Timberwolves gain size and defensive presence from the San Antonio Spurs
The Timberwolves may be much improved defensively, but their frontcourt depth could use a bit more in the way of presence in the paint.
In this scenario, the Wolves again give up some youth and upside for win-now players.
In contrast to Gordon, who was an ideal fit for shooting purposes, this time around the Wolves would add to their defensive identity with the 7-foot Poeltl, who is averaging 12.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. At 26 years old, Poeltl is a bit older than the core of the rebuilding Spurs, who feature up-and-coming stars like Dejounte Murray (25 years old), Keldon Johnson (22), and Josh Primo (18). Poeltl would be better suited on a team looking to stay in the playoffs for the next few years as he enters his prime.
With Poeltl on the team, the Wolves would finally have a big defensive anchor to protect the rim and could experiment with lineups that feature Poeltl at the 5 and Karl-Anthony Towns at the 4.
To match salaries, the often-injured Zach Collins is sent to Minnesota as well, and if he can stay healthy, it’s possible he could grow into a rotational piece for a playoff team due to his lottery pick pedigree.
The Spurs would get a nice combination of young talent all under 25 years of age to add to their rebuild. For a defensive-oriented team, adding shooters like Malik Beasley and Naz Reid could turn out to be beneficial for the team in the long run.
Plus, they get the chance to add 2020 first-round pick Leandro Bolmaro, who has shown flashes of becoming a modern-day point forward and could stand to learn from one of the greatest coaches in NBA history in Gregg Popovich.