As the 2018 NBA trade deadline approaches, here’s how the rest of the NBA should rank the trade value of the players on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The 2018 NBA trade deadline is fast approaching on Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. CT. and the Minnesota Timberwolves will unquestionably be looking to upgrade their team in any way possible.
They find themselves only a half-game back of the San Antonio Spurs for third place in the Western Conference and will surely want to overtake them before the season is out. The Oklahoma City Thunder were also breathing down their neck last week, but have now lost four consecutive games and Minnesota has been able to put some breathing room in between them, but who knows how long until the Thunder get hot again and come storming back for their division rival.
Exclaimer: It’s highly unlikely the Timberwolves make any moves at all, considering their current cap situation.
Before we take a look at how other teams value the players on their roster, here are the rules to this exercise.
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- Everything is taken into consideration:-age, contract, skill level at your position across the rest of the league. (What I mean is, Jeff Teague is an above average point guard, but the NBA is super-heavy on point guards. And plus, he has a crappy contract so his trade value might be lower than Tyus Jones who’s still on his rookie deal, despite being a clearly superior player.)
- The trade value is based off what the Timberwolves could get in return for that player alone. In other words, what other teams would realistically offer for him.
Without further ado, let’s start with the player who holds the least amount of trade value and continue to work our way down.
16. Shabazz Muhammad
Shabazz Muhammad finds himself all the way at the bottom of the list because of his demands to get out of Minnesota.
No team is going to give the Timberwolves anything for Muhammad when they know he will get released around the trade deadline. That makes it extremely difficult for Tom Thibodeau to negotiate with the other 29 franchises because he holds no power.
He’s become increasingly unhappy as the season has progressed, despite the Timberwolves experiencing a high-level of success. At this point, he’s clearly shown himself to be a player who selfishly puts his own needs ahead of that of his team and that’s a bad rep to have around the rest of the league.
Even without Muhammad’s intentions to leave Minnesota being known, they would still find it extremely difficult to move him. He’s an old-school tweener between the 3 and 4 positions, struggles to shoot from the outside, can’t play defense and loves to clog the lane by posting up on the block.
All of that combines to wipe away any trade value he previously had and lands him at number 16 on this year’s list.
15. Aaron Brooks
Due to periodic injuries to Teague, Aaron Brooks has had a couple of opportunities to prove his worth this season. Unfortunately, he’s fallen way short of the already small expectations going into the year.
Teague has missed time on two occasions, and Brooks was thrust into the backup role previously held by Tyus Jones (minus the first game he started after Teague’s first injury). He immediately failed to capitalize and saw his playing time dwindle even further.
Even though he’s a veteran on a one-year deal, no team is going to offer anything for the diminutive point guard.
The offensive spark off the bench he once was under Thibodeau years ago has completely evaporated. And when he’s not making shots, especially from the outside, he brings very little to the table.
Due to his height, he struggles to battle with other point guards and isn’t nearly as quick laterally as he once was. When you add in the fact that the majority of those guards have no trouble bullying him into the lane and it’s a bad combination.
At this point, Brooks best attribute might be the veteran presence and mentoring he brings to a youthful Timberwolves’ team (shout out to Chris Webber) which means he falls way down at number 15 on this list.
14. Amile Jefferson
Amile Jefferson has been extremely impressive with the Iowa Wolves of the G-League, thus earning himself the final two-way contract the Timberwolves possessed. And, at just 24-years-old he has somewhat of a window to turn himself into a role-player at the NBA level. While the chances of that happening may be slim, we can’t rule it out completely.
His age is also the reason he finds himself ahead of Brooks at 15.
Even though he isn’t super young he has upside remaining and he’s taken a huge step with the Wolves this season. As a super-hard worker, there’s no saying if he will make it out of the G-League for sure, but there’s always the possibility.
Other teams are unlikely to give up anything for Jefferson at this point in his career, as he’s a dime a dozen so don’t take his position on this list as a meaningful one. However, he deserves kudos for working his way up this high.
On the other side of the coin, the Timberwolves are unlikely to explicitly look to move Jefferson, unless he’s an attachment to a deal. Even then, I’m not sure he would move the needle very much in convincing another team to agree to the said deal.
Regardless, Jefferson has earned his way to number 14 and should be extremely proud of himself.
