The Minnesota Timberwolves are betting big on an old friendship to change their ceiling. Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball, classmates from the 2020 NBA draft class, are now sharing a backcourt in Minneapolis. And the front office has made it clear: this is about unlocking Edwards in a way nobody has before.
According to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson, the Timberwolves have a very specific timeline in mind. The plan is to get Edwards, 24, to sign another monster extension next summer. To do that, they need him playing at an All-NBA level consistently. And the belief is that Ball can make that happen.
“The idea is to get Anthony Edwards a year from now to put pen to paper on another monster extension,” Wolfson said on the podcast “Flagrant Howls.” “The idea is to elevate Ant’s game, get him to be All-NBA once again, then he can maximize his earning potential. LaMelo Ball, the thought is, is going to help elevate Anthony Edwards that much more.”
Edwards is already on a five-year, $244.6 million rookie max deal he signed in 2023. So this isn’t about money right now. It’s about building a partnership that can actually survive a playoff run in the Western Conference.
The Missing Piece Edwards Never Had
Here’s the thing about Edwards: he’s never played with a point guard who could truly run an offense and make him better. Mike Conley Jr. was solid in Minnesota but clearly past his prime. D’Angelo Russell had moments but was never a consistent top-tier distributor. Ball is different. He’s a two-time All-Star who led the league in assists per game (8.4) in the 2022-23 season. His whole game is about getting others involved.
On paper, the fit makes sense. Ball takes pressure off Edwards as a primary ball-handler and can create open looks for him off the dribble. Edwards can focus on what he does best: attacking the rim and scoring from anywhere. But there are risks too. Both guys can be erratic. Both can be turnover-prone. And Ball has missed big chunks of the last two seasons with ankle injuries.
The Timberwolves aren’t just hoping this works. They’re restructuring their whole roster around it. They traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks last summer, partly to clear cap space and partly to give Edwards and Ball the freedom to run the show. That’s a massive bet on two guys under 25.
And it’s not like the West got easier. The Spurs are coming, the Thunder are already there, and the Nuggets still have Nikola Jokic. The Wolves have to get through all of them just to sniff the Finals.
But Wolfson’s report suggests the team is betting on Ball’s unselfishness to elevate Edwards to a level he hasn’t reached yet. If Ball stays healthy and Edwards keeps climbing, this could be the best thing to happen to Minnesota basketball since Kevin Garnett. Or it could be another experiment that looks smart on paper but falls apart in March.
Either way, the Wolves are all in.
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