Minnesota Timberwolves: The Butler trade helps Andrew Wiggins the most

Jimmy Butler has finally been traded. Let’s take a look at why it greatly impacts Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins the most.

The wait is finally over. Jimmy Butler is no longer on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The team moved Butler and Justin Patton to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second-round pick.

It’s great that this is finally over and that the team can hopefully move on from this drama-filled start to the season. The trade haul is fairly good for the Wolves; maybe not the best they could have done, but given the situation, the trade is passable at worst.

But let’s talk about how this trade impacts Andrew Wiggins the most. Before Butler was acquired in a trade in the summer of 2017, Wiggins looked like he was on a steady path to being an offensive superstar — at the very least.

The season before the trade, Wiggins was averaging 23.6 points per game. Then, Butler came and his point production dropped off significantly to 17.7 points per game. We also saw a less aggressive and confident Wiggins.

On the other hand, Covington is the perfect player to place alongside Wiggins. Adding Covington impacts Wiggins the most, but in a positive way. Covington isn’t the sexiest option or a household name. However, what Covington brings to the table is efficient 3-and-D play.

Last season, he was on the NBA’s All-Defense team. While Wiggins has improved on the defensive end, but has plenty of improving to do. Pairing Covington with him allows Minnesota to stay comparable on the defensive end to what they were with Butler on board.

Maybe Covington will be better at teaching and mentoring Wiggins than Butler was. It’s at least something to be closely looked at as we move forward.

Perhaps the Wolves will do a better job of utilizing Wiggins’ athleticism without Butler on the floor, as they were when Butler was hurt last year.

When Butler was reinserted in the lineup, Minnesota would instead run these plays for the former Marquette star. A lot of what was seen was the Timberwolves running isolation plays and players standing around. Now, Wiggins will no longer have to simply spot-up and will be able to attack the rim.

Covington, on the other hand, shoots better when he’s spotting up, which will be perfect for the Timberwolves. If need be, Minnesota can kick it out to him for a 3-point attempt. So far this season, he’s shooting 39 percent from three on 5.9 attempts per game.

Covington’s shooting will hopefully open up some driving lanes for Wiggins. Covington is 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds and will likely be guarding the opposing team’s small forward now. This is great news for Wiggins, because it allows him to slide in at the shooting guard position where he’s seen more success.

This new lineup has some length to it because it’s not often that the two wings on the team are 6-foot-8 and bigger. Wiggins’ size at the two-guard spot will create a height advantage. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

By the looks of it, Wiggins has the greatest impact from this trade. He will benefit from transitioning to the shooting guard position, becoming more ball-dominant and have a lot more open driving lanes.