Minnesota opens its 2026-27 season tonight in Miami at 0-0, with a roster rebuilt around Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. The numbers that matter most still come from last season, and they describe a 49-win team whose defense had started to slip.
The Engine, Then the Passer
Edwards averaged 28.8 points last season and shot 39.9 percent from three. That shows he can carry an offense on most nights. It does not show he can do it for a full season, because he played only 61 games. Ball comes in after averaging 20.1 points and 7.1 assists last season in Charlotte, the highest assist number of anyone on this roster's list. The Athletic wrote that Ball is passing his way into Wolves' hearts. What 7.1 assists cannot tell us is whether his game fits a team that wins with defense first. Fans have been arguing about that since the July 10 trade.
A Defense Showing Its Age
Minnesota had a 3.1 net rating last season, built on a 112.5 defensive rating that ranked 8th and a 115.6 offensive rating that ranked 13th. Eighth is still good, but it was a step down for a group that reached two straight conference finals by stopping people. Rudy Gobert, now 34, played 76 games and grabbed 11.5 rebounds a night. That says he can still anchor the paint. It does not say he can hold up for another year. Jaden McDaniels, newly extended, shot 41.2 percent from three in 73 games, so the wing defender also gave the team real spacing.
The Bill and the Warning
Payroll is $215.3M. That is above the $209.0M apron and well past a luxury-tax threshold of $200.4M. The 2027 and 2028 firsts are both swaps, which leaves little room to add help in the middle of the season. The more worrying number is late-season form: over their last 10 games last season, the Wolves were outscored by 6.4 a game after finishing plus 2.2 for the year. That did not doom them, since they beat Denver in six games in the first round. A 106-128 preseason loss to Detroit and a 116-133 loss in Chicago count for nothing in the standings, but they did not make the concern go away. Donte DiVincenzo, who played all 82 games last season, has an estimated return of April 2, 2027.
When is Donte DiVincenzo expected back for the Timberwolves?
He is listed as out with an Achilles injury to his right leg. His estimated return date is April 2, 2027.
Are the Timberwolves over the luxury tax this season?
Yes. Their $215.3M payroll is above both the $200.4M luxury-tax line and the $209.0M apron.
