You won’t find the Minnesota Timberwolves on many NBA free agency winners lists this summer. They didn’t make any home-run swings, franchise re-defining trades, or salary-cap crippling overpays. The fate of the franchise still rests with the guys making max money or in line for big extensions this summer. And yet the vibes around the team (for everyone who has gotten over the Rudy Gobert trade) seem to be better now than at any point during the rocky 2022-23 season.
A lot of the buzz has to do with re-signing Naz Reid before free agency hit, locking up Anthony Edwards on a rookie max extension, and the probability of extending Jaden McDaniels to a hefty nine-figure contract. But the sickos out there who made sure their notifications for Shams and Woj were turned up to 11 knowing that this year’s crop, while understated, should have a positive effect on the squad next season — especially the return of a fan favorite.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker was an add-on in the three-team trade that brought Mike Conley to Minnesota and sent D’Angelo Russell to Los Angeles. In the span of 23 regular season appearances and five playoff games including four starts, NAW went from trade afterthought to an important cog in Minnesota’s playoff push. Alexander-Walker inserted himself into the lineup immediately as a much-needed 3-and-D guard with the versatility to matchup 1 through 3 effectively. He shot 36 percent from three in a Wolves jersey down the stretch. In the first round of the playoffs, he shot 40 percent while helping McDaniels, Edwards, and Minnesota’s 10th-ranked defense shut down opponents. Most notably, he locked down his cousin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, allowing the Wolves to make the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in 19 years.
After the Wolves declined to pick up his option for the 2023-24 season, both sides agreed to a two-year contract worth $9 million. Bringing NAW back into the fold along with fellow free agents Shake Milton and Troy Brown Jr. will bolster Minnesota’s bench next season with shooting, defense, and versatility. They’ve been willing to spend. Karl-Anthony Towns and Gobert are on max contracts. Edwards signed a rookie max extension that could be worth $260 million. Naz signed for three years, $42 million, and there’s the impeding extension for McDaniels. The Wolves will be strapped for cash for the rest of the decade. Therefore, it’s imperative that they find value around the edges when building out the roster.
It’s easy to freak out once the clock strikes 6:00 pm ET on free agency Friday and Woj or Shams hasn’t tweeted that the Wolves signed the most coveted free agent. However, Tim Connelly worked his magic and squeezed three rotational pieces into Minnesota’s miniscule cap space. No, they didn’t get Bruce Brown, Donte DiVincenzo, Caris LeVert, or the other top-billed free agents. Nor did they retain Taurean Prince, who was the perfect glue guy during his two seasons in Minnesota. Prince signed with the Los Angeles Lakers for $4.5 million next season. But Connelly and the rest of the front office didn’t panic. They chose a lane and went for it and it paid off.
They could have easily worked out a big deal before the time when you’re legally allowed to do that and rushed to overpay a midlevel player. Or they could have waited for the market to dry out and blown their whole budget on a similar level player like Matisse Thybulle, who just got $33 million over three years to not go to Dallas and stay in Portland. Instead, the Timberwolves were able to fill out the rest of their bench with three players of similar skill level as Thybulle for a total of $27 million over the next two years.
Winning on the edges makes a big difference when your team has limited resources, and Connelly did just that this offseason. Retaining Alexander-Walker gives Chris Finch extra lineup flexibility. He and Shake Milton might be called upon for spot backup point guard duty after the Wolves guaranteed Jordan McLaughlin’s contract next season without signing a true backup in free agency. NAW becomes one of a half dozen players that Finch can turn to run the offense when Mike Conley sits. Alexander-Walker is never a liability on either end of the floor.
The Wolves are primed to run it back next season. Unless a blockbuster Towns trade materializes, it will be essentially the same roster that won just 42 games a year ago and got blasted by the eventual NBA Champion Denver Nuggets in the first round. They’ll be coming back to make the playoffs for a third season in a row and usher in the second-best era of Timberwolves basketball in franchise history. Nickel Alexander-Walker’s return is a big reason why Wolves fans have faith that next season will be better than last year. He’s not making $40 million a year. But he’s the perfect, cheap role player who packs quite a punch off the bench and can make just enough plays to tip a game or a series in Minnesota’s favor.
