The Birth of the Minnesota Timberwolves (1989 Expansion Era):
Based in Minneapolis, the Minnesota Timberwolves are a professional basketball team in the United States. They play in the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Western Conference. Together with the Orlando Magic, the Timberwolves joined the league in 1989 as an expansion franchise.
The squad had difficulties in its early years as a new franchise, frequently referred to as the “T-Wolves.” In actuality, none of their first seven seasons saw them win more than 29 games.
Former Boston Celtics great and Minnesota native Kevin McHale, the team’s vice president of basketball operations, took a risk in 1995 by selecting young forward Kevin Garnett right out of high school. Garnett swiftly changed the team’s fortunes, guiding the Timberwolves to their first winning season in 1997–98 and their first postseason participation in 1996–97.
Despite Garnett’s transformation of the team’s fortunes, Minnesota failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs in its first seven postseason trips, ending with the 2002–03 campaign. The Timberwolves signed swingman Latrell Sprewell and seasoned guard Sam Cassell prior to the 2003–04 season. Minnesota won its first playoff series, won its first division title, and made it to the Western Conference Finals that season, making it historic. But they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, which put an end to their run.
For the first time in eight years, the Timberwolves did not make it to the postseason in 2004–05. Garnett was moved in 2007 as part of a reconstruction effort. McHale quit the team shortly after that. Kevin Love, an All-Star forward, was the focal point of the team’s development under the new administration. With a 40–42 record in the fiercely contested Western Conference in 2013–14, Minnesota almost missed the playoffs despite having the 10th-best scoring difference in the NBA.
Nevertheless, it was the team’s best result in nine seasons. The next offseason, Love—who was scheduled to become a free agent—was dealt. After that, the rebuilding Timberwolves had a challenging 2014–15 campaign, ending with the lowest record in the NBA (16–66).
By the 2017–18 season, Minnesota had rebuilt around a youthful, promising core that included seasoned All-Star wing Jimmy Butler and center Karl-Anthony Towns. After a 14-year absence, the squad made a comeback to the playoffs. However, Butler was traded during the 2018–19 season as a result of conflicts that developed between him, his teammates, and the coaching staff. Minnesota missed the playoffs once more after finishing last in its division.
The Timberwolves had a 46–36 record in 2021–22, their best winning % since 2003–04, following two losing seasons. Towns and second-year guard Anthony Edwards, dubbed “Ant-Man,” guided the team back to the postseason, where the Memphis Grizzlies eliminated them in the first round.
In order to acquire Rudy Gobert, a consistent contender for Defensive Player of the Year, Minnesota executed a historic trade with the Utah Jazz during the offseason. The squad was less competitive the next season due to Towns’ injury, but Edwards had a standout season, becoming Minnesota’s leader and being selected for the first time in an All-Star Game.
Fans and observers throughout the league were impressed by the Timberwolves’ outstanding performance in the series, despite the fact that they were once again defeated in the first round—this time by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets.
With Gobert leading one of the NBA’s best defenses and Edwards and Towns driving the offense, Minnesota maintained that momentum throughout the 2023–2024 campaign. They defeated the Phoenix Suns 4–0 in the first round of the playoffs before playing the Nuggets in the second round. The Timberwolves won the first two games in Denver by a total of 33 points, shocking the reigning champions. In the end, Minnesota won the series in Game 7, sending the team to the Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years. But against the Dallas Mavericks, their run came to an end in five games. Towns, a longtime pillar of the team, was traded during the summer.
The Timberwolves finished the 2024–25 regular season with seven fewer victories than the year before as they adjusted to their new squad. However, they settled into a groove during the playoffs, defeating the Golden State Warriors and the Lakers in five-game series in the first round.
In the Western Conference Finals, Minnesota then took on the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were on the rise. Edwards faced 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the matchup. In the end, the more seasoned guard outperformed Edwards, and the Timberwolves lost the series 1-4.