Who’s afraid of the Big Bad TWolves? 5 reasons why the NBA should be
By Bret Stuter
IV – The Timberwolves are changing the NBA customary approach
From the moment that the Timberwolves traded picks and players to the Utah Jazz for center Rudy Gobert, everything changed. And you want to know why this just may work? Far too many unnamed NBA execs have come out to say that the Minnesota Timberwolves overpaid, are adopting a strategy that will no longer work in the modern NBA, and finally are trying to mix oil and water in the combination of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.
But most of those reactions seem more like sour grapes than objective assessments. It’s as though they are disappointed that the Timberwolves adopted such a clever and carefully orchestrated plan.
What is driving the vitriol? Well, the Timberwolves acted so quickly and decisively that they have reset the parameters of the 2022 NBA trade market. Not bad for a small market NBA team eh? What do I mean? Well, let me explain:
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A new way of doing things
The first signs of the Timberwolves changing the NBA customs and courtesies are already in the record books. The Minnesota Timberwolves traded plenty of speculative assets for a blue chip NBA All-Star in Rudy Gobert. I am onboard with the Timberwolves, at first blush, winning this deal. Why? Well, Gobert is here to win now. Some of the assets involved with the Jazz side of the equation will not be known in terms of true value for another ten years.
Do you believe that anyone can see that far into the future?
The trade has placed all of the risks upon the Utah Jazz organization. Veteran Rudy Gobert is known today. And he is under contract for a significant amount of time. So over the next ten years, the Jazz must somehow find an All-Star replacement? That is highly unlikely.
But the aggressive nature of the Timberwolves has done more than bolstered their own roster. In jumping into the trade market early, the Timberwolves have set the market price for All-Star NBA talent. For those teams that are within striking distance, the cost to acquire is too expensive now, and will greatly reduce their chances of improving the roster. For teams that are loaded with draft picks, they are too far from an NBA playoff spot, and acquiring a star will not do anything to move their needle.
In short, trade talks have ceased because the asking price is out of reach. And you can thank the Timberwolves.