The Minnesota Timberwolves, despite being in a difficult situation roster-building wise due to the financial constraints imposed upon them by the new collective bargaining agreement, have made the most out of their offseason. They kicked things off by trading a future draft pick for the draft rights to Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham, and then in free agency, they were able to pick up veteran sharpshooter Joe Ingles on a minimum contract, reuniting the Australian forward with former Utah Jazz teammates Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley.

With Kyle Anderson joining the Golden State Warriors, there was need for the Timberwolves to bring in a hard-nosed player who could conceivably suit up at both forward spots. Ingles certainly fit the bill; after all, the 36-year-old forward is never one to back down from a fight, and in fact, he loves getting underneath the skin of his opponents.

But one player in particular will be immune from Joe Ingles' shenanigans; with Anthony Edwards being one of the most passionate trash-talkers in the game, Ingles doesn't want to do anything to ruffle the Timberwolves star's feathers.

“He's good,” Ingles said of Edwards' trash talk, per Olgun Uluc of ESPN. “I'll save it for someone else.”

The Timberwolves have certainly become a team that's now more annoying to deal with following the addition of Joe Ingles. Ingles is someone who never keeps quiet whenever he's on the court, as he always has something to say to his opponents and he is never shy to let them hear about it. Perhaps Ingles can teach Anthony Edwards more of this dark art, although Edwards doesn't seem to be in need of mentoring in this regard.

Jingling Joe joins the Timberwolves

The Timberwolves' interest in bringing Joe Ingles in wasn't new whatsoever. During the 2023 offseason, the Timberwolves also expressed their desire to sign the veteran marksman, but the Orlando Magic outbid everyone with a two-year, $22 million deal amid their need for shooting up-and-down the roster.

“They actually tried to get me last year as well. … A part of it [was] having the interest for more than just: Kyle Anderson leaves and hey you can help us. Last year, they went pretty hard as well and we decided Orlando,” Ingles said.

But with the Magic setting their sights on making a huge move for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ingles became a cap casualty, with Orlando declining his contract worth $11 million for the 2024-25 campaign. This then paved the way for Ingles to join the Timberwolves on a veteran minimum, and he, despite his advanced age, may be exactly the kind of player Minnesota needs as they look to build off of last year's trip to the Western Conference Finals.

Ingles should be a welcome addition to the Timberwolves locker room due to his fun-hearted personality. It helps matters as well that he is on excellent terms with Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert, with the three playing together for the 2020-21 Jazz team that finished with the best record in the association. Moreover, unlike Anderson, Ingles has no history of punching Gobert in the face, so that should only help.

“Playing with Mike again will be awesome, obviously I know Rudy, and then helping these other guys to keep getting better,” Ingles added. “When the opportunity came up and you speak more in depth about the basketball side, especially with the stuff I'm saying – you still wanna play, you still wanna compete – it's a basketball opportunity that was too good to give up.”

Minnesota's roster for opening night appears to be set

The Timberwolves, by and large, should already have their roster for opening night set. With the signing of Joe Ingles, Minnesota now has 14 players on the roster, provided, of course, that Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon sign their rookie contracts soon.

In addition to Ingles, the Timberwolves also took a flier on PJ Dozier; Dozier's career hasn't been the same since he suffered a torn ACL in 2021, but before his injury, he was developing into a solid perimeter defender and an overall athletic presence on the wing. Dozier has never been an average three-point shooter, and he didn't exactly turn heads with how he played last season for Partizan Mozzart Bet of the ABA League.

Nonetheless, Dozier played well enough to earn an NBA contract; he put up 8.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game on 50/32/75 splits while tallying 1.1 steals per game. Could he earn his keep as the Timberwolves' backup point guard following the departure of Monte Morris and the likely exit of Jordan McLaughlin?