How lopsided was Timberwolves trade of Wiggins for D’Angelo Russell?

Minnesota Timberwolves’ long-term strategy paid off

This was also a team that would end the season with a record of 19-45. Why would a team in a death spiral downwards be so active at the trade deadline? Simply stated, the Timberwolves burned it all to the ground to get a jump start on rebuilding the roster once more.   The team ended the 2019-20 season with a record that would place them into the NBA lottery, a lottery that would net the team the first overall pick in the draft.

The team chose shooting guard Anthony Edwards.

Now with D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, and Karl-Anthony Towns, the team modestly improved to 23-49. But the team showed signs of even better progress after the All-Star break, as the Timberwolves scored 8.5 more points per 100 possessions.

That momentum would carry over to 2021-22 when the Timberwolves finally put up a winning record of 46-36. The team would find a path to winning games from the combined efforts of Russell, Towns, and Edwards. But this team was not finished.

In the 2022 NBA offseason, the Timberwolves upped the ante once more, trading away multiple players and draft picks for what is believed to be the final piece to the puzzle that the Timberwolves began to assemble in 2020, All-Star center Rudy Gobert.

Records matter

Over the course of SF Andrew Wiggins’ career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team finished better than .500 just once in 5.5 NBA seasons. In just 2.5 seasons with D’Angelo Russell, the Timberwolves have finished one season at better than .500.

I won’t even bother to consider Wiggins’ impact on the Golden State Warriors. That team is carried by Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. All other players on that roster are simply on the court to feed the basketball to one of the Warriors’ top-3, defend opponents, and take the easy open shots when necessary. Did Andrew Wiggins see an uptick in his stats on the Warriors? Sure. So did Otto Potter Jr. So did Damion Lee. So did Gary Payton II. Don’t be duped into believing that the Golden State Warriors have unlocked Wiggins’s true potential.

The Golden State Warriors have that effect on any basketball player who takes the court alongside their starting trio. The Timberwolves landed a great fit in D’Angelo Russell. How can I say that?

The Minnesota Timberwolves are a much better team now than when they had Andrew Wiggins on the roster. In the end, isn’t that what it’s all about?