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Minnesota Timberwolves: New championship timeline

By Jaime Tyler

Oct 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; The NBA championship trophy and rings are seen during the ring ceremony and banner raising ceremony before a game against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; The NBA championship trophy and rings are seen during the ring ceremony and banner raising ceremony before a game against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 11, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) holds the ball as Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) plays defense in the second half at Target Center. The Warriors won 116-108. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 11, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) holds the ball as Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) plays defense in the second half at Target Center. The Warriors won 116-108. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

May 2020

It’s May of 2020 and the Minnesota Timberwolves are facing off against the Golden State Warriors for the right to play the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2020 NBA Finals.

When that happens, here will be the ages of the teams’ best players:

  • The Minnesota Timberwolves: Jimmy Butler (30), Andrew Wiggins (25), Karl-Anthony Towns (24)
    • Average age: 26.3 years old
  • The Golden State Warriors: Kevin Durant (31), Steph Curry (32), Klay Thompson (30), Draymond Green (30)
    • Average age: 30.75 years old

The Warriors’ ages put them over the average championship timeline hill; whereas, the Timberwolves, as a unit, are just entering their prime.

That said, the Wolves are not guaranteed to overtake the Warriors at this point. The argument is that the Butler/Wiggins/Towns championship timeline matches up beautifully now and going forward.

Even if the Wolves bow out to the Warriors in the 2020 Western Conference Championship, they would be primed to become the next kings of the West at some point down the road.

For many years, that’s the way it has been in the NBA. The Warriors had to overcome the Spurs, the Spurs had to enact revenge upon the Heat, the Heat had to beat the Celtics, and on and on back through NBA history.

Dec 13, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) and guard Dwyane Wade (3)attempt to steal the ball from Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the second half at the United Center. Minnesota defeats Chicago 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) and guard Dwyane Wade (3)attempt to steal the ball from Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the second half at the United Center. Minnesota defeats Chicago 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

The Wolves will soon find themselves butting up against the Bay Area behemoth, ready to overtake them when the time is right.

Furthermore, once Jimmy Butler is out of his prime at 32 or 33 years of age, Wiggins and KAT will be 28 and 27 years old, just entering their NBA golden years.

At that point, it would be easy to bring in another free agent or a young talent to take over that third best player as Butler moves into the Andre Iguodala role for the future Timberwolves.

Consequently, that’s why their championship timeline matches up. Towns and Wiggins will learn from Butler and get valuable playoff experience. When Bulter is heading over the hill, KAT and Wiggins will be ready to lead the Wolves towards contention as they hit their primes.

Next: Tom Thibodeau's new challenge

As hard as it was for many Timberwolves’ fans to bid adieu to Zach LaVine, the move to get Butler does not interfere with the future championship timeline. In fact, it may just be the move that catapults Minnesota into the upper echelon of the NBA.

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