The Minnesota Timberwolves have experienced many ups and downs in the 34-year history of the organization. There have been times of prosperity, like the Kevin Garnett era where the Wolves made the playoffs eight years in a row and made their only Western Conference Finals appearance.
But there have also been less fruitful times like the early 2010’s, when Minnesota won a combined 32 games in two seasons. Fortunately, the Timberwolves are currently entering into a very promising era with Anthony Edwards at the helm of their ship.
Previously, we explored some of the players that the Timberwolves gave up on too soon over the years. Every team in the NBA has a handful of players they wish they could have back, and Minnesota is no exception.
But on the flip side, there have been several players over the years that the Wolves ultimately held onto for too long. Whether it be an aging star, a one-hit-wonder that lost their luster, or a “right player, wrong time” situation, a few guys have come through Minnesota that the team simply kept around for too long.
These are 9 players the Minnesota Timberwolves held onto for way too long:
1. Anthony Peeler (1998-2003)
An integral part of the successful Timberwolves teams in the late 90s and early 2000s, Anthony Peeler was a role player who got heavy minutes in Minnesota’s backcourt during six of their playoff runs during that time. Operating primarily as a scoring guard, Peeler’s most successful season with the Wolves was arguably his first.
In the 1997-98 season, he played a career-high 33 minutes per game and knocked down a red-hot 45% of his shots from behind the three-point line. But Peeler played just 30 games for the Timberwolves that season, as he arrived in Minnesota after the trade deadline.
From there, his playing time slowly slipped over the next several seasons, and it was clear that his best days were behind him. After the 2002-03 season, Peeler was traded to Milwaukee along with Joe Smith, in the trade that brought the Timberwolves Sam Cassell and Ervin Johnson.
It was the trade that set Minnesota up for their tremendously successful 2003-04 season where they came two games away from reaching the NBA Finals. After that, Peeler lasted just two more years in the league and put up less than five points per game. He was a solid player, but the Wolves ultimately held onto him for too long.
2. Ricky Rubio (2011-2017, 2020-2021)
This is one that is sure to ruffle some feathers, as Ricky Rubio was beloved in the Twin Cities for some time. Drafted by the Timberwolves in 2009, the Spanish phenom continued playing overseas for two additional years and did not make his NBA debut until the 2011-12 season.
But when he did finally enter the NBA scene, Rubio looked like a star in the making. He was leading all rookies in points, assists, and steals per game until his untimely ACL injury in March 2012 that caused him to miss the remainder of the season.
Suffering from such a crucial injury so early into an NBA career made it difficult for Rubio to reach the level of stardom that he was ultimately heading for early on. But he still remained an excellent playmaker, dishing out over eight assists per game in his first six seasons in Minnesota.
The Timberwolves kept Rubio around until summer 2017, when he was traded to the Utah Jazz. Minnesota would ultimately bring him back for the 2020-21 season with Jeff Teague off the Wolves’ roster.
Rubio was always fun to watch, and he remains a fan favorite in Minnesota. But it became clear that he was never going to be the game-changing point guard the Timberwolves needed, and his tenure with the Wolves was longer than it should have been.
3. Shabazz Muhammad (2013-2018)
Every Timberwolves fan that was around a decade ago remembers the incredible hype surrounding Shabazz Muhammad. At one point, he was regarded as a prospect that had similar attributes to the legendary Kobe Bryant.
After he played a season at UCLA, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected Muhammad with the 14th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. After a slow rookie year, he looked to be rounding into form in his sophomore season. Though he was still limited by injuries, the flashes of potential were exciting.
But unfortunately, Shabazz never saw any significant improvement after his second season. He finally saw a clean slate of health and played all 82 games in 2015-16, but his numbers were pedestrian at best. Muhammad shot below 29% from three for the season.
Even so, the Timberwolves decided to hang on to him until the 2017-18 season. That year, Muhammad averaged just 3.8 points per game and shot 38% from the floor. Leading up the February trade deadline, he made a request to the front office that he be traded or waived from the team.
A month later, he was finally waived, and his NBA career lasted just 11 more games after that. This was a painfully obvious example of a band-aid that the Timberwolves should have ripped off far earlier.
4. Kevin Martin (2013-2016)
Joining the Timberwolves from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2013, Kevin Martin quickly became a reliable starter in the 2013-14 season. At 30 years old, he was still a solid contributor and finished the year second in points per game average, behind only Kevin Love.
The next season, Martin still put up solid numbers but had to miss extended time due to a right wrist fracture. As a result, he ended up only playing only 39 games for the Timberwolves in the 2014-15 season.
With Martin’s age beginning to show, Minnesota would have been smart to find a good trade partner and ship him out while they would have still been able to get some reasonable assets back from him. But instead, they kept him around through the next season.
Martin again played just 39 games in the 2015-16 season, and the team would reach a buyout agreement with him in March 2016. From there, he signed with the San Antonio Spurs and played just 16 more games to close out his NBA career.
After retiring at just 32 years old, it is clear the shooting wing did not have nearly as much left in the tank as the Timberwolves thought he did. As a result of not getting rid of Kevin Martin earlier, they lost out on the opportunity to get anything of worth back from the aging role player.
5. Doug West (1989-1998)
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 38th overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft, Doug West was an unlikely addition to Minnesota’s rotation in the 90s. With the ’89 draft being the first in Timberwolves history, West was part of the original Wolves roster.
He remained with the team until 1998, acting as the last player from the 1989-90 team still on the roster at that time. Through the years, West developed into a surprisingly serviceable player after being a second-round draft pick.
