If the Timberwolves win their season finale Wednesday against the Utah Jazz, they will finish 41-41.

That would be their best record in nine years and a 10-win improvement over last season. But there will be no champagne popped and no confetti falling from the rafters inside Target Center.

That’s because the Wolves missed their stated goal of making the playoffs by about nine wins in the rugged Western Conference. Their playoff drought stands at an NBA-worst 10 years.

For an overall middling season, it included startling highs and baffling lows.

The Wolves are No. 9 in the NBA in adjusted net rating, an advanced stat estimating point differential per 100 possessions while accounting for strength of opponent, according to basketball-reference.com.

Sixteen of the top 18 teams in this category are in the playoffs. The Phoenix Suns were the other exception, and they were narrowly eliminated Monday.

Down the stretch, the Wolves beat playoff-bound Miami, Houston, San Antonio and Memphis.

“It’s kind of sad to see (us) beating these teams and not being in the playoffs,” Ricky Rubio said Friday after a victory over the Rockets.

The Wolves came up short largely because they were 6-13 in games decided by four points or fewer and 4-17 at the end of back-to-back games. They also stumbled in head-scratching, late-season losses to Orlando and Sacramento.

As the Wolves conclude their 25th season, here are five pressing issues the team must address:

LOVE’S CONTRACT

The Wolves want to sign their best player to a long-term contract but can’t do anything until January. Kevin Love is under contract for next season but can opt out of the final year of his current deal (2015-16) next summer.

In January, the Wolves can offer a two-year extension that would keep Love in Wolves blue through 2018.

If he opts out and becomes an unrestricted free agent, other teams could court Love with four-year deals worth more than double the Wolves’ extension amount.

The Wolves, however, could outbid other teams with a five-year deal worth $26 million more than other teams can offer, meaning Love would be turning away that amount if he chose to leave.

Despite the uncertainty regarding his future, there is no intention to trade him.

RUBIO’S CONTRACT

The Wolves and Rubio’s camp can negotiate a rookie contract extension from July through October.

The team has one contract to offer to a “designated player,” meaning a five-year maximum deal. Rubio, in his third year, played better down the stretch this season but not at an all-star level overall, so a four-year deal is more probable — which the Wolves did with Love and probably now regret.

The Wolves have Rubio’s rights for two more years, after which he will be a restricted free agent, meaning the Wolves could retain him by matching any offer.

ADELMAN’S CONTRACT

Sensing a pattern here? The franchise and the coach each have a chance to opt out of the fourth and final year of Rick Adelman’s $20 million contract during a two-week window that begins Thursday.

Adelman, 67, has missed games the past two seasons to be with his wife, Mary Kay, as she struggled with health issues, and there is an understanding between him and the team that he can return next season as a consultant.

FREE AGENCY AND TRADES

The Wolves will be after a “two-way” wing player, meaning someone who can make an impact on both ends of the court.

All they have available for a free agent is a mid-level exception worth about $5 million, meaning a player of Luol Deng’s caliber is likely out of the question. He is expected to command upwards of $13 million on the open market.

The Wolves also could explore a trade to improve their defense, but owner Glen Taylor said it probably wouldn’t be a “big” one.

Forward Dante Cunningham, recently jailed on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend, is the only key role player set to become an unrestricted free agent.

THE DRAFT

If the Wolves hold form, they’re set to retain their rights to the projected No. 13 pick in the June draft. If Phoenix, in the 14th spot, leapfrogs the Wolves in the lottery, the Wolves would move to 14th and forfeit their pick to the Suns. However, that’s a remote possibility.

Last year’s draft picks — small forward Shabazz Muhammad and center Gorgui Dieng — are expected to be key rotation players next season. Dieng’s emergence at the end of this season could give the team some flexibility as it decides how to deal with lingering health concerns for Nikola Pekovic. The starting center missed a third of the season because of a foot injury.

On the possibility of trading Pekovic, Love or Rubio, Taylor said, “Those guys are pretty well set here.”

Staff writer Charley Walters contributed to this report. Follow Andy Greder at twitter.com/twolvesnow.