Russell Westbrook and the Timberwolves need each other

Small-market success

Sure, Russ may be on the wrong side of 30. However, if there is anyone who can take care of his body in order to consistently perform at an All-NBA level into his mid-30s, I would bet on him. A freakishly athletic, strongly built 6-foot-3, 200-pound offensive dynamo that has missed just 14 games over the past four seasons is what we are looking at.

Russ is very comparable to LeBron James in the sense that they are both athletic freaks and do everything in their power to stay extremely well-conditioned every year.

Sure, LeBron is one of the two best players of all-time, but a big reason why he was able to average 27.5 points, 9.1 assists, and 8.6 rebounds per game in his age 33 season for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017-18 season was because he stayed in tremendous shape. I fully expect Westbrook’s production to remain elite throughout the duration of his contract.

Yes, I know Russell Westbrook is due roughly $171 million over the next four seasons (assuming he exercises his player option for 2023-24), and that he shot just 29.0 percent from downtown, 65.6 percent from the free-throw line, and had a 30.9 usage percentage last season.

However, none of that changes the fact that Brodie is one of the 15 best players in the NBA. He is an undeniable, once-in-a-generation superstar that is arguably one of the most physically gifted athletes American sports.

Don’t believe me?

In eight of the last nine seasons, Russ has been named an All-NBA player. In those seasons, he has been First Team All-NBA twice, Second Team All-NBA five times, and Third Team All-NBA only once. The only other players that have made the First or Second All-NBA teams five times in that span are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and James Harden.

If you consider those players top-15 players in the league (spoiler: they are), then Russ is there simply by association.

It is extremely rare that a small-market team is able to pair two top-15 players for an extended period of time.

Westbrook, Towns, Okogie, and Culver would sell out Target Center every night and reinvigorate a loyal basketball fanbase pining for an exciting, and more importantly, contending team they can show up and cheer for at least 41 nights a year.

That core would create a team in the thick of contention to host a first-round playoff series that could also potentially lure attractive stars and role players in a loaded free agency class in the summer of 2022 to come run with Russ, KAT, and the Pack.

The most important thing for this front office and franchise is to prove to Towns that they will build a winner that is smartly crafted and centered specifically around his game.

When you have a top-10 talent in the league like Karl-Anthony Towns, you do whatever it takes to build a winner. In today’s NBA, front offices don’t have the luxury of five years to slowly build a perfectly constructed roster.

It is clear that the only way for Gersson Rosas and company to do this is via trade. There simply won’t be another opportunity for the Wolves to bring in a top-15 player that can create his own shot, run the offense, and help re-invent the team without giving up a mother-load of assets.

For years this franchise has been too hesitant to take smart, big swings* to put an electric team out on the floor for its fans.

*Note: keyword here is smart. Bringing in Jimmy Butler wasn’t smart because he didn’t fit on the Wolves’ roster. He expected way too much out of young players and the front office gave up too much to get him here.

Ever since he was brought in to lead the Minnesota front office, Rosas has preached that his platoon will be aggressive in acquiring stars to pair with Karl-Anthony Towns.

The opportunity is his for the taking, and it’s time for Rosas to put his money where his mouth is and bring Russell Westbrook to Minneapolis.

I’ll show you how he can do it.