Currently, 10 of the 30 teams have yet to win an NBA championship. Some of those teams have come very close to victory, like the Pacers, who forced a Game 7 in the NBA Finals last season.
The Timberwolves are still looking for their first title. They have reached the conference finals each of the past two years, but never the NBA Finals in franchise history. ESPN’s Neil Paine thinks they are the second most likely of the ten ringless teams to win one in 2031.
Chances of winning a ring in 2031
On Thursday, Paine posted an article where he ranked the ringless NBA teams based on their chances of winning their first title in 2031. A model was built to project each team’s chances of winning the title over the next six seasons.
According to the model, the Timberwolves have a 20.5% chance of hanging their first championship banner by 2031. Each team’s average roster age and 2025-2026 title odds are noted in the article, with Minnesota at 29.0 (22nd youngest) and +1600 (per ESPN Bet), respectively.
The team above them? That would be the Magic getting a 24.0% chance of a championship in 2031. They have the youngest average roster age at 25.6, and also play in the currently easier conference.
The next eight teams in order are the Clippers (15.5%), Pacers (13.1%), Grizzlies (6.9%), Suns (5.3%), Pelicans (4.6%), Nets (4.4%), Hornets (2.9%) and Jazz (2.9%).
Anthony Edwards helps Minnesota remain a top team while others age
The Magic have youth on their side. Their two best players, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, are only 46 years old between them.
The thing is, we haven’t seen this duo win a playoff series, and the franchise as a whole hasn’t won one since 2010. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves have won a total of four over the last two years, resulting in back-to-back appearances in the conference finals.
The squad may be a bit older, but their best player, Anthony Edwards, is only 24 years old. They have a potential replacement for Rudy Gobert in a few years, 2025 first-round pick Joan Beringer. Julius Randle is now in his 30s, but Naz Reid is more than four years younger than him and could easily be a starting four or five for most teams. Players may be getting older, but as long as the Wolves adapt well to Edwards, they should remain one of the better teams in the league.
Whether you think Orlando or Minnesota have a better chance to win the title over the next six seasons is a matter of opinion. The Timberwolves would love to be the reason Paine’s roster is only 9 teams next year.
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