Timberwolves Free Agency: Andrew Bogut
Andrew Bogut is an Olympic-caliber big man, who can bring premiere experience to the Timberwolves’ frontcourt next season.
Andrew Bogut has had 12 seasons of NBA experience, including starting 18 games of Golden State’s 2015 championship-winning postseason run.
A big man with plenty of defensive ability, Bogut could provide a force the Minnesota Timberwolves desperately need as the league’s fifth-worst rated defense.
Before he was traded to make room for Durant, Bogut was a steady contributor for the Warriors, particularly on the defensive end.
He ranked first in the NBA in defensive box plus/minus in both the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, and is currently ranked second total among active players.
Despite not being an offensive star, Bogut is a steady contributor. Throughout his career, he has averaged 10 points per game in 29.1 minutes.
Throughout last season, Bogut shot an impressive 46.9 percent field goal percentage. Even more notable, the year before he managed 62.7 percent.
These high percentages mean Bogut isn’t going to be wasting shots for the Timberwolves but is making shots he can hit at a high percentage.
The most viable option for an Andrew Bogut acquisition is to see him as the Wolves’ starting center, pushing Gorgui Dieng to the bench.
This might not be the most attractive proposition for the Timberwolves, who just forked out $64 million to keep Dieng for four more years.
However, shifting a solid player to the bench provides the Wolves with the backup power they’ve been looking for.
A dependable bench is something the Timberwolves lacked this year, and will certainly be something that will be a priority this offseason.
Instead of searching for bench players, the Wolves could add a starter, and shift dependable Dieng to the bench.
Pursuing Bogut comes with risks as he has had an injury-prone career.
An injury to his leg in game five of last years’ NBA finals is seen by many to be a major contributor to Cleveland’s resurgence in the series.
He broke his arm attempting a dunk in 2010, and this year broke his leg less than one minute into his Cleveland debut, leading to him being waived.
Andrew Bogut is expected to be fully recovered before next season, but is he a prospect the Timberwolves should pursue?
A front court with both Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Bogut would certainly pose a threat for opposing defenses. Similarly, having both of these players on the court would improve the Timberwolves’ defense marginally.
Bogut has experience with four NBA teams and in three Olympic campaigns representing Australia.
Throughout his NBA career, he has played in four postseasons, for a total of 56 playoff games.
As I have mentioned in previous free agent pieces, the Timberwolves will need a player with playoff experience should they expect to make a postseason impact next year.
Bogut could provide that, and his veteran presence could help mold the young team into a defensive powerhouse.
While Bogut would clearly be a defensive asset to the Timberwolves, I’m not sure if it would be worth the money to risk another Pekovic situation.
Signing Bogut would provide the Timberwolves with an immediate boost to their defense, and prevent them losing leads as often as last season, but for how long?
Next: What if the Timberwolves trade Andrew Wiggins?
Let me know in the comments if you think Andrew Bogut is a viable option for the Wolves, and who else they should be pursuing.