13. Anthony Brown
Anthony Brown has the potential to fall into the category of a 3-and-D wing which puts him ahead of Jefferson on this list.
At 6-foot-7, he could potentially guard both wing positions and even switch onto bigger or smaller players when necessary. This defensive versatility is highly regarded in today’s game and makes the Stanford University product extra intriguing even though he’s already 25-years-old.
With his defense still having the furthest to go, it’s been his offensive play that has sparked the Timberwolves interest.
This season is his third in the G-League, and he’s averaging over 20 points per game for the second consecutive year. He’s also an outside demon, attempting 5.8 three-point shots per game while knocking down 39.4 percent of them this season. And, believe it or not, his outside shooting percentage is even down seven points after making 46.7 percent last year.
Similar to Jefferson, Brown is unlikely to ever find success at the NBA level, but his potential as that 3-and-D wing is what puts him ahead of the power forward. Especially considering NBA team’s infatuation with finding a guy to fill that exact role.
12. Marcus Georges-Hunt
Marcus Georges-Hunt has worked his way into the rotation at times this season due to his defensive tenacity.
The youngster out of Georgia Tech works his tail off on every possession and always gives everything he’s got. This sort of intensity is what Thibodeau loves and the main reason Georges-Hunt has seen any playing time this season.
Offensively, he is a complete liability on the floor and someone other teams don’t have to respect. This has led him to inconsistent minutes on the floor and is probably the reason Muhammad got playing time over MGH in a game last week.
Georges-Hunt is another player that fits into the potential 3-and-D role, except, he’s the opposite of Brown. Georges-Hunt is much further along in his defensive development than offense. That’s crazy to say for a guy who dropped 34 points in his only G-League game this year, but that goes to show the stark difference between the G-League and the NBA.
A big positive is Georges-Hunt is a restricted free agent after this season and if a team was looking to acquire him, they’d be able to sign him to a prove it deal moving forward.
However, I don’t expect many teams to come calling about MGH, and, if anything, he’d be a throw-in piece.
11. Gorgui Dieng
Gorgui Dieng has seen his playing time decrease significantly this season after the acquisition of Taj Gibson. He’s averaging 17.8 minutes per game, the lowest of his career excluding his rookie season.
Despite his drop in playing time, his scoring, rebounding and shooting numbers are right around his career averages.
The difficult part, however, lies in the money he’s owed over the next four seasons.
Dieng is in the first year of a four-year $62.8 million contract extension he signed after Thibodeau took over as the President of Basketball Operations. Woof. Talk about a bad first deal. Dieng makes a little over $14 million this season, but the contract increases in value over the next four years until it caps out in 2020-21 at $17.2.
Paying that much money for a backup big man is something teams are going to be very unwilling to do. Especially considering the gluttony of other serviceable seven-footers lying around the NBA. I mean, the Nets only received a protected second-round pick and a busted shooting guard in exchange for a similar player in Tyler Zeller.
It would be great if the Timberwolves could rid themselves of Dieng’s contract, but that seems highly unlikely going into the trade deadline.
10. Cole Aldrich
Cole Aldrich finds himself at this position on this list, not because of anything he’s done on the court this season, but because of what his contract represents.
Having only appeared in 12 games, he’s averaging 2.3 minutes per game and career lows all across the board. Since signing a three year deal with the Timberwolves, Aldrich has not come anywhere close to living up to the marginal hype he had after two successful seasons with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers as a role player off the bench.
Although he’s proven he can be a serviceable big man, he’s never really earned that opportunity with the stingy Thibodeau, but maybe someone else is willing to give him another try. (Don’t believe the last part of that sentence, I was trying to fool you).
Like I said, money is the real reason he’s all the way down to number 11 on this list.
The big man is earning $7.3 million this season, which means he could potentially be an additional piece to make salaries match in any trade. Also, his contract next season is only partially guaranteed, so a team may be able to acquire him and buy him out at the end of the season
9. Justin Patton
Justin Patton has been brought along slowly with the Iowa Wolves, and rightfully so. He suffered a broken foot during workouts this summer, something that can be extremely scary for a young, seven-footer.
As far as the G-League goes, he’s been impressive in a diverse way. Although, he’s only averaging 10.9 points per game, he’s also putting up 5.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.2 blocks per game and shooting 51.1 percent from the field. Those are great numbers for a 21-year-old who only played one season of college basketball at Creighton.
