It’s still a long way off, but with what is looking to be a successful season underway, what position should the Timberwolves look to fill in June’s NBA Draft?
The NBA Draft is a time teams look to fill holes in their roster, trade for veterans or completely undergo a rebuild.
After years of rebuilding, adding young players with early picks in the draft that are now blossoming into superstars of their own, the Timberwolves may have a tough choice ahead of them in the upcoming draft.
After last year’s draft completely changed the look of the Wolves, adding Jimmy Butler via trade and immediately making Minnesota a more attractive destination for free agents, the Timberwolves are in a win-now position.
Adding a young ‘project’ player may not be the most profitable decision for Tom Thibodeau to make, especially considering the Timberwolves’ will only have one first-round pick that will be outside the top-14 selections, and one second-round pick.
One very early mock draft has the Wolves selecting 20th, and taking center Brandon McCoy with the pick. However, with the Timberwolves adding another seven-footer in Justin Patton last draft, I find this unlikely, especially considering Patton is still waiting to make his debut due to injury.
With the Timberwolves already having a strong starting lineup, what they’re in need of most is some solid bench contribution. That being said, as most Wolves fans know, Tom Thibodeau has had quite a short rotation this season, and there’s no guarantee that a new addition to the bench would even get playing time outside of the G-League.
Andrew Wiggins is 1st in the NBA in total minutes (1,628), Karl-Anthony Towns is 2nd (1,607), Jimmy Butler is 3rd (1,580). Butler is 4th in the NBA in total miles run (111.9), Towns is 5th (108.9), Wiggins is 6th (107.9). I asked Jamal Crawford about that: https://t.co/e2bgk2HLGb
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) January 15, 2018
Pesonally, I think a likely scenario would see Thibs searching for a veteran asset to trade the first-round pick and a player for. Cole Aldrich has been on the chopping block for some time, and if Thibodeau could find a player he’s willing to give some minutes, a first-round pick may sweeten the deal for other teams to consider.
Gorgui Dieng‘s large contract would also be nice to offload, and it could be packaged with the first-round pick as an added bonus, in exchange for a second-round pick or a low-salary player. That would open up some cap space for the Wolves to chase free agents again next offseason, when players such as Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, or, unless he gets his extension, fan-favorite Zach LaVine become available.
With most fans seemingly having the most issues with Jeff Teague out of the starters, and his production remaining quite stagnant as of late, Thibodeau could look to offload his salary in search of another starting guard, however that remains to be seen.
Thankfully, I think most of the guys are getting it.
— A 612 Sports Perspective (@612sprtsprspctv) January 19, 2018
Tyus Jimmy Karl Wiggins Gorgui Bjeli & even Crawford are getting it!
#Twolves fans have seen Jeff Teague get it done on occasion but there is no consistency.
While adding a solid young player could provide a building base for the Timberwolves future, this is still a young team with a win-now roster. I think it’s more than likely that the Wolves will look to offload draft picks in search of veterans that can help the team push further ahead of the pack next season, most likely off the bench.
Next: Should the Wolves trade for Kemba Walker?
The 2018 NBA Draft is still a long way off, and plenty may change between now and then. However, as things looks now, the Timberwolves need some more solid bench contributors, or perhaps a more stable starting point guard, over young player considered a project for the future.