The Timberwolves identified themselves as NBA championship contenders this season, both with their words and their play.

Winning a title is their stated goal, and their performance suggests they’re a strong candidate to do so. They have offensive firepower and the League’s top defense. That’s more than enough to have more than a puncher’s chance in a wide-open NBA.

The time to strike is now.

That’s an odd thing to believe given the age of the Wolves’ star player. Anthony Edwards is only 22 years old and in the middle of his ascent to NBA stardom. Naz Reid is 24 years old. Jaden McDaniels is 23. And it has been 20 years since Minnesota has advanced out of the first round of the playoffs.

Karl-Anthony Towns has never won a playoff series. Rudy Gobert has never been to a conference finals.

There’s no guarantee this team will win at a high level in the playoffs.

But there is no time to wait and see. Not when Gobert is 31 years old and likely at the height of his powers. Not when Mike Conley is 36 years old and still playing like one of the NBA’s premier point guards.

Not when both Conley and Kyle Anderson, two veterans who have proven pivotal to this team’s success in their own ways, are on the final years of their respective contracts, with no guarantee either returns to Minnesota next season given the Wolves’ potential salary cap constraints.

This is likely the best roster Minnesota can field for years to come. It’s one of the best rosters in the NBA. The Wolves, who have been nothing short of dominant at Target Center, have positioned themselves to potentially have home-court advantage throughout the postseason.

There is no more logical time to push the chips in than right now.

Any deficiencies the front office feels the team possesses should be addressed by the Feb. 8 trade deadline.

That could include a backup point guard, an additional shooter or another pure bucket-getter to bring off the bench. The Timberwolves already have been linked in reports to Apple Valley native Tyus Jones, who could be an invaluable asset to back up — and sometimes play alongside — Conley. Those floor generals are currently No. 1 and No. 2 in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Or maybe that isn’t what the front office believes is its biggest need. But whatever the front office believes will best help the team advance further into the postseason is what should be added within the next few weeks.

The team deserves as much given its consistently strong play. The Wolves already have proven themselves against the other top contenders. Conley and Gobert may only have so many more bites at the apple.

“We always talk about it: You never know if you’re gonna get another opportunity to win a championship. Doesn’t matter if you’re a young team, if you’re a team with experience. You never know. This league, so many things happen,” Gobert said. “You gotta embrace the moment and make the most of every situation, and I think that’s what we’re trying to do. And we’re trying to carry that over to the younger guys. And it’s fun because they embrace it. We’re not trying to waste any time. We can do something unique right now. Let’s do it.”

The stars have aligned well for this to be Minnesota’s time — or at least one of its times. So maximize it. Even if that means sending off assets like Leonard Miller, Josh Minott or what’s likely to be Memphis’ second-round pick in the upcoming draft, which currently figures to be very early on Day 2.

Yes, those cost-controlled, high-ceiling players and the picks that could be used to draft more have value for the Timberwolves, who will soon need to surround their top-tiered talent with players on cheap contracts.

Developing players like Miller is the hypothetical path to “sustained success.” But there are no guarantees in that process. For evidence of that, look no further than Golden State, whose young players haven’t developed as it had hoped.

The only guarantees in the NBA are what’s right in front of you in the here and now. And what’s currently on the Timberwolves’ plate is a chance to win a championship.

That’s always a chance worth taking, because you never know when it will come back around again.

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