As the Minnesota Timberwolves begin a new era under Gersson Rosas and Ryan Saunders, will management be able to avoid the mistakes of previous regimes?
With the start of the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ training camp and preseason games merely weeks away, hope for a championship season is at its annual high.
As all 30 NBA fanbases speculate why their favorite team will hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy, many discussions will surround why an offseason signing or trade deadline acquisition will be the last piece needed to contend.
Following a disappointing offseason that saw the Timberwolves fail to sign star point guard D’Angelo Russell, President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas plans on continuing to scour the trade market throughout the 2019-20 season in hopes of finding a star that can legitimize the Wolves as contenders and fit the timeline of their franchise player, Karl-Anthony Towns.
However, as Rosas searches for ways to create the NBA’s next star-studded duo, he must be careful to avoid many of the mistakes made by previous Timberwolves leadership.
From trading away future Hall-of-Famers to trading the greatest player in team history, past regimes have tormented the Wolves fanbase with ineffective trades that have left future regimes with little hope of building a perennial contender. If the Timberwolves are to trade for another star, they must do their due diligence to ensure that their future will remain bright while improving in the present.
As fans ponder the success that may await the Wolves in 2019-20, these deals are a haunting reminder of the misery that can come with the pursuit of attempting to build a contender through trades.