When the Milwaukee Bucks made the shocking move to waive Damian Lillard, people immediately mentioned the Minnesota Timberwolves as a potential fit for the veteran point guard.
Lillard will turn 35 this month and is set to miss most of next season while rehabbing a torn Achilles he suffered in the playoffs.
Would bringing “Dame Time” to Minnesota be the final piece for the Wolves or a disaster signing?
The Wolves have Mike Conley under contract for the 2025-26 season, and 2024 first-round pick Rob Dillingham should have a runway in front of him to earn rotation minutes.
With all respect to Conley, who’s 37 and coming off a fairly underwhelming postseason, he’s in a spot in his career where a reserve role with lessened minutes would suit him best. Given the uncertainties surrounding Dillingham’s development, the Wolves could have Conley slated for starting minutes again next year.
Tim Connelly has pushed many of the right buttons since arriving from Denver in 2022, and some believe that acquiring an established point guard would be the final piece of the puzzle for the Wolves to claim a title.
Enter Lillard.
The fit in Milwaukee never felt seamless, but Lillard was still the same guy statistically.
The sharpshooter averaged 24.6 points per game in two seasons with the Bucks, shooting 36% from 3-point land and 92% from the free-throw line. His average of seven assists per game is nothing to ignore, either.
Theoretically, bringing those numbers and that type of shot creator to Minnesota would solve the riddle of what this team is missing.
Consider that the Wolves wouldn’t have to pay top dollar and break the bank. Lillard is 35, coming off an Achilles injury, and is set to make $22.5 million per year over the next five years from Milwaukee. Bringing him in seems perfect.
Heck, even ESPN’s Mark Spears listed Minnesota as the No. 1 destination for Lillard if he were in those shoes.
I think the Minnesota Timberwolves would be an amazing fit. All due respect to Michael Conley, if they brought (Lillard) in, running point next to Ant, imagine the shooting in that backcourt, imagine the boost that Minnesota would get, imagine Mike coming in behind him. He and Ant Man got a relationship. Him in Minnesota, they were in the West Finals, that could be big.
For a team that has Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, and was able to re-sign Julius Randle and Naz Reid, a lot is going right in Minnesota. They’re still missing something, and believing Lillard could be that missing piece makes sense.
They’d have to account for a few things, though.
Lillard is soon to be 35, and there isn’t much to lean on when it comes to supporting the idea that he will be the same guy at his age, coming back from an Achilles injury. Lillard is a gamer and has always been. Still, investing in him being as efficient as he has been throughout his career, coming back from this, is a risk.
On top of that, when is he coming back?
By all accounts, the Wolves should be a playoff team at minimum next year, even in a loaded Western Conference. If Lillard is set to go for the postseason, how does that look?
A team that has built chemistry all season long now throws in a ball-dominant veteran guard who will have to shake off the rust of being out for around a year? It sounds less than ideal. Factor in that Lillard — whenever he returns — will have to shake off the rust and ease his way back into things, making it more complicated when you consider what the Wolves could ask him to do in the postseason.
Minnesota is trying to win now while also ensuring that the window with Edwards always stays ajar. It’s quite the tightrope act to try and complete. Two consecutive conference finals appearances indicate they are close, but one wrong move could set things back.
Back to Lillard.
With the new CBA, money management is an even bigger point of emphasis, with the first and second aprons restricting what teams can do if they soar past them. With Milwaukee using the stretch provision on Lillard to pay him a whopping $112 million over the next five years, whoever gets Lillard will likely get a discount.
If Minnesota can navigate the finances and secure a two-year deal for Lillard, where the cap hit is minimal, why not take the shot?
The Wolves need a point guard, and Lillard being in the frame would help alleviate any unnecessary urgency to throw Dillingham into a role he isn’t ready for. Minnesota would need to determine how to integrate Lillard into the fold if he’s ready to play at some point next season. However, this staff should be trusted to make the right moves on the chessboard.
With money being a motivator in the new CBA and likely not being an issue for whoever signs Lillard, it’s worth taking the swing for the Wolves. Even if Minnesota doesn’t win it all with Lillard, it’d be difficult to chalk it up as a bad decision, given the money involved.
Dillingham would still be viewed as the point guard of the future, signing Lillard wouldn’t gut the salary cap, and it would provide Minnesota with what could end up being the final piece of that cherished puzzle.