The Minnesota Timberwolves threw everything they possibly could at LeBron James to try to persuade him to chase a championship with them.

Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball got on the phone with him. Alex Rodriguez led ownership’s pitch given their common ground as superstar athletes who have become business moguls. Tim Connelly’s longstanding working relationship with Rich Paul helped the two have extended conversations on the fit for James in Minnesota.

Throughout the process, team sources said, the Timberwolves felt like James and his camp were giving them full consideration for his 24th season. Those sources spoke on condition of anonymity to be able to speak candidly about private negotiations. They always knew it was a long shot, but the prospect of putting James in a starting lineup alongside Edwards, Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert was something they had to pursue all the way to the end.

James ultimately decided on Friday to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, ending a free-agency sweepstakes that lasted for nearly a month. Now that the dream is over for the Timberwolves, they will move ahead with a clearer picture of exactly how the roster will look entering training camp.

The Timberwolves were recruiting James hard for several reasons, not the least of which were his ability to impact winning even at 41 and the belief that his vast experience competing for titles would be highly valuable to a young team that has yet to reach the mountaintop. But they also had a natural hole in their roster that James would have perfectly fit.

To land Ball, the Wolves had to liquidate their depth at power forward, sending Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets and Naz Reid to the Charlotte Hornets. Adding Ball’s $41 million salary put Minnesota right up against the second-apron payroll threshold of $221.7 million for this upcoming season, leaving Connelly with little ammunition to address the lack of depth at the four. Had James decided to come and play in Minnesota for the league minimum, it would have been an incredible stroke of good fortune and removed any worries about the roster construction heading into Edwards’ seventh season in the league.

While observers of the roster have expressed serious concern about the lack of size up front next to Gobert, Connelly and coach Chris Finch do not seem as bothered.

“Certainly it’s going to be a new-look roster,” Connelly said. “And all credit to Coach Finch’s willingness to consistently evolve and coach what’s put in front of him. There’s not a more creative coach in the world, so we have full faith that whatever we put out there is going to be successful.

“It might look different, but we’re excited about it.”

The Timberwolves have been here before. When Connelly traded for Gobert in 2022, many across the league were convinced that pairing him with Karl-Anthony Towns was a fool’s errand. They would go on to reach the Western Conference finals in 2024 and, in some ways, help usher in a new era of supersized ball.

When Connelly traded Towns to New York, many assumed that a frontcourt with one non-shooter in Gobert and another mediocre one in Randle would be doomed. While Minnesota did not reach the NBA Finals with that pairing, the Wolves advanced to another conference finals in 2025 and reached the second round last season.

After losing to the San Antonio Spurs in May, the Wolves are pivoting again. This time, they are prioritizing a big, dynamic backcourt with Ball and Edwards over the frontcourt bully ball they have played the last three years.

“Everybody has a slightly different approach on what they’re comfortable with,” Finch said. “But this is our third big swing in five years, and I think we’ve given ourselves great confidence that we can navigate these things.”

The Timberwolves could afford to wait out James’ decision because there weren’t exactly a lot of great options available upon which to miss out. With only minimum contracts available, they signed Trey Lyles, who played for Connelly in Denver, after he spent last season in Europe. But other bigger names such as Rui Hachimura, Sandro Mamukelashvili and John Collins all signed deals for far more than the Wolves could offer.

Conventional wisdom would then lead to the assumption that, given his 6-foot-10 frame and rim-protecting abilities, McDaniels would slide to power forward in the starting lineup. But Finch made it clear to The Athletic that he is not thinking that way at the moment.

“I see Jaden playing largely the same role he’s always played,” Finch said. “But of course he can slide over to play four, and you get a chance to get other guys on the floor.

“If that’s what we feel at the end of training camp is the best thing for us, then of course we’ll do it. But that’s not necessarily my mindset going in. My mindset going here right now is way more open and lean into other things, whether it be creativity or finding a guy or the right guys across both lineups, first and second, that unlock it.”

Jaden McDaniels had a career season in 2025-26. (Mike Watters / Imagn Images)

Finch also wants McDaniels at small forward so the Wolves can better use the improved shot creation he showed last season when he averaged career highs in points (14.8), 3-point percentage (41.2) and field-goal attempts (11.1). With a pass-first player like Ball now at point guard, Finch believes McDaniels’ role in the offense can get even larger.

