New players, new Target Center, new season for Timberwolves

Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives between LaMarcus Aldridge of the San Antonio Spurs and Pau Gasol #16 of the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center on October 18, 2017 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

It’s the start of a new season for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but that’s not the only thing that’s new for this basketball team and its fans. 

When the Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Utah Jazz Friday night, they’ll be doing so on a new court in a newly remodeled Target Center with new uniforms and a roster stacked with new, big name players.

NEW TARGET CENTER

Friday’s home opener coincide with the grand reopening of the Target Center after a year and a half of renovations. The bare bones of the arena are still in place, but the remodel includes a new, brighter lobby, modernized concourse, digital signage and a spiffed up bowl. The concessions menu also got a much-needed refresh.

NEW FACES

Jimmy Butler, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson – those are the high-profile names joining the team this season. The biggest buzz is around Butler. The three-time All-Star Minnesota acquired in a draft night trade that sent Zach Levine to Chicago. 

In addition to the new players, the Wolves also locked in some of their younger stars for the next few seasons.

Andrew Wiggins, 22, signed a multi-year contract with the team last week. He hit 5,000 career points during Wednesday’s game, making him the eighth youngest player to do so.

The Timberwolves also exercised the team options on Karl Anthony-Towns and Tyus Jones that will keep both 21-year-olds under contract for their fourth year.

NEW LOOK

This season will be the first for the Timberwolves under their new logo – only the fourth in the franchise’s 28-year history. The logo was created around an “updated color palette,” and features a howling wolf.

The Timberwolves unveiled the new look at Fan Appreciation Night last spring.

NEW SEASON

The Timberwolves opened their season on the road Wednesday with a 107-99 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The team is hoping to pick up their first win at their home opener on Friday against the Jazz. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.