Patton also has considerable upside as a new-age center who can develop his outside game and be a mobile pick-and-roll defender.
Another positive is his contract situation. Rookie deals are some of the best value contracts in the NBA, especially if the players continue to develop and progress as the contract goes on. Patton makes $2.2 million this season and will max out at $4.8 in 2020-21. That’s a steal of a deal if he turns into a role player.
Since Patton isn’t going to be someone who can contribute at the NBA level this season, a team would only trade for him if they had their eye on the future. Similar to everyone else so far, he’d only be an add-on to any deal that’s made.
8. Jeff Teague
Jeff Teague has been the target of a lot of Timberwolves’ fans ire over the course of the season and whether it’s truly deserved is a conversation for another day.
What’s not debatable, however, is the fact his numbers are lower than were have become accustomed to seeing over the last few years. His points per game (12.8), assists (6.9), rebounds (2.9) and field goal percentage (42.7) are all near his career-lows as a full-time starter in this league.
He definitely possesses the talent to pick things up as the season goes on, but it’s doubtful anybody would be willing to give up any meaningful assets for the point guard due to his contract and the point guard heavy era we live in today.
While he signed a two-year, $38 million deal with a player option for a third year, it’s essentially a three-year deal as there’s no way he’s going to forgo the $19 million he’s set to make in the final season.
This contract adds an extra layer for Teague, not because he isn’t worth the money necessarily, but more so due to how many point guards are around his level of play. There’s certainly an argument to be made Teague was a top 12 point guard going into this season, but there are also arguments to be made for multiple other players.
This is what makes it so hard to trade Teague in this environment, and why he comes in at number eight on this list despite being more talented than four of the guys yet to come.
7. Jamal Crawford
Even at 37-years-old (almost 38), Jamal Crawford brings a necessary scoring punch off the bench. This is especially true for a Timberwolves’ team who sorely lacks that scoring from any other bench position.
So far this season, he’s been exactly as advertised-he has a knack for getting hot and winning a few games for your team each season and an equal knack for going ice-cold and failing to carry the bench.
He’s also been a serviceable defensive player even though he lacks the lateral quickness and strength to stay with most shooting guards.
If a team was ever to come calling about Crawford, it would likely be a team looking to win now and push their bench over the top. The Timberwolves would be the perfect team to acquire a player like Crawford if they didn’t already have him.
Fortunately, Minnesota isn’t going to give up their only bench scorer unless they feel they are getting an upgrade in return. This means he’s unlikely to go anywhere, but could carry a fair amount of weight in the NBA trade world if it ever got to that point.
6. Tyus Jones
Tyus Jones is a nice player on this list who could command a nice asset in return. In a straight swap, he’s unlikely to bring the Timberwolves back a player who has any long-term potential, but maybe a veteran player in a win-now mode.
Jones has filled in admirably for Teague when he was injured and has shown he can do the job off the bench as well. This type of versatility is nicely valued across the league and something that is an added bonus to his versatility.
Unfortunately, he’s a very limited player, especially on offense. Although, he’s knocking down 35.6 percent of his outside attempts, teams are not worried about him shooting the ball. This means they don’t stay as close to him on the perimeter and wander around helping their teammates on a more frequent basis.
Furthermore, while he’s a nice ballhandler, he’s not necessarily a guy you want with the ball in his hands all that frequently. He can see the open passing lanes most of the time, but he struggles to create his own shot
Defensively, his smarts appear to be his best asset. He tries hard on every possession and never gives up. That’s a nice quality to have for a player who scrapped and fought for every second of playing time he’s ever heard.
I guess what I’m trying to say is Jones is a nice player. Nothing more, nothing less.
5. Nemanja Bjelica
Nemanja Bjelica was off to a scorching hot start from downtown, but has cooled down a bit since returning from his foot injury. Even so, he’s knocking down 44.6 percent of his three-point attempts and has been taking more shots than before from the outside.
Typically, a 6-foot-10 big man who can knock down threes at that clip is a very valuable asset to have. Unfortunately, the Timberwolves severely underutilize him and don’t maximize the value he can bring to the team. Remember the lack of scoring punch off the bench in Crawford’s section? Yeah, Bjelica could help that.
