Timberwolves have a simple pitch for LeBron James, and there’s a chance it works

With more and more teams emerging as active LeBron James suitors, the Timberwolves are reportedly making a unique pitch to the King: Come to Minnesota and end the Greatest of All Time debate once and for all. 

This is according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski, who notes that the Wolves have “ramped up their push for LeBron” and believe they have a real chance of landing him. It’s an intriguing idea, to say the least. The Wolves have a star-studded roster headlined by Anthony Edwards, the recently acquired LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert that can ease LeBron’s burden on both ends of the floor and give him a legitimate shot at his fifth championship. 

Getting a fifth ring anywhere would obviously bolster his GOAT argument against Michael Jordan, but the Wolves are right to point out that not all championships are created equal. When LeBron won in 2016, by leading the only 3-1 comeback in Finals history against an NBA record 73-win opponent no less, he not only brought the Cavaliers their first title but also ended an all-sport 52-year championship for the city of Cleveland. That once championship probably meant more than his other three combined. It made him a genuine hero. 

A similar thing could happen with the Timberwolves, as laid out by Krawczynski:

Most importantly, [the Timberwolves] have a story for James to tell. Unlike several of the other options on the table for him, including the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat and James’ hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, the Timberwolves have never won a championship. The [NFL] Vikings and [NHL] Wild are title-less as well. The Twins’ World Series win in 1991 marks the last time a Minnesota men’s professional sports franchise won it all, the longest drought among U.S. markets with all four major sports. The people of Minnesota are desperate for a championship.

The Wolves think if James picks them over all the other suitors — cold weather and lack of spending power be damned — it would be the biggest possible statement he could make in the long-running greatest player of all time debate between him and Michael Jordan.

The Wolves have a compelling case here. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who’s got as good a feel for the LeBron pulse as any reporter out there, has noted that the best way to get James’ attention as potential destination is to go out and imporve your team with a significant addition. The 76ers did that with Jaylen Brown, and now LeBron’s agent Rich Paul is saying that move “changed everything.” 

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Well, the Wolves also made a splash trade this summer for the aforementioned LaMelo Ball, and recently Paul, who told ESPN that 27 teams have now inquired about James, took to a whiteboard to lay out the case for the top suitors on his “Game Over” podcast — and Minnesota was listed smack in the middle of that board. 

Who knows if the order in which any of these teams were talked about or where their name was written on the actual board means anythng at all, but what we do know is that story and legacy clearly mean a lot to James. 

Paul, in fact, flat out told Max Kellerman on this same podcast that if the Knicks hadn’t just won the title, “there would be no [white]board, he’d be going to the Knicks.” What does that tell you? That LeBron fancies being the hero, but Jalen Brunson already claimed that status in New York after delivering the franchise its first title since 1973. 

Minnesota isn’t the NBA city that New York is, obviously, but ending the longest current championship drought for a four-sport city would definitely qualify as heroic. And again, the Wolves have a team that can compete with anyone. They’ve been to two of the last three conference finals. They eliminated the Nuggets this year and were tied 2-2 with the Spurs, even after Donte DiVincenzo tore his Achilles. If the Ball addition works as it could, with Edwards getting to play more off-ball and the offense juiced, they could be even better this season. 

Add LeBron, and this team becomes a serious threat to beat the Spurs and/or Thunder, or anyone else, for the Western Conference crown. And there would be no ring-chasing narratives to fight off like there would be if he joined Stephen Curry. Again, the Wolves have never won a title. If LeBron changed that, the Wolves are right to suggest it could end the GOAT debate for at least the people who are currently on the fence.