Minnesota spent the offseason rebuilding around its star, but an ESPN analyst says the real test of how Anthony Edwards feels about the franchise is still a full season away.
Anthony Edwards has turned the Minnesota Timberwolves into one of the more entertaining teams in the league, and this offseason the front office spent real money building a roster that can keep pace.
Edwards' next contract decision is still a ways off, but ESPN's Brian Windhorst spent part of last week explaining why the next twelve months matter more than people think.
His point was simple.
Minnesota can talk all it wants about how excited Edwards is right now, but the excitement that counts is still a full season away.
The Supermax
Edwards fell four games short of the NBA's 65 game threshold last season, finishing at 61 games while averaging 28.8 points per game, the third highest scoring average in the league.
Missing that mark cost him All-NBA eligibility and, with it, a four year supermax extension worth close to 300 million dollars.
He can still sign a smaller two year extension worth around 122 million dollars, but the bigger deal only returns if he plays 65 games in 2026-27 and adds another All-NBA selection, an MVP award, or Defensive Player of the Year honors.
That is the exact timeline Windhorst described on his Hoop Collective podcast.
"The time where Ant has to feel really good about the Wolves is a year from now," Windhorst said, tying Edwards' real decision point to how this season plays out rather than to how the roster looks in September.
A Retooled Roster Around Him
Minnesota gave Edwards a very different supporting cast this summer.
The Timberwolves sent Naz Reid and Julius Randle out in a four team trade to bring in LaMelo Ball from Charlotte, adding a ball handler who can create and score next to Edwards.
Minnesota also re-signed Ayo Dosunmu to a five year deal worth 112 million dollars and added Jonathan Kuminga on a two year contract, giving coach Chris Finch more depth and shooting on the wing.
The Timberwolves finished 49-33 last season, beat Denver in the first round, then lost to San Antonio in six games in the conference semifinals.
General manager Tim Connelly is also in the final year of his own contract, raising the stakes on this season for more than just Edwards.
Any honest ranking of Minnesota's most important players still puts Edwards first by a wide margin, with Ball the clearest new addition behind him.
What Comes Next for Minnesota
Training camps around the league open September 29, giving Finch a few weeks to get his new pieces working together before preseason games start in early October.
The Timberwolves want the ball moving through Edwards and Ball together, and how fast that chemistry forms will go a long way toward deciding how this season looks.
If Minnesota plays at the level it did a year ago, Edwards playing 65 games and adding another All-NBA nod becomes realistic, and the supermax conversation gets simpler for everyone involved.
Minnesota has been bracing for a massive new deal for a while now.
