It took a while, Wolves fans, but we finally got here. Another promising season, close to the final yet ending in vain, seems to be becoming their new reality at the moment. But reaching two WCFs in two years can’t be understated. But the current season’s playoffs feel like a bad deal wrapped in pretty paper. You’d feel that way, too, if your team beat a center-less Lakers and a Stephen Curry-less Golden State to get here. But the only way is forward, and no one is more excited about the future than their owner-in-waiting, Alex Rodriguez.

They’re only the second team to reach consecutive WCFs in the past decade, since that dominant Warriors team of the mid-2010s. Amazing, yes. But that’s something even they haven’t achieved in a long time. “We’re so proud of the @Timberwolves players, coaches, staff, and our amazing fans—for making history with back-to-back trips to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in our 36-year history.” But that didn’t end there.

That’s something worth putting on the refrigerator for sure. And after A-Rod’s end-of-season war cry to the fans, it seems like that might be on his quota this summer. “Thank you, Wolves fans everywhere. Your support has been unreal all season long, and we’re just getting started. This is the beginning of a new chapter of sustained success,” wrote the former NBL shortstop on X.

Wolves fans can agree that this is probably their best team. Not in terms of overall achievements, but for the promising future ahead. Chris Finch seems like one of the more level-headed managers out there. And to add to that, they got a loyal Anthony Edwards in his prime, ready to feast. They only fell short of probably the best OKC team of all time. So the season’s worth celebrating for sure. But for the team to grow from here, Coach Finch spoke of the need to build a team around Ant that can complement his play style.

He started, “You gotta be have guys and go somewhere, break the paint, make a play.” The coach seems satisfied as he added, “But I’m excited. We got a lot of good young players on our roster here that didn’t necessarily get the run that maybe they should have this season. But I really like where we are and I’m sure our front office will do a great job in the off-season in the draft. ‘Cause they always do.” A lot of talks, but after seeing the dilemma between keeping Rudy Gobert or Julius Randle, Alex Rodriguez’s job seems that much harder.

Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are stuck between a $67 million dilemma

There are max contracts in place for Ant and Gobert. And on top of that, there are substantial deals reportedly for Jaden McDaniels and Mike Conley. The trio of Randle, Naz Reid, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are all free agents this season too. Minnesota, lying in the second apron, makes it that much harder to navigate through the financial complications. All of this just points to one thing- GM Matt Lloyd will have to shuffle the squad around for sustainability.

“They have new owners coming on, Mark Lore and Alex Rodriguez. They have gotten a whole bunch of minority owners that can- they’ve demonstrated the NBA that they’ve got a whole bunch of money to operate the team. But I would be surprised if they were able to resign all three guys. I suppose they could trade another player off to keep it. But I would, maybe they can. I mean, I don’t know, but I would be kind of surprised if they could afford all three,” said Windy on Pardon My Take.

Gobert’s already signed a new extension- a 3-year, $109,500,000 veteran extension lying in the wait. Ideally, Randle seems like the one out the door. He was brought in for Karl Anthony-Towns earlier this season, and there are already questions over his future. But he does have a $31 million player option for the 2025–26 season. So there’s a lot left to dissect in Minnesota this season.

That NBL expertise will have to come in huge for Minnesota. Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore won’t be directly involved in contract talks for sure. But it’s their money, and as a former pro, he’d know the ins and outs of the sports business. Who do you think is most likely to be out the door first?