[1] After the tragic death of Malik Sealy, the Timberwolves scrambled to find a replacement for him, signing free agent Chauncey Billups,[2][3] a close friend of Kevin Garnett, and signing LaPhonso Ellis during the off-season.
[4][5] Meanwhile, the Timberwolves secret free-agent deal signed by Joe Smith was voided by the NBA, who ruled their proper procedure in signing the contract, while stripping their first-round draft picks for the next five seasons and fined the team $3.5 million; Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, and General Manager Kevin McHale were both suspended for one year.
[14] At mid-season, the team signed free agent Felipe López, who was previously released by the Washington Wizards.
[31][32][27][28] However, in the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the T-Wolves would lose in four games to the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs.
[33][34][35][36] Following the season, Ellis signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat,[37][38][39] and Tom Hammonds retired.