Why it may be time for the Minnesota Timberwolves to blow up their roster.
In an almost vicious circle of floundering, the Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves at the bottom of the NBA ranks. No matter how hard they try, the T-Wolves can never seem to build a competitive roster.
In 2017 they broke a 13 seasons playoff drought only to lose in the first round and then lose their coach (Tom Thibodeau) and start player (Jimmy Butler) shortly after. Now amid four years without making the playoffs, the Timberwolves are again looking like a team on the outside looking in.
At 4-9 and currently sitting at about $25 million over the salary cap, many would say the Timberwolves are in trouble. A team with two former All-Stars and second-year stud in Anthony Edwards should at least be competitive.
Currently, The Timberwolves possess a -4.2 net rating, and their offensive rating is 102, which ranks them 25th in the league. A positive note is their defensive rating is 106.3, which has them as the 12th best in the association. So, as a unit, the T-Wolves are not efficient on their side of the ball.
The Timberwolves are what they are, and it is a continuation of futility. To improve, Minny will need to restructure the lineup. They have to understand who on the roster has value. While some players have value currently, their value has diminished.
Karl-Anthony Towns is Minnesota’s best player. He is a former All-Star who averages a 22 and 11.5 for his career. The Timberwolves would be crazy ever to trade one of the best bigs in the league. The T-Wolves need to ensure KAT stays happy, so making moves to improve the roster is crucial for winning and keeping KAT in town.
Edwards is too young and too talented ever to consider trading. The swingman is currently putting up 24 points per game, so he is already an elite scorer even at a young age. The Russell and KAT tag team should be abandoned for a KAT and Edwards tandem ASAP.
Now we move on to the less certain pieces of the roster. Many would assume D’Angelo Russell would have a lot of trade value, but that is no longer the case. Three different teams have essentially dumped Russell in his career. Most recently, the Warriors thought Andrew Wiggins had more upside than D’Angelo Russell. Russell is a decent offensive option, but he is a terrible defender, and at $31 million a year, it might not be worth the cost to keep him on the roster.
Last year, Malik Beasley looked like a steal, averaging over 20 points per game on a salary of around $14 million a year. Now Beasley has been limited from his return from injury and is only averaging about nine points a game.
Outside of those four players, the Timberwolves are devoid of talent. Patrick Beverly is still a decent defender and is in the last year of his contract. A playoff team might offer some late-round picks to add him to their team for the postseason. Many teams might not offer anything assuming he might be bought out.
If the Timberwolves want to make a splash to provide their young core with some spark, they need to package Russell and another contract with a pick to bring in a high-level player. Perhaps if the Ben Simmons saga takes another turn for the worse, the T-Wolves could be a destination. The Timberwolves pick would be enticing for Philly, and Russell’s lack of defensive misfortunes could be hidden in Philly’s stifling defense.
Many might say to give this roster another shot to prove they can play together. With Minnesota’s history, they don’t have the track record of changing course. The Timberwolves need to make a move to improve this team because it only takes a KAT trade request for the T-Wolves to be cemented to the bottom of the Western Conference like they were for 13 seasons.