How Transparent Will Minnesota's Management Be With Players?

You don’t need to go to a marriage counselor to discover how vital transparency and openness are to creating a healthy, long-lasting relationship. Now, I’m not here to rehash any of your failed affairs of the past. After all, this is an article about the Minnesota Timberwolves. When trying to build a championship contender in the NBA, it’s a lot like trying to find “the right one.” You need to have chemistry, the ability to work through tough times, and, most importantly – transparency.

“It was definitely something I wasn’t ready for,”

When the Timberwolves flipped five players and five picks for Rudy Gobert last summer, the move was a massive surprise to everyone around the team – players, coaches, and fans included. Gobert was aware of the move; he chose Minnesota as one of his preferred destinations. However, none of his future teammates became aware of the move until Adrian Wojnarowski’s tweet on July 1st at 2:37 p.m.

“I’m pretty happy with the changes,”

Edwards usually has a smile on his face, and he seemed eager to get to work with Gobert and his new-look team. However, if the Wolves hope to become a consistent contender in a loaded Western Conference, they can’t ambush their cornerstone players with any surprising moves.

In late April, Paul Peirce was on Kevin Garnett’s podcast, KG Certified, and offered his view on what Minnesota’s front office needs to change in the future.

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I rarely see eye-to-eye with Pierce. However, he got this right. To build a sustained winner, you need to have the guys you want to “build around” in those meetings and get their opinions. On the other hand, it’s a business, something that KG pointed out later in that podcast. Most of the time, front office personnel all have a business-first mindset.

Heading into this summer, it seems unlikely that a splashy move like the one we saw last July will occur. However, there are still some potential franchise-shifting decisions that Tim Connelly and Co. will have to make. I understand that, ultimately, this is a business. But if Connelly is truly committed to building a winner around Edwards and Towns, transparency between the two will be paramount.