Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 best trades of the 2010’s decade

Number 5 – Flip acquires Apple Valley’s own, Tyus Jones

I can only imagine the look on Tyus Jones’s face when he got the call from Flip Saunders informing him that he would be playing for his hometown Minnesota Timberwolves, alongside the franchise icon he had grown up watching.

From 2010 to 2014, while he was a high school hoops star at Apple Valley, the Tyus Jones show sold out gyms all across the state. The floor general was a lethal shot-maker who gave opposing teams hell with his playmaking, handles, and ability to make tough finishes at a variety of angles in traffic.

While most Wolves fans knew what they were getting in Jones from his high school days, those who did not know Tyus Jones, the local high school superstar, learned quickly thanks to a monster year at Duke that saw him leave Durham with a National Championship and the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player trophy.

While Wolves fans will debate how effective Tyus was on the court – and whether or not his tenure in the Twin Cities was ultimately a success – this trade makes the list because it gave Wolves fans an awesome draft night moment, a local kid they love cheering for, and a sure-handed point guard who could be trusted with the keys to the team’s offense.

Tyus created his fair share of memorable moments in Minnesota, from his magical 2016 Summer League MVP run (that ended in a heartbreaking runner-up finish in OT), to his game-winning 3 vs Toronto in 2017, to taking over in Miami last season, but none other was quite as big as his payback dunk out in front of LeBron in transition, much to the delight of his good friend Jimmy Butler.

His last season in a Wolves uniform was easily his best; the Duke Blue Devil registered 6.9 points, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while obliterating the NBA record for best individual assist-to-turnover ratio with his 6.9:1 mark in 2018-19. The previous record was 5.9:1, set by Muggsy Bogues in 1989-90.

From a statistical perspective, you could make, and probably win, an argument that the Wolves lost this trade, but like the Garnett deal, I do not think this is a trade you can judge based strictly off of on-court output.

Ultimately, this trade makes the list primarily because of its symbolic importance to the fan base and Flip Saunders’s legacy as an executive of the Wolves. Flip took a chance on a local kid that the fans loved to pair him with a franchise legend and staple of the state’s professional sports scene in an effort to give them a reason to keep faith in the franchise, come to games, and support the team through its growing pains as a young squad on the rise.

Flip’s last two trades have a special place in my heart as a lifelong Wolves fan. He understood that fans had suffered through so much losing and desperately wanted to create moments that Timberwolves fans would always remember and be thankful for, while bringing home players near and dear to our hearts that we would get out and cheer for.

While it will always be odd for me to see Tyus suit-up in a different jersey, I will always remember how he found his way home, and the memories he created in a Wolves uniform.