Minnesota Timberwolves pivot to All-In with one blockbuster

The Minnesota Timberwolves entered the 2022-23 offseason with a to-do list that included a number of priorities. But one message that was consistently addressed in the rhetoric and messaging from the organization was the need to get much stingier at and around the basket.

The Timberwolves relied heavily upon the shooting arsenal of big man Karl-Anthony Towns. On the other side of the court, the team also relied on his size to stop the opponents from scoring, get the rebound, start the offense, and then finish off with a high-scoring outing. That was not sustainable.

NBA Draft picks are for the future. NBA star players are for the present.  However else you see the Minnesota Timberwolves trade of five players, four draft picks, and one draft pick swap to acquire Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, one thing is universally true. The Minnesota Timberwolves, in one terrifying and glorious blockbuster NBA Trade, have pushed all of their chips to the center of the table.

Fortune favors the bold

Right now, the Minnesota Timberwolves are the Bold and the Beautiful of the NBA. They are the riverboat gambler, the secret agent who just entered the high-stakes game of Baccarat chemin-de-fer, the guy who just seems to have an aura of confidence no matter what the surroundings.

Let’s step back and revisit the pieces, the many multi-faceted pieces, traded away by the Minnesota Timberwolves in their blockbuster trade with the Utah Jazz. We won’t know the true value of most of the draft picks for many years, so let’s park those to the side. The team is sending Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, Leandro Bolmaro, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Walker Kessler to the Utah Jazz.

Barring subjective loyalty, do any of those players mean the difference in an NBA Championship this year? Next year? The Minnesota Timberwolves do not feel the same way. The team still has D’Angelo Russell and Jaden McDaniels, both players who the team has spoken highly of in recent days.