The Minnesota Timberwolves must find creative solutions for their lack of 3-point shooting if the team hopes to be competitive in the near future.
As the trade deadline nears and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ playoff hopes fade, the front office must now shift their attention to the future.
Minnesota has already made one trade this month, trading the expiring contracts of Jeff Teague and Treveon Graham to Atlanta for the expiring contract of Allen Crabbe. This could be the first move of many as the team attempts to reshape the roster.
It was a savvy addition that saw the Wolves ship out a guard who didn’t fit the offensive system in Jeff Teague and a non-shooter in Treveon Graham in exchange for a legitimately good catch-and-shoot player, all while avoiding taking on additional salary beyond this year and saving a couple million dollars against this year’s cap.
President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas has been vocal about his desire to maximize Karl-Anthony Towns’ window by building a roster around the offensively-gifted big man. The key for Minnesota lies in finding and acquiring talented shooters who fit both Town’s play style as well as the new system that the progressive front office is looking to run.
Many fans will be hoping to see Minnesota make a large splash at the trade deadline by acquiring a star player to reinvigorate the franchise. The franchise-altering trade may very well happen but it is often the under the radar trades that make the difference between average and elite front offices.
Minnesota is in desperate need of shooters and many can be found at the end of an opposing team’s bench or struggling in a different type of system. In today’s NBA, there are players at every position and in every salary range that can knock down perimeter jumpers. It’s up to the Wolves’ front office to uncover these gems and shuffle assets in an efficient manner to acquire as much shooting as possible.
Today we’ll look at three such players that the Timberwolves could acquire for cheap or as a throw-in piece in a larger trade.