The Minnesota Timberwolves have a number of pending free agents this offseason which have greatly affected the Wolves’ depth.
In a great season that saw the Timberwolves break their 14 year playoff drought, we also learned that Tom Thibodeau sticks to a tight rotation of players, with some individuals stuck as bench warmers for the majority of appearances.
I have already discussed the Wolves pending free agents, but this is how our that shakes up our current depth (expected starters listed in bold):
Point Guard – Jeff Teague, Tyus Jones
Teague and Jones remain on the roster, while Derrick Rose and Aaron Brooks become free agents in the offseason. Brooks’ limited use throughout the season will likely be the last we see of him in a Wolves jersey, while Rose’s future plans are up to him at this point.
Shooting Guard – Jimmy Butler
The role of shooting guard takes a big hit this offseason, with Jamal Crawford reportedly set to decline his player option and test free agency. With their sixth man walking, the Timberwolves will need to find a new number one option for the bench, and with the role of two-guard needing to be filled you can expect it will be a shooter that can fill the bench void.
Small Forward – Andrew Wiggins
Another position in desperate need of depth this offseason is small forward. Expect Wiggins, whose max-contract kicks in this season making him the highest-paid Wolf on the books, to remain the starter if the Wolves don’t pursue trade options for him.
Power Forward – Taj Gibson
Our third consecutive position in which only the starter remains…. yikes. Nemanja Bjelica enters free agency this offseason, and while the Wolves will likely try to resign him for the right price, his market is yet to be seen. If things go wrong in free agency, the Wolves may have four returning centers that can fill a power forward role off the bench, so there’s no need to worry.
Center – Karl-Anthony Towns, Gorgui Dieng, Justin Patton, Cole Aldrich
The Timberwolves most stacked position is center. Towns can sign his extension this offseason to ensure his future with the Wolves, while rumors of the Wolves’ searching for trade options for Dieng have been spoken of for a while now. I don’t expect anybody to want Dieng’s contract without a major star attached, so he’ll likely remain. Patton will return for the second year of his rookie contract and should expect a bigger role after his one four-minute appearance this season. Cole Aldrich has long been on the outs with the Wolves, and it’s largely expected he’ll be waived before 30 June to open up $4.9 million in cap space.
The Timberwolves’ plans for free agency and the NBA draft are yet to be seen, however there is clearly some serious depth issues that need addressing. Anthony Brown and Amile Jefferson, who owned two-way contracts last season, may be a help to the bench as the Timberwolves could sign them cheap, and they could fill a backup position to a decent level.
To build upon an impressive season, the Wolves need to add some depth that has taken a serious hit with the loss of our sixth man, and address a big lapse in bench scoring.
Next: A guide to Wolves' pending free agents
One thing is certain, Tom Thibodeau has quite a job on his hands during this offseason.