As the calendar turns to 2023, the Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves in a less than desirable place to be. Their injuries are significant, their on-court production is inconsistent, and there are serious questions about where this group is headed in the long-term.
With so many question marks, everyone is wondering what it will take to fix this team. Do they just need more time as a full unit? Or do serious, fundamental changes need to be made before the Timberwolves become the championship contender that they were touted as all offseason?
Obviously, it would be tempting to try to slap a band-aid on a bullet wound and be hasty with decision-making, but this is a complex problem that will require a thoughtful solution. Recently, NBA insider Zach Lowe revealed on his podcast what he believes would be the worst possible way for the Timberwolves to combat their problem.
Zach Lowe shared his thoughts on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ problems on his podcast
In one of the most recent episodes of his podcast, Zach Lowe discussed the Minnesota Timberwolves and how they have largely not been able to get what they have needed out of Rudy Gobert this season.
When going over Karl-Anthony Towns’ injury troubles and how his absence has hindered the Wolves, Lowe voiced his opinion that the worst possible response to this situation by Minnesota would be for them to trade Towns in the offseason.
As a caveat, he explained that their worst move would be to move Towns while bringing back players that are more on Gobert’s timeline than Anthony Edwards’ timeline. Lowe’s argument rings true. While Edwards and Towns are much younger players, Gobert is now 30, and the signs of him slowing down have already begun showing up.
The Timberwolves’ worst move would be to build around Rudy Gobert
Even if Rudy Gobert is able to right the ship and return to looking more like the Gobert we saw in Utah, he is not the player the Timberwolves should be looking to build around in pursuit of a championship. Regardless of how many picks Minnesota surrendered to acquire Gobert, Anthony Edwards is this team’s franchise player through and through.
As a result, moving off of Towns to acquire more win-now pieces that are close to 30 years old would be an abject disaster. It would significantly shrink the Timberwolves’ championship window, and subsequently do away with one of the franchise’s cornerstones.
Pulling the plug on Rudy Gobert may be a bit premature at this time. But going in the complete opposite direction would be an even bigger failure on the part of the Timberwolves.