Minnesota Timberwolves: Why each new player fits the Wolves perfectly

Summarizing the deal

The Philadelphia 76ers received the best player in this trade. There’s no question about that, and it’s understandable that they would want to do anything they possibly could to create a true “Big Three” along with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

That said, it’s hard to see how the Timberwolves could have came out of this deal any better.

Practically, they swapped a high-usage, ball-dominant superstar who still relies heavily on mid-range jumpers to be effective on offense for a pair of players who would much rather shoot 3-pointers. One of the players is a member of the All-Defense team and the other is a solid enough defender in his own right.

The perfect fit alongside a high-usage wing like Andrew Wiggins and a superstar big man in Karl-Anthony Towns are more shooters. Add in the fact that the Wolves have a shoot-first point guard in Jeff Teague whose game was somewhat marginalized by playing alongside Butler, and swapping Butler for Covington on the wing should bring out more in not just Wiggins and Towns but Teague, too.

Also, the team became deeper. Saric and Covington are both starting-caliber players, allowing Gibson to shift to the bench and give the second unit a much-needed boost, especially on defense.

Saric is only 24 years old and could be the perfect third option alongside Towns and Wiggins, and would be a passable second option on offense if Wiggins’ development continues to stagnate. Then, the Wolves would have to find a way to offload Wiggins’ contract and find a third star elsewhere.

But today is a happy day. Wolves fans, you honestly can’t do much better when jettisoning a four-time All-Star who has already requested a trade and wasn’t going to re-sign anyways.

Instead, you can enjoy a 24-year-old budding star who fits seamlessly alongside 23-year-old All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns and one of the league’s premier 3-and-D players on an affordable contract for the next three-plus seasons.

Pending Towns’ development and how the Wolves’ new-look defense meshes together, this could legitimately be a team that challenges for the fringes of the playoffs at the end of the season.

And at the very least, the move adds some excitement to a squad that was otherwise running in place and provides hope for the future.

So long, Jimmy.