Minnesota Timberwolves: Is trying to sign Paul George worth it?

All-Star Paul George has hit the open market, and of course that has us thinking as to whether or not the Minnesota Timberwolves should target him as a free agent addition.

Adrian Wojnarwoski tweeted early Thursday morning that All-Star Paul George will be opting out of his contract and will be set to become an unrestricted free agent. The odds are unlikely that the Minnesota Timberwolves would be able to sign him, but why not at least make a pitch or look into the idea.

It would be silly for Minnesota to not look at him, of course. George remains one of the best players in the league and he would make the Wolves one of the favorites in the Western Conference instantly. He’s a proven star who can shoot, score, lead, and play defense. He’s also one of the better two-way players in this league.

George played his entire career with the Indiana Pacers until spending last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the 2017-18 campaign, he averaged 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.0 steals.

His steals per game was good enough for second in the NBA. Jimmy Butler averaged two steals per game himself; can you imagine those two as wings hounding opponents?

Mix that in with the fact that George shot 40.1 percent from 3-point range on 7.7 attempts and you’re left with one of the most complete players in the league. He’s still only 28-years-old with (hopefully) plenty of years left in his prime.

The Wolves would have to make some moves to clear cap space if they’d even want to try and sign George, but it’s at least worth the look into things. They could try and trade Andrew Wiggins or Gorgui Dieng – hoping to clear up close to $40 million in doing so.

The problem with that scenario, of course, is that there aren’t many trade suitors because teams are struggling with cap space.

If the Wolves trade one of those players,than they’ll be taking back a lot of money. Then they’ll almost be back at square one. The Wolves should do everything possible into looking to sign George, because it would make them a better team and it fills the Wolves needs.

If you have any trade ideas to how the Wolves could clear space and sign George, leave a comment down below. Also, click here to read some finely-detailed cap facts about all the NBA franchises.

Next: Is Curry a good fit for the Timberwolves

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