Chris Finch is not spinning last season. He gave Britt Robson of MinnPost an interview that reads like a coach who spent the summer replaying his own mistakes, and Minnesota’s offseason looks like a direct response to it.
Finch Took the Blame for the Lineup
“Last year, I mean, I’m not going to lie, it was a super-frustrating year,” Finch said. “We underachieved throughout most of the year and then in the playoffs we finally kind of ended up where we should have ended up.”
Then he got specific about what he regrets.
“One is I kind of kicked myself all season long for the late switch with Mike,” Finch said, referring to his decision to replace Mike Conley with Donte DiVincenzo in the starting lineup right before the season. He listed the consequences: the physical toll on Anthony Edwards, the mental toll on Conley, and the extra burden it placed on Julius Randle.
His summary of the whole year: “We didn’t play with any kind of joy at times.”
What It Cost to Fix It
Minnesota went and got a point guard. The price was enormous.
The four-team LaMelo Ball deal, finalized July 10, sent Naz Reid to Charlotte along with the draft rights to Matteo Spagnolo, a 2033 unprotected first, three first-round swaps in 2028, 2029 and 2030, and second-rounders in 2029, 2032 and 2033. Minnesota received Ball, Josh Green and the No. 33 pick. Julius Randle went to Brooklyn.
Ball is 25 and averaged 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 72 games last season on 40.7 percent shooting. He has three years and roughly $130.7 million remaining on a designated rookie max.
Note what that actually means: Naz Reid did not leave in free agency. Minnesota traded him.
Kuminga Came Cheap, Sort Of
Jonathan Kuminga signed for two years and $12.4 million with a player option, using the taxpayer mid-level exception. The 23-year-old averaged 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in 36 games between Golden State and Atlanta.
Getting under the second apron to do it required moving Josh Green to Utah for Cody Williams and John Konchar, then waiving and stretching Konchar’s $6.17 million over three years. Nothing about this offseason was clean.
Finch Is Changing How He Uses Edwards
The point of all this is Anthony Edwards. Finch told Robson he plans to be more deliberate with lineup combinations, putting Edwards in two-man actions and using him strategically in ways last year’s roster did not allow. He also wants more physicality and ball pressure defensively.
The subtext is that Edwards was asked to create everything last season, and it wore him down.
The Beringer Problem
With Reid gone, 19-year-old Joan Beringer becomes the backup center. The No. 17 pick in 2025 played 40 games last season at 7.9 minutes a night, averaging 3.9 points and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 66.3 percent.
Finch is candid about the risk. “There is going to be inconsistency,” he said, calling it the normal kind for a young player rather than self-inflicted. He praised Beringer’s effort and balance while noting he fouls constantly and takes himself out of position chasing everything.
One line stood out: “When he failed to meet the moment is when he had too much opportunity, like when I had to start him.”
49 Wins Was Not Enough
Minnesota went 49-33, finished sixth in the West, beat Denver in six and lost to San Antonio in the conference semifinals. Lead assistant Micah Nori left to take the Portland job, with Pablo Prigioni stepping up.
Finch mortgaged the next decade of draft capital to fix a starting lineup he admits he broke himself. That is either accountability or desperation. This season decides which.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.