The Timberwolves may need to make a splash move.
The Minnesota Timberwolves finished the 2025-26 season at 49-33 and the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
They beat the Denver Nuggets in six games during the first round, which only made what came next sting worse.
The San Antonio Spurs knocked them out in six during the second round, and three of those losses were blowouts that never felt close.
A 139-109 loss at home in Game 6 ended the season and forced real questions about where this roster goes from here.
The Gap Is Getting Wider
Minnesota has made the playoffs five straight years, which is no small thing for a franchise with a long history of missing out.
But the Western Conference has moved forward without them.
The Oklahoma City Thunder went 64-18 and earned the top overall seed for the second straight year.
The Spurs finished 62-20 behind Victor Wembanyama and just beat Oklahoma City in seven games to reach the NBA Finals.
Those two teams are playing at a level the Timberwolves cannot touch right now.
Anthony Edwards had the best regular season of his career, putting up 28.8 points along with 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists, though injuries limited him to 61 games.
Julius Randle added 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists as the second option, but his playoff production dipped and his three-point shooting fell apart against San Antonio.
The output from those two alone is not enough to close that gap.
What Needs to Change
The biggest problem is that Minnesota does not have enough shot creation outside of Edwards.
When the Spurs loaded up on him in the second round, nobody else could make them pay.
Donte DiVincenzo tore his Achilles in Game 4 against Denver and is expected to miss most or all of next season, which takes away one of the team's best shooters and leaders.
Ayo Dosunmu is heading into unrestricted free agency after being traded to Minnesota at the deadline.
Rudy Gobert averaged 11.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks during the regular season, but he is 33 and owed $36.5 million next year.
President Tim Connelly said after the elimination that everything is on the table this summer.
Reports suggest both Gobert and Randle could be moved, with the front office building around Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid and rookie Joan Beringer going forward.
A Splash Move May Be the Only Answer
Small moves will not get this done.
The Wolves need a second playmaker who can create shots when Edwards gets schemed off the ball, and they need shooting to replace what DiVincenzo brought.
The cap situation is tight with the team already above the luxury tax, so a trade is the most realistic path to a real upgrade.
If Connelly is serious about closing the gap on San Antonio and Oklahoma City, this has to be the offseason where Minnesota makes a swing instead of settling for another solid regular season that ends in the second round.
