I got laid off from my writing gig covering the Wolves on April 26th, 2020. And excited to share that as of today — April 26, 2025 — my company has our own offices with a podcast studio. Meant a lot to be able to break it in with both @brittrobson and @KyleTheige — who have been with me since the beginning.

With Karl-Anthony Towns one game away from a NBA championship, you might be wondering 'why did the Timberwolves trade him?' This week on the show, we went back over why -- specifically the salary cap reasons. We talked here about how the new collective bargaining agreement and the penalties associated with exceeding the 2nd apron -- which came into existence after KAT had signed his big extension -- significantly influenced the Wolves making the Towns trade.

In training camp of the 2024-25 season, Nickeil Alexander-Walker was getting reps at point guard. With Mike Conley getting older, Alexander-Walker being able to play point would lead to more minutes during the season and in the years to come. Alexander-Walker got to play point guard all preseason -- and it was a disaster. Because the experiment went so poorly during the preseason, Alexander-Walker playing with the ball in his hands as the primary initiator was bagged. It ended up not being his role. Instead, he played off-ball and thrived, as a high-level 3 and D guy -- with some playmaking flashes, but also notable struggles trying to finish at the rim. And this is such a sliding doors moment to me for the Wolves because the player Alexander-Walker became in Atlanta is exactly what this Wolves team could use right now. He became the best possible outcome of the initial vision for him in that 2024 training camp.

Tried to work this out. Not impossible but very complicated to put together a suitable roster around Ant and Giannis. And would certainly take a sequence of trades to navigate draft compensation and apron restrictions. I’d guess it would take at least a 3- or 4-team trade. And the players the Wolves would be trading in subsequent moves would need to prove to generate a good return in the trade market. It remains just as complicated as it was at the deadline. But I think it’s worth talking about. And Kyle and I are going to try and go through it all on Monday’s episode of the show.

Our thanks to @DaneMooreNBA for joining us on the show. Really insightful perspective here on the evolution of Anthony Edwards as a leader & teammate

Did Wolves sliding doors moments on the pod today... And this is great one from @JaceFrederick, on that 2021-22 season, losing to Memphis in the 1st round and completely reconstructing the roster with the Gobert trade.

The biggest question this offseason: Where are the Wolves at with Julius Randle?

If the Wolves can't land a suitable traditional point guard this summer -- because there are so few -- I would guess the next step is moving into the combo guard universe. And I think it would then need to be a specific type of combo guard -- different than DiVincenzo and Dosunmu -- that the Wolves would need to pursue.

I think an under discussed topic is what trading for a point guard like Kyrie Irving or Dejounte Murray might mean for Ayo Dosunmu -- his role on the team and his free agency this summer.

Will be on KFAN with PA here shortly

Why the Wolves got bored this season feels like one of the biggest things that needs to be understood this summer and changed before next season. As we discussed here...

"What I'm seeing from the three teams I'm mentioning, now including the Knicks with the Thunder and the Spurs, is a dedicated effort at both ends of the court. You cannot have your top two playmakers be indifferent defenders." -- @brittrobson

Was fun going down KAT memory lane with Wes today. (side note: I keep my list of NBA pods I'm subscribed to pretty short, and this show is on my list. Smart host, creative topics, interesting guests. Genuinely would recommend subscribing if you don't already.)

This was the 1000th episode of the show. Always thought there was an untapped appetite for the Wolves here. Thank you for listening — whether it was once or one thousand times.

Today's show w/ @brittrobson - How the presence of San Antonio and OKC in the West might impact the Wolves' summer (4:00) - Continuity vs. a trade that incurs risk (23:00) - What type of guard might the Wolves add? (40:00) - The 1-star roster build  How the Wolves could look different without Randle (1:00:00) - KAT and the Knicks in The Finals (1:18:00) YouTube: youtu.be/U2HjibFTYFs?si=5tsN… Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1k1… iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…

Rudy Gobert is set to earn 22% of the Wolves salary cap next season ($36.5M). Jaden McDaniels making $42M in 2029-30 would be 21% of the salary cap.

If you were Tim Connelly, would you offer Jaden McDaniels a 2-year, $87 million contract extension right now? McDaniels' current contract... 26-27: $26M 27-28: $28M 28-29: $30M That contract extension would add on... 29-30: $42M 30-31: $45M If you were McDaniels' agent, would you advise McDaniels to sign that extension?

Today's show w/ @KyleTheige - Questions about building around Ant as he grows (4:00) - Questions about acquiring players through trades, free agency and the draft (34:00) - Questions about internal development on the roster and where it can come from (1:18:00) YouTube: youtu.be/-PuJreKCfjM?si=0IaQ… Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/7fE… iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…