Minnesota Timberwolves: New championship timeline

In the aftermath of the “Trade of the Summer” the Wolves’ championship timeline needs to be adjusted. What does this trade mean for the two seemingly different age groups on the club?

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ acquisition of Jimmy Butler has inspired myriad articles, tweets and video clips lauding the Tom Thibodeau masterstroke. It’s a bold move, one so rarely seen in Minnesota basketball, from the Wolves’ front office. Consequently, it affects the Timberwolves’ championship timeline.

Let’s examine just how the Wolves approach their upcoming window.

First of all, the Timberwolves will be better next year. One need not look farther than the nearest tweet to realize the Wolves made a franchise-changing trade on draft night.

ESPN’s Kevin Pelton gave the Bulls an F and the Wolves an A in his assessment of the blockbuster.

Zach Lowe, basketball writer extraordinaire, celebrates the move from the Wolves’ perspective in his recent piece.

And MinnPost writer, Britt Robson, beautifully breaks down the ways that Mr. Butler will positively impact the Wolves on and off the court.

It’s true. National and local media love this move for the Wolves. Fans, experts, and NBA folks agree: the Timberwolves will be vastly improved next season.

However, some are still curious as to what this does to the Timberwolves’ timeline.

More from Timberwolves News

• The dream starting 5 for Minnesota Timberwolves 5 years from now
• Anthony Edwards’ latest accolade is a great sign of things to come
• In an OT thriller, Team Canada snatches Bronze from Team USA
• Timberwolves start, bench, cut: Mike Conley, Shake Milton, Jordan McLaughlin
• Which Timberwolves roster additions have upgraded the bench?

Weren’t the Baby Big Three, the Bounce Brothers and KAT, the Target Center Trio, supposed to grow up, win titles, and grow old together in multiple versions of a Timberwolves’ logo over the next decade and a half?

Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins, and Karl-Anthony Towns are best friends, darn it. They were supposed to lead the Wolves and the woebegone Minnesota fanbase out of the doldrums of the Western Conference and to the NBA’s June mountaintop…just as soon as LeBron James and the Golden State Warriors rode off into the sunset.

Thibodeau and Scott Layden just made sure that would never happen when they shipped LaVine off to the Windy City.

Ah, what could have been…