The Minnesota Timberwolves had one of the most eventful offseasons in its history. They made moves on draft night and some huge moves in free agency during the 2022 NBA offseason.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and company got the Timberwolves into the playoffs after three losing seasons. They had strong confidence surrounding them after surviving the play-in game and giving the Memphis Grizzlies a tough fight in the first round of the postseason.
Coming into this offseason, Minnesota realized that the time to compete at a high level is now. Its first big signing was for president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who the franchise entrusted to build a more competitive team. Connelly revamped the supporting cast around their star duo and could potentially make more big moves.
Here are the Timberwolves' offseason grades after the flurry of moves they pulled off.
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Full 2022 NBA offseason grades for Timberwolves
Draft: C+
The Timberwolves' draft didn't initially make a ton of sense. Although they had added four rookies that all have some intriguing potential and made the wise move to trade down and pick up another first-round pick, the first player they selected didn't seem to have a place on their roster.
Drafting Walker Kessler, a center out of Auburn. didn't make any sense given that the Timberwolves already had Towns and Naz Reid. The selection of Wendell Moore Jr. was a pretty solid one, though, and the selection of Josh Minott in the second round was a good move.
Of course, now that Kessler is headed to the Utah Jazz, the confusion behind the pick is no longer worth discussing. Minott and Matteo Spagnolo, another second-round pick, may not have much of an impact this season but could develop into solid players. Moore could have a bench role right away. Minnesota had itself a pretty decent draft night, especially because they flipped Kessler in its biggest transaction.
Trades: C+
In perhaps the most shocking move of the 2022 NBA offseason, the Timberwolves traded for Rudy Gobert. They sent four first-round picks, a pick swap and five players — including starters Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt — to land Gobert via trade.
Gobert at least makes more sense next to Towns than Kessler but the fit still seems to be kinda wonky. Skill-wise, Towns and Gobert should work out. Gobert is a solid lob threat and interior presence while Towns has the handles and shooting stroke to work inside and (now, mostly) out. With both of them being centers and neither being super adept at guarding the perimeter, the questions about their fit remain.
Minnesota needs defense and Gobert can surely provide that at a high level. One other thing they needed was some reliability in the playoffs. If his track record in Utah is any evidence, Minnesota will not be getting that with Gobert. The defenses built around him collapsed time after time when the stakes get raised.
Using nearly the remainder of their tradeable picks for Gobert may not pay off. His limitations in the playoffs overshadow his defensive impact and the vertical spacing he provides. The Timberwolves should definitely be better with Gobert, just not so much better that it justifies the immense price they paid for him.
Free agency: B+
The Timberwolves made some very good moves in free agency, signing Kyle Anderson, Austin Rivers and Bryn Forbes.
Anderson is doing a lot of the heavy lifting for this grade. Minnesota lured him away from the Memphis Grizzlies, exacting at least a little revenge for their playoff defeat. His defensive abilities and willingness to come off the bench should make him a fantastic addition. He'll fit very well in the four spot next to Towns or Gobert when Minnesota subs one out. For $8 million a year, this signing was superb.
Rivers, who can handle the ball and play solid defense, and Forbes, who is a highly efficient 3-point shooter, should be solid pieces for the end of the Timberwolves bench. Each veteran signed for the minimum and provide about as good a level of production as one can hope.
The Timberwolves will need their depth to step up after five players got moved for Gobert. Anderson could be a fantastic sixth man while Rivers and Forbes round out the end of the rotation.
Overall: B
The Timberwolves made a big move after making the playoffs with their young core. They deserve some recognition for doing that over playing it safe. However, the big swing they decided to go for is a very risky one.
It's not just that the Timberwolves gave up a few individual draft picks. It's that those picks were the best assets they could have used to improve the team. Is Gobert worth that price considering what it could have gotten Minnesota instead (possibly Donovan Mitchell, just to name one example)? That question will be answered during the DPOY's stint with the Wolves.
The success of the squad next season hinges on Gobert and how the team integrates him with Towns and Edwards. Since the Wolves brought it some other new supporting pieces and have their sights set on winning, the Timberwolves' offseason grades are decent but not exemplary.
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