The Minnesota Timberwolves made massive changes in the offseason, trading Julius Randle and Naz Reid while acquiring LaMelo Ball and Josh Green. 

Reid and draft compensation were sent to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Ball and Green. Randle was traded to Brooklyn in a salary dump. 

The moves were made as the Timberwolves lacked playmaking and creation, a weakness that was evident in their second-round series against the San Antonio Spurs, where they lost in six games. 

It was the first time in three seasons that the Timberwolves had not made the Western Conference Finals after being there in 2024 and 2025. 

By acquiring LaMelo Ball, the Timberwolves addressed a huge need in playmaking and creation on the offensive end. LaMelo makes life easier for everyone on offense with his passing and can get his own shot off the dribble, a skill that was lacking in the playoffs when Anthony Edwards was stifled. 

Ball is going to take a lot of pressure off Edwards as a ball-handler, allow Jaden McDaniels to grow more freely, and give Rudy Gobert more opportunities on the offensive end. 

The team also re-signed Ayo Dosunmu, who proved to be a sparkplug off the bench after he was acquired from Chicago. Dosunmu and Bones Hyland, who was also re-signed, were an athletic bench duo who thrived on the open floor. 

As currently constructed, the team will play faster than they did in previous seasons, when Randle could sometimes slow down the offense with his play. 

The injury to Donte DiVincenzo is a big loss because it's either going to force McDaniels to start at power forward, which weakens the bench as Ayo starts, or Trey Lyles starting at power forward, leading to.....

While the Timberwolves addressed their need for playmaking, they now have a giant weakness in their frontcourt. 

Gobert isn't getting any younger, and the group behind him doesn't inspire much confidence. 

Joan Beringer is a sophomore who played just 40 games last season for a grand total of 314 minutes. Minnesota is high on his upside, but he's going to be thrown into the deep end after not playing many minutes as a rookie. 

The team also signed Trey Lyles, who might end up starting at power forward. Lyles played overseas last season after spending the 2024-25 season with the Sacramento Kings. He's being sold as a stretch four, but is a career 34% three-point shooter in the NBA. 

The Timberwolves should once again be a solid playoff team that can compete with anyone in the middle of the conference. But their lack of a frontcourt needs to be addressed if they want to compete with the likes of the Spurs and Thunder.