The Wolves struggles made them the joke of the NBA in the early 90s. The Wolves were the last of the expansion teams to make the NBA playoffs and the last NBA team to win a playoff series, not doing so until 2003.

But through out their struggles, the Wolves have had some very good players. Many of these players played at all-star level for the franchise.

10. Stephon Marbury: Starbury was selected 4th overall in the 1996 draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and immediately traded to the Timberwolves for Ray Allen. The Wolves wanted to pair Marbury with 1995 first round pick Kevin Garnett, and the paring worked. For the first time in their history the Timberwolves won 40 games and made the playoffs.

The Starbury era was shortlived however, as he had issues with the team, the city and the fans - a reoccuring theme in Marbury's career. After just two and a half years he was traded to the New Jersey Nets in 1999.

Gobert's addition to the Wolves has been contraversial, as his contract has taken up a lot of cap space, but the team is a lot better with him on the court. He is also one of only 5 players in franchise history to average a career double-double while playing for the Wolves.

8. Al Jefferson: Big Al was acquired by the Wolves in a 2007 blockbuster trade that sent star Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics. Jefferson was a young player who was seen as the best return piece the Wolves got back, and he did not let them down.

Jefferson played three seasons with the Wolves where he missed only six games and consistently put up 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. Sadly, the Wolves were terrible in this era and the team traded him to the Utah Jazz for draft picks.

7. Andrew Wiggins: Wiggins was supposed to be the savior of the franchise. Drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, he was traded to Minnesota for Kevin Love.

Wiggins was seen as the next can't miss prospect out of Kansas, but after a solid rookie season in which in won rookie-of-the-year honors, his play dipped some.

Wiggins played five-and-a-half seasons with the Wolves before being traded to Minnesota in yet another rebuild.

6. Sam Mitchell: A forgotten non star for the early 90s Wolves, Mitchell become the first real marketable player for the Wolves franchise.

Mitchell was a player who initially struggled to find his spot in the NBA. He was drafted in 1985, but was cut several times before eventually signing with the expansion wolves in 1989

Mitchell played three seasons with the Wolves where he averaged double figures in scoring in every one before he signed with the Indiana Pacers. He played 3 seasons with the Pacers before againing signing with the Timberwolves in 1995.

He was the veteran leadership the team needed to make their first playoff run and he became a key mentor to the young Kevin Garnett. Mitchell retired as a Timberwolves player following the 2002 season.

5. Wally Szczerbiak: Wally World was the missing piece to a Timberwolves franchise who just never seemed to be able to get over the hump in the late 90s. The team had made the playoffs consistently for a couple of seasons but always lost in the first round and usually got swept.

Szczerbiak was selected 6th overall from a pick the Wolves acquired from New Jersey in the Stephon Marbury trade earlier in the season, and his impact was imemdiate. he averaged 14 games, mostly as a backup, for the Wolves who went on to have at the time their best season ever.

He was a key part for several runs and kept getting better and soon was starting next to Kevin Garnet. Szczerbiak had his best season in 2002 when he averaged 18 points a game and made the all-star team.

Unfortinately, his career progression was slowed by injuries the following years, and injuries would become a defining part of his career.

As the Wolves fortunes began to change in the mid 2000s, the Wolves traded Szczerbiak to the Boston Celtics for a package of players just to get off his contract.

4. Kevin Love: The Wolves acquired Love in a draft day deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. Fans at the time hated the deal and it looked like another miss by the Wolves. Love struggled his rookie year averaging just 11 points a game and coming off the bench most of the time.

In his second year Love once again came off the bench and almost won sixth-man of the year award. But things began to turn around in his third season as he averaged 20 points a game and lead the NBA in all rebounding categories, he also made his first all-star game that year. he followed that season up with an injury played season where he averaged 26 points a game.

The Wolves and Love just never could make it work. While he was a rebounding machine, he was injured a lot and the team was terrible. He was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Andrew Wiggins in 2014.

The pairing of Towns and Wiggins was supposed to bring a new era to the Wolves, but it didn't - it was just more losing. But KAT was consistently good, and unlike previous stars he was healthy.

KAT was eventually paired with Anthony Edwards and the two ushered in the best era of Minnesota Timberwolves basketball in the teams history. In 2024 KAT helped lead the team to its second western finals.

Unfortunately, for Towns and Wolves, he became a casualty of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement and so he was traded to the Knicks right before the start of the 2024-25 NBA season.

Towns left the Timberwolves being a four time all-star, a Rookie-of-the-year, and two times all-NBA team member. He was also the 2nd all-time in scoring, rebounds and blocks.

2. Anthony EdwardsAntman has become the new face of the franchise and the best hope for the Timberwolves to win a title since Kevin Garnett.

Drafted first overall in 2020, his impact was immediate. He averaged 19 points per game as a rookie and in his second season he lead the Timberwolves to the playoffs.

In just his 5th year in the NBA, Edwards is already the Timberwolves franchise leader in playoff points scored, and assists. He also has lead them to more playoff victories than any other Timberwolves player and more series wins.

In 2025 Edwards and the Wolves won playoff series in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history and made the west finals in back-to-back seasons.

1. Kevin Garnett:The Big Ticket being the best player in Minnesota Timberwolves history should come as no surprise to any one. Garnett was the first star in franchise history and lead them to their first playoffs, playoff win, and playoff series win. He is also the franchises all-time leader in scoring, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.

The Wolves selected Garnett 5th overall in 1996 and he got to work changing their fortunes right away.

The Wolves made the playoffs for the first time in just his 2nd season and he was named an all-star for the first time that season too. The Wolves would make the playoffs every year from 1997 until 2004, the longest such streak in franchise history. Garnett was also a 10 time all-star during this span, only missing it in 1999 due to no game being played. He was named all-NBA every year as well.

In 2004 Garnett guided the Wolves to their est season in franchise history, going 58-24 and being the top seed in the west. The Wolves also won a playoff series for the first time ever and made the west finals. For all of this, KG was awarded with the MVP award becoming the first and thus far only Wolves player to win the award.

The Wolves success was cut short in part due to heavy sanctions put on them by the NBA for illegally signing Joe Smith, and injuries to players like Szczerbiak. This hampered their ability to get better and in 2007 the Wolves traded Garnett to the Boston Celtics.

KG would return to the Wolves at the end of his career the final 43 games of his last year and a half in Minnesota as a mentor.