“You can dip your toe in, but you don’t want to be there too consistently because it just gets so punitive,” Connelly said. “It’s not just super expensive.
“We have great ownership this year that allowed us to spend a lot, a lot of money. But it’s so restrictive with dealmaking, so how can we be sure that we’re as nimble as possible? I wouldn’t say it’s a steadfast, ‘We’re definitely going to be out of it,’ but if we’re going to be in it, we’re going to be in it for a good reason.”
The Wolves have made moves over the past year — the Karl-Anthony Towns trade and Rudy Gobert extension — that signal they may want to dip back under the second apron, which they can accomplish this offseason. But that depends on their appetite for bringing back their own free agents or making a potentially huge trade.
Related to the second apron issue, Connelly said the goal is to “keep everybody” when it comes to bringing back Randle, Reid and Alexander-Walker.
“What’s neat is the players are all very happy here,” Connelly said. “They love the coaching staff, they love the teammates, they love the community. When the player wants to be here and the team wants to have them back, there’s always room for optimism.”
But there are a few dynamics involved.