Tim Connelly said he’d keep the Minnesota Timberwolves’ core together, and his actions spoke loudly.
Multiple outlets reported over the weekend that the Wolves have agreed to deals with Naz Reid and Julius Randle. While this will make many in Wolves Land happy, it doesn’t solve the biggest problem Minnesota is facing.
Who the hell is going to get the bulk of the workload at point guard next season?
We’ve already seen movement at the point guard position this offseason.
The Chicago Bulls traded Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers, while the Utah Jazz parted ways with Collin Sexton.
If Minnesota had ideas of trading for a starting point guard, that list has already thinned out. A pie-in-the-sky idea still being floated around revolves around Cavs point guard Darius Garland landing with the Wolves in a trade, but that becomes more difficult with Reid and Randle returning.
Connelly and Co. could decide that running it back with Mike Conley will suffice. The sample size of last season, and especially the postseason, where Conley shot 30% from the field and saw a steep decline in his scoring ability, would suggest otherwise.
Rob Dillingham is waiting in the wings. However, is he at a spot where you want to hand him the keys for a team that’s knocked on the door of a finals appearance the last two years?
Probably not.
A Tyus Jones reunion on a veteran minimum contract could be appetizing, although Jones’ interest in that is unknown. The overarching theme remains that the Wolves shouldn’t rule anything out, and rolling it back with Conley and Dillingham is a significant risk.
Getting Reid and Randle back is great on the surface, but it also means Minnesota is investing three separate contracts that all exceed $100 million on bigs alone. It’s an unorthodox approach and way to build a roster, leaving the Wolves with little flexibility to make a significant upgrade at point guard.
Of course, bringing back the bulk of this core could mean the Wolves don’t see it necessary to make a gigantic swing at point guard. However, making some upgrades based on last year would still be prudent.
Conley will be entering his age-38 season and would be much better suited in a lesser role than the 25 minutes per game average he had last year. Somewhere around that 15- to 17-minute mark would be a sweet spot.
Conley can still hoop, and it’s not as though anyone is suggesting he take on a role like what P.J. Tucker had in New York. Tucker wore the uniform, had the contract, but was essentially an extra voice serving more as a coach than a player for the New York Knicks.
The gas tank isn’t on that level of low for Conley. Still, if this team wants to genuinely compete for a title in 2025, something must change in that regard.
If Minnesota were a fringe team on the edges of making the playoffs, handing things over to Dillingham would make all the sense in the world. However, that’s not the case, and things could go south quickly if Dillingham isn’t developing at a pace that matches the rest of the roster.
They need a more proven option with a lot of tread left on the tires for 2025.
Heck, just look at the conference finals this spring. Of the four teams left, the starting point guards were Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson, and Conley.
Anything in that group stick out like a sore thumb?
I’m not trying to bash Conley. It just highlights the one looming puzzle piece still missing in Minnesota. Expecting Conley to carry that torch again in 2025 wouldn’t be fair to him or the rest of the team. Expecting Anthony Edwards to handle the issue by being the primary ball handler will lock up other parts of the offense.
Connelly has done a lot right since taking over the main seat at the controls for the Wolves. Until the offseason is officially wrapped up and the regular season rolls around next October, fans should trust him to figure out something to upgrade the glaring weakness.
Getting Reid and Randle to re-sign their deals in a few days officially shows a strong belief that Minnesota has in its ability to win a title with the current main core as assembled. To get to the mountain top, it will need to find a better solution for the present at lead guard.
Reid and Randle being back in the mix solves a lot of questions that would have popped up had they ended up elsewhere. Of course, those new deals likely mean Nickeil Alexander-Walker is gone, which will be a sizable blow to the rotation.
Getting the main core back isn’t a bad idea. The biggest problem is still a problem, though, even with Reid and Randle back, and that’s at point guard.
Connelly’s next move should be to address that.