Minnesota Timberwolves: Best remaining unrestricted free agents to consider
By Ben Beecken
Minnesota Timberwolves Free Agent Option No. 2: Paul Millsap
Paul Millsap is another name that Thibodeau chased when he ran the Wolves front office.
In the summer of 2017, Millsap was one of the bigger names that Thibs wanted to add. Ultimately, the Wolves added Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson in free agency and traded for Jimmy Butler, and Millsap signed for three years and $90 million with the Denver Nuggets.
Last offseason, Millsap returned to Denver on a one-year, $10 million deal. By the end of the season, the 36-year-old big man’s role had shrunk to under 20 minutes per game, and Millsap only averaged 12.1 minutes per game across nine playoff games as the Nuggets bowed out quickly in the second round.
Denver has already added Jeff Green on a two-year deal this summer, so we know that Millsap won’t be back in the Mile High City.
The catch here, of course, is that Millsap is surely looking for his best opportunity to make another deep playoff run and have a shot at a championship. While the Wolves can make a case for being a playoff squad next year, the championship argument would be a challenging angle to sell.
What is working in the Wolves’ favor is that there aren’t many teams with cap space, and there aren’t many teams that theoretically have an open slot at power forward at this stage in the offseason. If the season started today, Minnesota would be comfortable with Jaden McDaniels and Juancho Hernangomez at the 4, and there’s a strong possibility that Vanderbilt is back. Two-way player Nathan Knight is promising, too, and could earn some run.
If Vanderbilt is back, there wouldn’t be cap space or playing time for Millsap. But if he heads elsewhere, then the Wolves could make a strong pitch to Millsap.
While he’s clearly on the backside of his career, Millsap is a perfect theoretical complement to Karl-Anthony Towns: a big man who can defend multiple positions, stretch the floor, and make all the passes in Chris Finch’s offense. He’s a decent rebounder and would add an element of toughness to the roster that the Wolves are still lacking.
Expect Millsap to end up elsewhere, but if Vanderbilt signs an offer sheet in restricted free agency, we may see the Wolves make a serious run at the veteran big man.