The Minnesota Timberwolves are looking to re-sign their free agency targets after a disappointing loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Therefore, the Timberwolves' 2025 offseason has officially begun.

The Timberwolves lost their second consecutive Western Conference Finals, similar to last year. The five games against the Thunder exposed some weaknesses in the Timberwolves' defense, which struggled to contain Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a well-executed Thunder offense.

Early predictions in 2024-25 did not favour the Timberwolves as they traded Karl-Anthony Towns before the season began. However, they still managed to defeat every opponent in the playoffs before falling short to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Retaining depth and defense: Timberwolves face crucial free agency decisions

This offseason, the Timberwolves front office should look to add more depth to the current roster that has made two back-to-back Western Conference Finals. Meanwhile, they do have some money to spend, but they cannot go on a spending spree, considering the tax implications of the NBA.

Therefore, they should look at strengthening key positions like guard and center. Considering the current roster, which is packed with talent all over the court and in rotations, they have a few key players in the free-agency market that they should re-sign as they want to run it back with the same core.

The Timberwolves front office wants to give their core another chance to make a run in the coming NBA Season. In addition to several other players who can bolster their current roster. “It's always painful when the season doesn't end as the last team, but I thought we accomplished a lot this year. Super excited for next season,” said Tim Connelly, the Timberwolves' President of Basketball Operations.

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Timberwolves offseason strategy: rebuild, reload, and retain talent

Nickeil Alexander-Walker

The 26-year-old rotation player Nickeil Alexander-Walker is one of the key targets for the Timberwolves to re-sign in free agency. He played all 82 games this season and averaged 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, shooting 44% from the field and 38% from long range.

The only major problem in re-signing Alexander-Walker is the dreaded second apron, considering Reid and Randle's player options. The Timberwolves will have $192 million in salary allocated for next season, with the second apron projected to be just a hair under $208 million. That leaves less than $16 million before the second apron. However, the Timberwolves will certainly make an effort to keep Alexander-Walker around, but it doesn't seem likely they can make it happen.

Julius Randle

The Timberwolves brought in Julius Randle last year in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns, and the basketball world was surprised. However, this trade has done more good than bad for the Timberwolves. The team struggled defensively last year, and their defensive vulnerabilities were evident this year in the Western Conference Finals.

His numbers went from 18.7 points per game in the regular season to 23.9 points per game in the playoffs. He made 5.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 50.9% field goal shooting, 34.5 % 3-point shooting, and 88.9 % free-throw shooting. His impact on both ends of the court is excellent, and he has now become a core member of the team.

Naz Reid

Naz Reid is one of the best sixth men in the NBA and has also become an integral part of the team, coming off the bench and putting numbers on the board when needed. However, his shooting numbers this season have declined.

In the regular season, he averaged 14.2 points per game, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. These numbers went down to 10.4 points per game, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game in the playoffs, which is a significant drop.

Reid gives them a much-needed scoring punch off the bench and is one of their better shot creators outside of Anthony Edwards. His rare combination of floor spacing, shot creation, and playmaking is incredibly valuable as a backup big man.