On Feb. 24, 2018, the Timberwolves were 37-26 overall, good for third place in the Western Conference.
And this wasn’t any Western Conference. This was an absolutely loaded Western Conference. The difference between third place and eighth place at this point was five games. A bad week could be the difference between homecourt advantage and missing the playoffs entirely.
The Timberwolves went all in in 2017-18. You can look at the moves in a few different ways depending on what kind of glasses you’re wearing. To some, it was a combination of moves (led by acquiring Jimmy Butler) to make the Wolves competitive again and if it was only for a season or two before they’d have to start over again, so be it.