What the Timberwolves' Offseason Might Look Like Next Summer

Gobert and the Timberwolves could make a similar decision next offseason, or possibly sooner. Gobert could again decline his player option and sign a multi-year extension at a lower average annual value, giving the Timberwolves added flexibility while Gobert receives a larger sum of guaranteed money.

It's difficult to know at this point if either the Wolves or Gobert would be interested in getting an extension done before Gobert hits free agency, but if they are, something like a three-year $90 deal might make a lot of sense for both team and player.

A new contract for Donte DiVincenzo?

When Donte DiVincenzo tore his Achilles in the Playoffs in Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets, the Wolves were left with a decision. Do they trade DiVincenzo and his $12.5 million expiring contract ahead of what will largely be an injury-lost season, or do they keep him on the roster and look to bring him back in free agency?

Minnesota chose the latter, as they still see DiVincenzo as a core part of their team. Whether DiVincenzo is able to return to the court this season or not, there is still value in his contract expiring on the Wolves' books, as it would make him much easier to re-sign next offseason.

DiVincenzo's recover from injury will play a large role in both the contract amount he will receive and the Wolves' willingness to bring him back. If the Wolves and DiVincenzo do decide to run it back, Dosunmu's $22.4 million per year deal could be a solid baseline.

Luxury tax bill

This season will be the third straight season the Timberwolves are a luxury tax team. As their salary cap stands now, the Wolves will be on the hook for a nearly $22 million luxury tax bill, bringing the three-year total that ownership has paid to more than $121 million.

While former majority owner Marc Lore and current co-owner Alex Rodriguez deserve credit for paying that large sum of money, the real test comes next offseason when Minnesota becomes a luxury tax repeater team.

This means that the amount of luxury tax jumps up by as much as triple, depending on the level of spending. If the Wolves have the same amount of player salaries in 2027-28 as they do now, their luxury tax bill will be $57.5 million.

With new majority owner Marc Stad taking over, it is unknown what level of spending the Timberwolves ownership will be willing to commit. The assumption, given that Stad was previously an active minority partner, is that Stad will have a similar willingness to spend as Lore did, but only time will tell if that is true.

The Wolves could try to dip under the luxury tax in an attempt to reset their repeater penalties, but that would likely require letting one or both of Gobert and DiVincenzo walk while replacing them with vet minimums and Kuminga-level additions.

It also takes two seasons outside of the luxury tax to fully reset the repeater penalties, meaning the Timberwolves would have limited avenues to improve their team for multiple seasons during the primes of Edwards, Ball, and Jaden McDaniels.

More likely is that the Timberwolves reduce their salary total slightly from this year's level, which would greatly reduce their luxury tax bill. The Wolves could still bring back Gobert and DiVincenzo to the deals laid out above, replace Kuminga with a small signing or trade, and fill out the rest of the roster with minimum players, while keeping the luxury tax bill at a similar level even with the added repeater penalties.

Lastly, they could just go full steam ahead and spend crazy amounts of money with little regard for the luxury tax or any of the boring spreadsheet stuff. They could take on a big-money player in a trade before bringing back Gobert and DiVincenzo while paying no mind to the relatively low cost as an ultra-wealthy billionaire.

That final option is certainly the route Timberwolves fans hope they take.

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