed some salary, but they also traded Naz Reid, one of their most dependable players, to Charlotte as part of the package to get Green and Ball. 

Inheriting Ball's contract and trading away Reid and picks to the Hornets is a heavy price to pay, and it's one of the reasons why ESPN's Zach Kram is skeptical of the Timberwolves offseason progress in a recent article, giving Minnesota a "C+" grade for the offseason. 

"I understand the rationale for Minnesota's big swing -- particularly the team's desire to ensure Anthony Edwards' happiness," Kram wrote." "But I'm skeptical that it will prove successful. Last season was Ball's first with more than 47 games played since 2021-22, and Minnesota now has no reliable forwards on it's roster beyond Jaden McDaniels."

Kram's concerns aren't unsubstantiated. Ball's injury history is concerning, even if Minnesota president of basketball operations Tim Connelly isn't worried about it, and their deficit of forwards. especially wings, is perhaps their biggest concern, especially now that they've officially missed out on LeBron James. 

The Timberwolves do still have more work to do, but it can't be understated how necessary it was for the Timberwolves to find a point guard for Edwards, no matter how aggressive they needed to be to get it done.

Since the beginning of his career Edwards has been forced to play out of position, but continued to thrive offensively despite that. Now he has the chance to be his authentic self as a shooting guard with Ball as his partner, and his offense and overall growth as a player should only continue to soar as a result. 

It took sacrifice and their roster may not be perfect going into next season at this point, but every move the Timberwolves made in their situation was a necessary one.