NBA free agency begins at 5 p.m. Monday, but don’t tell that to the Timberwolves.
Their version of free agency seems over already.
Sure, it’s possible that boss Tim Connelly has a stealth move cooking that will shock all of us. But it seems increasingly unlikely that it will come anytime soon. And it’s virtually impossible that it will involve free agency.
The Wolves might as well install a neon sign outside of Target Center that declares in capital letters “WE WILL NOT BE A SECOND APRON TEAM” given how often they have reiterated that is the plan this year.
Being in that segment of the luxury tax is both expensive and punitive from a roster-building standpoint, the latter providing nice cover to NBA owners who are probably more concerned about the former.
The sign should be portable, of course, since Target Center is not the Wolves’ forever home even while avoiding the second apron will probably be their ongoing strategy in most seasons.
And so the Wolves, who retained the services of Naz Reid (five years, $125 million) and Julius Randle (three years, $100 million) in recent days, very well might have shown us the plan and path for next season already.
With only a couple million dollars to spend before they hit that dreaded second apron and a bevy of young players begging for playing time that Chris Finch is determined to find for them, the likely plan has become the reality.