But as far as his trade value goes, he would likely be able to bring in a considerable asset from another team.
Although he’s a free agent after this season, he’ll be a restricted one which means whatever team he finishes the season on will have first dibs at re-signing him. This is an important option to have because he likely wouldn’t be a half-season rental.
If a team did inquire about Bjelica, they’d likely also have an idea about how to better use him on their team. This potential can go a long way in what another team is willing to offer.
The Timberwolves would be foolish to move the sharpshooter unless it comes at the right price. And who knows? The right price might come calling.
4. Taj Gibson
When the Timberwolves first agreed to sign Taj Gibson to a two-year, $28 million contract I was one of the most vocal critics. I thought it was too much to spend on a guy who is past his prime while there are multiple other needs to be addressed. Luckily, Thibodeau knows more about basketball than I do.
Gibson is having the time of his life and playing like it too. He’s having one of the best years of his career on both sides of the floor and is a vocal leader both in the locker room and on the court.
This veteran leadership combined with the great play is extremely attractive to a number of contenders who are looking to improve their frontcourt. Gibson is a versatile player who could almost play next to any big man and do it successfully.
A rival team would almost certainly give up a first-round pick coupled with a younger player for the chance to acquire Gibson.
Fortunately, Thibodeau likely has zero to no interest in moving the veteran, as Minnesota would take a huge hit on both ends of the floor. Also, it’s very clear the Timberwolves are all in on this season so moving one of their better veterans would make no sense, but that’s beside the point which is that Gibson is one of the Timberwolves best trade assets this trade season.
3. Andrew Wiggins
Andrew Wiggins is in the last season of his contract which will see him make $7.5 million this year. Fortunately for him, his five-year contract extension kicks in next year and will balloon to $25.25 million before topping out at $33.3 in 2022-23.
While this number may scare some teams away, he’s still 22-years-old and has a considerable amount of upside to be reached.
While he hasn’t progressed as fast as many people expected, there’s still a case to be made that he’s made significant improvements every year of his career. And because of that potential, some team would be willing to move significant assets for the chance to acquire Wiggins. It only takes one team after all.
His age and potential upside are what put him at number three and ahead of Gibson. People are still in love with what they don’t know and what could be.
Unfortunately, that contract and uncertain future development are what drops him below the next two guys.
2. Jimmy Butler
If this list was ranking the Timberwolves’ best players, Jimmy Butler would unquestionably be at the top of the list. Unfortunately, we are ranking the top trade assets which means he comes in at number two.
Butler has been everything fans expected and more since he stepped on a practice floor with the team this fall. He’s the leader of the team in all aspects of the word and is an extension of Thibodeau on the floor (for better or worse).
He’s also having a great year and has taken his playmaking skills to yet another level. He’s shown an improved recognition in defenses and what they’re trying to take away from him, and he’s been able to make them pay with his improved ball-handling and passing abilities. Defensively, he can hang with anyone and lock down the other teams best wing player.
His positive habits also appear to be rubbing off on Wiggins, who’s taken considerable strides on defense this season.
At 28-years-old a team would offer a huge haul in exchange for Butler. Unfortunately, it would be something less than what the Wolves gave up to acquire him last summer because he only has one year left on his contract. And all of that adds up to his position at number two.
1. Karl-Anthony Towns
Karl-Anthony Towns is the proud winner of the 2018 version of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ trade value rankings. Please hit me up on Twitter to claim your prize!
At 22-years-old, the sky is the limit for Towns and that includes becoming the best player in the league someday. Now, whether he achieves that will largely depend on his effort and skills on the defensive end of the floor.
After being talked up for the entire offseason, Towns was awful defensive for the first couple months of the season. He picked it up and showed his true potential for December and most of January, but has shown some of those bad habits over the last few weeks.
The good news for the third-year player is that his offense more than masks his defensive inefficiencies.
Although his scoring numbers have dipped a bit this season, that’s largely due to fewer opportunities with the additions of guys like Teague, Gibson and Butler. His shooting percentage has remained the same every single year (54.2 percent), but his three-point numbers continue to get better. After knocking down 34.1 percent his rookie season, he’s all the way up to 41.1 percent in 2017-18.
Next: Will the Timberwolves make a trade deadline deal?
His ability to stretch the floor and score down low is unparalleled in this league and is why he comes in at number one on.