The coach also discussed adopting a more flexible approach to the starting lineup night in and night out next season, depending on the matchup.

“I see the opportunity to be creative with that, maybe, every night,” Finch said. “Maybe it’s a different person starting at the four based on who we’re playing. Why not?”

Lyles is listed at 6-9 and is the closest to a traditional power forward frame. He can stretch the floor from 3, which is important when sharing the frontcourt with Gobert. When he was discussing his decision on a vlog, Lyles indicated that the team at least mentioned the possibility of earning a big role next season.

“Opportunity to be a starter on an NBA team after being out for a year,” he said. “What, am I gonna say no?”

It would seem more likely that the Wolves give a longer look to some of their incumbents, including defensive specialist Jaylen Clark, offensive spark plug Terrence Shannon Jr. and the recently acquired Josh Green. All are 6-6 or under, which would potentially leave the Wolves vulnerable on the glass. The Wolves also experimented with 6-11 center Joan Beringer at power forward in summer league, though it would present major spacing concerns when sharing the court with Gobert.

The Wolves may just have to be unconventional, at least in the early going. Finch said that also meant Edwards could see time guarding some of the more physically imposing power forwards in the league, like Zion Williamson or Jaren Jackson Jr. It also means that the Wolves will likely lean on Ball, one of the better rebounding point guards in the league, to help them on the glass.

“There’s no doubt about it that being big at the four or five has been a large part of our identity,” Finch said. “But I’ve never been a believer that you replace one with one. If you lose a player, going out and trying to find his replacement straight up, (you’ll probably) only ever get 80 cents on the dollar at best. You might as well just lean into your best players, whatever that looks like.”

If there is a benefit to playing smaller, it could be to build a lineup that is better at using Gobert on offense. That may sound counterintuitive given his clear limitations, but he was at his best from an offensive impact standpoint when he was in Utah and surrounded by shooting and playmaking. Ball’s ability to throw the lob pass should help, and if there is less traffic around the rim with a group that stretches the defense out more, it could make things easier for Gobert.

“Rudy’s done an incredible job over the last couple years learning how to play off another big, whether it be KAT, Julius or Naz,” Finch said. “All of those guys had different spacing requirements. Rudy’s done a really good job of adding that component to his game. I can now envision lineup constructs that get him back to being — he’s always been a great roller — with better space around him and things he does more naturally.”

Maximizing Gobert’s offense by no means will be a priority, not with Edwards and Ball leading the way. But a more involved Gobert could translate to even more effort from him on defense.

As it stands, this is an imperfect roster. But the opportunities to address it have not ended. In the summer of 2022, most expected Connelly to trade D’Angelo Russell for a different point guard before the season began. With no takers, Connelly just waited for the market to come around again, ultimately shipping Russell to the Los Angeles Lakers and getting Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker from Utah in the three-team deal.

It stands to reason that the ultra-aggressive Connelly will continue to monitor the market well into next season if need be to see if an upgrade becomes available. The Wolves still have a roster spot to be filled. Now that we know that player is not James, the likelihood of a minimum player signed in late July being a true difference-maker is small.

None of what has transpired has dulled the Wolves’ enthusiasm for next season, nor has it made them rethink doing the trade for Ball. They discussed the pros and cons of the move before making it, Finch said, including understanding the holes in the roster it would create in the immediate aftermath. It didn’t scare them one bit.

“I think that’s the fun part about working,” Finch said. “We don’t look at those things as obstacles to not do something, but things that we’ll figure out as we move through it. Even if we don’t have great clarity on what it is, I think we trust each other to do that.”

And if you’re thinking Edwards is crestfallen by James’ decision, think again.

During one of several conversations he had with James, Edwards playfully told him if he didn’t make a decision soon, he would tear James’ head off, according to league sources briefed on the conversation. James laughed and asked Edwards what would happen if he chose another team.

Edwards didn’t hesitate, telling him that would be OK, because that just meant he could tear James’s head off on the court when their two teams met.