Minnesota

Timberwolves

DiVincenzo’s first season in Minnesota ended with a thud, despite the solid rebound tally. It was expected that his fantasy value would take a hit after being traded to the Timberwolves, as evidenced by the Yahoo! ADP of 106. DiVincenzo finished ranked outside the top-100 in eight- and nine-cat formats, providing slightly higher value in the former. His value for next season will depend on what happens with fellow reserves Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid. While NAW will be an unrestricted free agent, Reid has a player option. If one (or both) leaves, that would raise DiVincenzo’s fantasy ceiling, especially with starting guard Mike Conley not getting any younger.

While Reid shot the ball well in Game 5 and recorded three blocked shots, this was not a good series finale. He was responsible for five turnovers, and the “stocks” don’t tell the whole story, as Reid struggled defensively. The issues on that end of the floor make for an interesting offseason, as Reid can opt out of the final year of his current deal. His offensive ability may drive up the price tag, but his value with another team will depend on the rest of the roster. If Reid is paired with players who can cover for his defensive deficiencies, especially in pick-and-roll actions, he can be effective. And to truly be worth a roll of the dice in standard fantasy leagues, he’ll need to land a starting role. That’s unlikely to happen in Minnesota.

While Alexander-Walker’s play for the duration of the playoffs appeared to raise his ceiling heading into unrestricted free agency, Game 5 was a dud. He missed all eight of his shot attempts on the night, going scoreless for the first time this postseason. Alexander-Walker’s fantasy value next season depends on where he lands. If Minnesota can work something out and re-sign him, he’ll be a deep-league option at best after underwhelming from a fantasy standpoint. However, with the Timberwolves having Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr., the decision could be made that Alexander-Walker is too expensive to retain.

Outside of Game 4, Gobert had little impact on the action in the Western Conference Finals. He made his only shot attempt in Game 5 but only played 19 minutes, as Timberwolves coach Chris Finch searched furiously for answers in a game that got away from his team early. While fantasy managers hoped Karl-Anthony Towns’ departure would boost Gobert’s fantasy value, things did not work out that way. Boasting a Yahoo! ADP of 47, he finished outside the top-75 in eight-cat formats and outside the top-60 in nine-cat. Gobert is approaching the point in his career when he should not be a top-50 selection in standard leagues.

McDaniels had a brutal night in Oklahoma City, shooting 2-of-13 from the field in an unfortunate end to his season. The finish will take away from what was a productive season for the Timberwolves wing, who exceeded his Yahoo! ADP (142) and provided top-100 value in eight- and nine-cat formats. McDaniels finished the regular season with career-high averages in points, rebounds, assists and steals while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 81.3 percent from the foul line. At a minimum, he should be a safe top-100 pick in standard league drafts in the fall.

While Randle did finish Game 5 with a solid stat line, he got off to a slow start on Wednesday, shooting 3-of-6 from the field. As with Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves needed a far more aggressive Randle to entertain the possibility of extending the series, and he was unable to come through. With the move to Minnesota, many fantasy managers expected Randle to be a solid middle-round player based on his Yahoo! ADP of 62. Unfortunately, he failed to meet expectations, providing eight-round value in eight-cat formats while finishing outside the top-100 in nine-cat. Randle has a player option worth nearly $31 million for the 2025-26 season; he becomes an unrestricted free agent if he does not exercise it.

Conley had a rough night in Oklahoma City, providing little value in the Timberwolves’ final game of the season. He was expected to be a late-round player in eight- and nine-cat formats before the season began, and he met those expectations. Conley is headed into the final season of his contract, and between the pending free agency of Nickeil Alexander-Walker and the development of first-round pick Rob Dillingham, it’s conceivable that Conley’s playing time (24.7 mpg in 2024-25) takes a hit next season. At best, he’ll be a player worthy of late-round consideration in standard league drafts.

The final two games of the Western Conference Finals are not going to be part of Edwards’ career highlight reel. While the final point total in Game 5 was solid, the Timberwolves’ star guard did not grab control of the game from the start as many hoped he would. Regarding Edwards’ fantasy value, while he did not match his Yahoo! ADP of 10, he was close in eight- and nine-cat formats. Edwards was a top-20 player in both, making him worth the risk many fantasy managers took in drafts. He’ll be a worthwhile first-round pick in standard leagues in the fall.

After disappointing during the first three games of the Western Conference Finals, DiVincenzo seeing two triples go down late in Game 3 may have set the stage for Game 4. He was huge on Monday, with the 21 points being the most he’s scored in a game this postseason. Minnesota’s reserves combined to score 64 points, keeping them in the game despite Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle struggling offensively. In addition to needing their stars to be better in Game 5, Minnesota will need another good night from DiVincenzo to keep their season alive.

Alexander-Walker, who will be a free agent this summer, has picked a good time to increase his production. A double-digit scorer in each of the last three games, he was at his best Monday night. The 23 points were a playoff career-high for Alexander-Walker, who scored 20 in Game 2 of Minnesota’s second-round series against the Warriors. While expecting a similar performance from him in Game 5 would be a bit much, Alexander-Walker can be a factor off the bench. Even if the point total is not as robust, NAW must provide value again to help the Timberwolves force a Game 6.