4. Pick up a veteran
A big positive about the Minnesota Timberwolves trading down is that they will be able to pick up a veteran player who can contribute immediately.
Last season the Timberwolves didn’t bring very much experience to the table as they entered the year with only two players who had been in the NBA for seven seasons or more. If they want to take the next step of making the playoffs, many people believe they must add more players with experience.
The Wolves should be able to trade down into the 13-15 area and pick up a useful player as well. It won’t be as easy as it sounds though as they will need to find a willing trade partner.
Given Minnesota’s plethora of cap space (I laid out a scenario where Minnesota could have as much as $37 million to spend) they have the potential to take on additional money if they so choose.
One example of a trade that I would like to present is one with the Portland Trail Blazers. This is purely speculation and a lot of hurdles will have to be cleared first, but it’s simply an example of the flexibility the Timberwolves have this offseason.
Minnesota sends the seventh overall pick and Cole Aldrich to Portland for their 15th and 20th picks as well as Allen Crabbe.
Minnesota would rid itself of Aldrich’s $7 million salary next season but take on Crabbe’s massive salary in return. Crabbe is already owed over $56 million over the next three seasons (with the third season being a player option), not including his trade kicker. If he is traded his salary goes up 15 percent and that all falls on the Timberwolves cap. Meaning he would now be owed $62 million over the next three seasons.
Provided from SB Nation’s Eric Griffith and Blazer’s Edge.
If the Minnesota Timberwolves do make this trade let’s figure out how much cap space they would have remaining. We will start with the max number of $37 million.
Crabbe’s new salary of $22 million would put the Wolves at $15 million to spend. You then take away Aldrich’s $7 million and it jumps the Wolves back up to $22 million.
However, you would have to subtract the rookie deals which equals about $3.5 million between the 15th and 20th overall picks.
Overall, that leaves the Timberwolves with about $18-19 million to work with in free agency, enough to sign another player and fill a need.
There are a couple of reason’s I picked Allen Crabbe specifically.
The first is the cap situation for the Wolves. If they decide to sign Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and/or Karl-Anthony Towns to max deals, Crabbe’s salary would be coming off the books in time for the Wolves to still retain two of those three players.
| Season | Age | Tm | G | MP | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 21 | POR | 15 | 6.7 | .364 | 0.4 | 0.9 | .429 | .750 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 2.2 |
| 2014-15 | 22 | POR | 51 | 13.4 | .412 | 0.6 | 1.7 | .353 | .750 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 3.3 |
| 2015-16 | 23 | POR | 81 | 26.0 | .459 | 1.4 | 3.5 | .393 | .867 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 10.3 |
| 2016-17 | 24 | POR | 79 | 28.5 | .468 | 1.7 | 3.8 | .444 | .847 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 10.7 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
The second reason is that of the outside shooting that Crabbe brings to the table. Crabbe is a career 41.1 percent 3-point shooter on three attempts per game. Last season he shot a scorching 44 percent from downtown.
This outside shooting would be tremendously valuable to the Wolves and would help their floor spacing immensely.
This deal is unlikely in many ways but if the Wolves are willing to take on Crabbe’s salary, they could get a steal of a deal.