Minnesota Timberwolves: Who won the North(west)?

The Northwest division has been one of the busiest in the NBA this summer. Not only have the Minnesota Timberwolves made huge changes, but so has the rest of the league. Who won the offseason?

Nearly every team in the Northwest division has overhauled their roster. Some have been positive (see Minnesota Timberwolves) and some have been negative (see Utah Jazz). Regardless, the roster turnover has been nearly unprecedented.

Before the season begins, Dunking With Wolves will deep dive into each divisional rival’s summer and how they match up with the Wolves. For now, we will breeze over the moves to determine the biggest divisional winner.

The reigning champs are first up on our list. They finished last season with a 51-31 record and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, they lost their best player in Gordon Hayward and weren’t really able to replace him.

They also lost their starting point guard George Hill. Ricky Rubio, who was acquired in a trade with the Wolves, will fill some of that gap but he is by far a different player. Where Hill excelled off the ball, Rubio thrives in the playmaking role. Where Hill could knock down outside shots, Rubio struggles to earn defense’s respect.

Donovan Mitchell was one of the upstart rookies in Summer League. He impressed with his extreme length and ability to put the ball in the hoop:

Some scouts and GM’s see him as the next Avery Bradley. That’s a very high compliment for a guy who has yet to play a real game in the NBA. Hopefully, he can fill some of the void left by Hayward, but he shouldn’t be expected to shoulder the load.

The acquisitions of Jonas Jerebko and Thabo Sefolosha will also help to provide the team with some depth. Re-signing Joe Ingles was also a major plus.

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However, don’t expect the Jazz to come anywhere close to repeating as division champions next year.

Out of necessity, the Trail Blazers were one of the more static teams in the Northwest.

On draft night, they nabbed Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan in the first round. Both big men figure to have a shot at earning playing time in their rotation next season.

The only other move of note was when they traded Allen Crabbe to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Andrew Nicholson. This was simply a move to dump salary, however, as Nicholson won’t be expected to play a major role with the team.

The best hope for Portland is for Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum to take another step in their development and continue to carry this team. Unfortunately, I don’t know how many more leaps the two stars can take.

The Denver Nuggets didn’t make many moves this summer. The ones they did make, however, were very impactful.

They agreed to a sign-and-trade with small forward Danilo Gallinari. As part of a three-team deal, Denver sent Gallinari to the Los Angeles Clippers and received a 2019 second round pick from the Atlanta Hawks in return.

Then, a week later, the big move came. Denver agreed to a multi-year contract with prized free agent Paul Millsap. Millsap will provide an excellent one-two punch with budding star Nikola Jokic. Both players have the skill-sets to compliment one another and thrive in the half court.

That in and of itself will be enough for this team to take a substantial leap this season. However, it’s not good enough to earn the winner of the North.

That leaves two teams left to battle it out for the North.

The Oklahoma City appears to be the favorite to win the division after Las Vegas released their over/under win totals. And probably deservedly so.

They turned two role players (Victor Oladip and Domantas Sabonis) into one All-Star Paul George. They also signed Patrick Patterson and Raymond Felton to help bolster their backcourt. At the same time, they re-signed Andre Roberson and don’t have any major losses from last year’s 47 win team. Yes, I’m not counting Taj Gibson as a major loss.

The good news for Wolves’ fans is that isn’t enough to overcome Minnesota’s hold on best offseason. The Thunder may have the better team, but Minnesota had the better summer.

Tom Thibodeau added a better player (Jimmy Butler) and more prominent pieces than Sam Presti. Jeff Teague may turn out to be a wash compared to Rubio. However, Taj Gibson and Jamal Crawford are clear upgrades that bring veteran presences to the locker room.

You combine all of that with the undeniable improvement Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins are sure to make, and you have the winner of the North.

Next: Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 key games this season

Minnesota has built an incredible amount of momentum this summer. Here’s to hoping they carry that into the regular season.