For basketball teams, change is often called for when teams are stuck in a rut. There are squads that have been in basketball purgatory for years and years and after acquiring some young talent, they make a huge trade to vault into contender status. 

There are other teams, though, that have been perennial contenders but could never get over the humps that have stopped them from reaching the finals. Year after year, they see their season end at the same time of the year, at times against the same opponent. 

The Minnesota Timberwolves are currently the latter, but their five consecutive postseason appearances have ended against five different opponents, the last four of which have gone on to the NBA Finals (with the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder emerging as NBA champions). 

So after five years of the same story, the Wolves have decided to switch things up. 

Minnesota has been among the more active teams this offseason, trading a former Most Improved Player of the Year in Julius Randle, a former Sixth Man of the Year in Naz Reid, and letting an old reliable veteran in Mike Conley go in free agency. They’ve also let Kyle Anderson walk and sent Josh Green away to preserve some salary cap flexibility. 

And in their stead, the Wolves have gone a little bit of a youth movement. 

LaMelo Ball gives Minnesota another dynamic playmaker to complement Anthony Edwards, who will have less defensive attention facing him with a talent like Ball on his side. However, much of it will also depend on Ball’s health, as the 72 games he played last season were the most since his sophomore year. A healthy Ball could make the Wolves a dangerous team, especially when the offense is clicking. 

Jonathan Kuminga and Cody Williams are the intriguing additions that fit the mold of a Minnesota wing. They’re athleticism and two-way capabilities fit perfectly within what Wolves head coach Chris Finch wants to run and they will likely join the ranks of Jaden McDaniels, Donte DiVincenzo, and Terrence Shannon Jr., among others. They’ll add to the depth of athletic wings that can pose problems for their opponents, some of whom have talent across the board and may not be prepared to face a potentially vaunted defense the Wolves can deploy. 

With this offseason, it’s clear Minnesota is dead set on getting over the proverbial hump that prevented them from inching much closer to their championship aspirations. The Wolves thought experience was the way to go, but given its shortcomings, skewing towards youth allows them to build experience but prolong their window for contention. It remains to be seen if it will work out, given health and the luck that comes with seeding and other postseason factors. 

This is as all in as it gets for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are tired of the same story and with a new set of characters are hoping for a happier ending.