Tim Connelly and the Timberwolves have some important free-agent decisions to make this off-season. We polled Wolves fans to see which players they would prioritize if Minnesota is unable to bring everyone back to the fold.
Tim Connelly’s Summer Puzzle: How Do You Keep a Contender Intact Without Stepping on the Second Apron Landmine?
It’s a good time to be a Timberwolves fan. That sentence feels weird to type—like “Nicolas Cage, Oscar winner” or “IKEA instructions, easy to follow”—but it’s true. Minnesota is in the thick of an exciting playoffs battle with the Lakers and looks more like a legit Western Conference threat than a quirky underdog story. And yet, even while we’re still living in the now—glorious now, there’s a giant, blinking problem on the horizon:
The Second Apron.
This thing isn’t a salary cap—it’s a financial booby trap. Once you step on it, you’re basically telling the NBA: “Yeah, I don’t need mid-level exceptions. I don’t need to trade for players making more money than I send out. And also, I hate draft picks.” It’s like agreeing to play Jenga blindfolded with one hand tied behind your back. Which brings us to Tim Connelly, the guy holding the Wolves’ front office scalpel, tasked with trying to bring back Julius Randle, Naz Reid, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker this offseason—without kneecapping the team’s future financial viability.
Right now, the Wolves are staring at a projected team salary that dances perilously close to the $207 million second apron threshold. Bring back all three guys, and you’re officially paying taxes that would make Bezos flinch.
Let’s break this down.
Julius Randle: The $29 Million Question
Randle has a player option next year worth $29 million, which is somewhere between “fair” and “a little rich” depending on how you feel about Julius’s bulldozer-in-the-paint style. He’s a bit polarizing—some Wolves fans still wake up in cold sweats from his early-season ISO possessions—but let’s not forget: he’s the team’s second-leading scorer, he’s a durable regular-season innings-eater, and when he’s right, he gives you 20 and 9 without breaking a sweat.
But here’s the rub: if he opts in, that number essentially destroys any hope of keeping both Naz and NAW without detonating the team’s tax situation. So the best-case scenario? Julius declines the option and re-signs for a longer deal at a lower annual hit—say, 3 years, $66 million. You still keep the asset, lock in a veteran big, and gain some breathing room under the apron. Or he opts in, and Connelly shops him as a massive expiring. Either way, Randle’s decision is the first domino.
Naz Reid: The People’s Champ
Look—76% of Wolves fans voted that Naz Reid is the guy they want back. This is a dude who was undrafted, built himself into a flamethrowing sixth man, and now walks into games like he’s been told the Lakers doubted him personally. He shot 6 threes in Game 1, dropped 24 points, and smiled like a man who knows he’s about to make generational money.
Naz has a $15 million player option that he’s almost certainly declining. He’s going to want $20 million-plus annually. Can the Wolves afford it? Technically, yes. But paying Naz means someone else probably isn’t coming back. And while there’s always the threat that he jumps ship for more money and a starting role, he’s also close with Ant and McDaniels and loves this city. It’s not nothing.
Naz is the heart of this bench. He might be the soul of this whole roster. He needs to stay.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker: The Cap Casualty Candidate
Here’s the thing with NAW—he’s been awesome. Versatile defender, ball-handler insurance, occasional flamethrower. But he also happens to play a position where the Wolves have a logjam: DiVincenzo, Mike Conley (for now), Jaylen Clark, and Terrence Shannon Jr. all crowd the rotation.
If Connelly’s forced to make a sacrifice—and someone has to be the metaphorical “Jack” on the Titanic door—it might be NAW. He’s due a raise from his current $4.3 million and could probably command $8–10M annually on the open market. Not outrageous, but not easy when you’re nickel-and-diming to stay under the apron.
Now, could you move Mike Conley and open the space? Sure. But Conley reportedly has a handshake no-trade agreement. And honestly, after the way he’s played during his tenure in Minnesota—and the steady hand he provides—it’s hard to argue that moving him wouldn’t cost more than it saves.
The Nuclear Option: KD? Really?
We have to address it—those Kevin Durant trade rumors from February. Look, if Durant becomes available and wants to team up with Ant? You have to at least consider it. But here’s the thing: this team is already good. They’re connected, they have chemistry, and they’ve built a modern defense that can suffocate elite offenses. You don’t sell that off unless it’s a sure thing. (And let’s be honest, KD trade history is… complicated.)
Final Verdict: Keep the Bigs, Pray on the Wings
If I’m running the Wolves—and I say this fully aware I’ve never negotiated anything more complex than a fantasy trade—here’s the play:
✅ Keep Naz Reid, even if it costs you.
✅ Re-sign Julius Randle on a team-friendly extension or prep to trade his expiring.
❌ Let NAW walk unless you can ethically make a Mike Conley deal.
It’s not perfect. But it’s realistic. And more importantly, it keeps the Wolves big, mean, and ready to contend—without nuking their long-term flexibility. Because as fun as this year has been, we’re not building for one playoff run.
We’re building a window.
One where Ant is the face of the West, Naz is still dropping 18 off the bench in his sleep, and Tim Connelly’s sitting in a room somewhere in Wayzata, sipping cold brew, grinning at a spreadsheet that somehow kept everyone together and ducked the second apron.
It’s possible.
He’s done it before.
Let’s see if he can pull it off again.
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