Doug West had one of the greatest third-year leaps in franchise history. He went from playing just 11 minutes per game in his second season to playing over 31 minutes per contest and increasing his scoring average by over 10 points in his third season.
Earning a spot in the team’s starting lineup, West remained a double-digit scorer and started the majority of Minnesota’s games for the next three seasons in a row. It was not until the 1995-96 season that his situation began to change.
That year, the Timberwolves drafted Kevin Garnett and West was forced to come off the bench. As such, his points per game average was cut in half from the previous year, and he started just 16 games in the regular season. When Isaiah Rider was traded in 1996, West returned to the starting lineup for the 1996-97 season, but his athletic decline had already begun.
In West’s final three years with the Wolves, he was a fraction of the player he used to be due to injuries, and Minnesota traded him to the Vancouver Grizzlies for Anthony Peeler. He was a fine role player off the bench in his later years, but he clearly should have been on his way out of town earlier.
6. Gorgui Dieng (2013-2020)
On draft night in 2013, the Timberwolves pulled off something of a heist when they traded the ninth overall pick, Trey Burke, to the Utah Jazz. In exchange, they got back the 14th pick, Shabazz Muhammad, as well as Gorgui Dieng, who the Jazz had taken with the 21st overall selection.
Burke and Muhammad never amounted to much in the NBA, but Gorgui Dieng became a worthwhile piece in Minnesota for the next several years. Turning 24 years old during his rookie year, Dieng had an advantage from day one with his three years of experience playing in college.
He was able to immediately contribute to the Timberwolves as a high-percentage shooter, and he ended up starting in 49 games by his sophomore season. A highly durable player, Dieng played in all 82 games for the Wolves in both 2015-16 and 2016-17.
But in the summer of 2017, Minnesota’s roster underwent a significant overhaul. They traded for Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague, which forced the Wolves’ rotation to undergo some major changes. As such, Gorgui Dieng’s playing time fell off a cliff.
The Timberwolves should probably have found a new home for Dieng since he was being underutilized and still in his theoretical prime. Instead, they retained him for the next two and a half seasons while his efficiency suffered as a result of his less than ideal situation.
7. William Avery (1999-2002)
The second 14th-overall draft pick on this list, William Avery was selected by the Timberwolves in first round of the 1999 NBA Draft. He was coming off a spectacular college season where he was trained by legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Avery helped the Blue Devils achieve a record of 37-2 while being the team’s leading assist-getter and racking up 1.5 steals per game as well. On the other side of the ball, he was a knockdown shooter from beyond the arc at 41%. All this made him an extremely intriguing prospect, and Minnesota was right to take him in the lottery.
But unfortunately, Avery’s skill simply never translated to the NBA level. After signing a three-year rookie deal with the Timberwolves in 1999, he struggled to get his footing in the league. He had ample opportunity to earn more playing time, appearing in 55+ games in each of his first two seasons. Despite this, he never broke through.
After Avery averaged just 2.8 points and 1.4 assists in his second year, it was clear he was never going to develop into the player the Timberwolves had hoped for when they drafted him. But management still decided to bring him back for the final year on his rookie deal, hoping that something would change. It never did, and Avery went overseas to continue his pro career.
8. Jordan McLaughlin (2019-present)
The only player on this list who is currently on the Timberwolves’ roster, Jordan McLaughlin came to Minnesota on a two-way contract in the 2019 offseason. At 6-foot-0, he has always been one of the shortest players in the association.
After a couple of decent seasons, the Timberwolves chose to sign McLaughlin to a three-year, $6.5 million deal in 2021. It was undoubtedly a cheap deal for Minnesota, but keeping McLaughlin around is becoming more and more questionable.
Since his rookie season, nearly all of McLaughlin’s numbers have either gone down or failed to improve. His scoring average and three-point shooting percentage have both decreased with each passing season. McLaughlin does average 3.5 assists for his career, but his playmaking ability is naturally limited due to his height.
As a result, still retaining McLaughlin on the Wolves’ roster is becoming an ill-advised decision at this point. After returning from injury this past season, McLaughlin’s game looked extremely rough, and he failed to score a single point for Minnesota in the playoffs.
Plain and simple, it is past time for the Timberwolves to move on from Jordan McLaughlin. His courage and fight for his small stature is admirable, but he is taking opportunity away from more talented players on Minnesota’s roster.
9. Sam Mitchell (1989-1992, 1995-2002)
Another player from the original Minnesota Timberwolves team, Sam Mitchell’s NBA career began at the inception of the Wolves in 1989. He arrived in the Twin Cities after a brief stint of military service and time spent in the Continental Basketball Association.
In his rookie year, Mitchell was already 26 years old, and his age allowed him to get off to a quick start in the NBA. In his second season in the league, Mitchell averaged a career-best 14.6 points and 6.3 rebounds while playing all 82 games for the Timberwolves.
But after his third season in Minneapolis, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers. Mitchell would spend three more seasons in Indiana while seeing a significant dip in production since leaving Minnesota. In 1995, his return to the Timberwolves happened to coincide with Kevin Garnett’s arrival.
During his second stint with the team, Mitchell would play significantly less than his first time around. Even so, he ended up as the fourth-leading scorer in Timberwolves history by the time he retired in 2002, without ever averaging 15 points per game for a season.
Despite his scoring achievement, Mitchell ultimately stuck around past the point of being useful in his final years with the team. In his final two seasons, he played less than 11 minutes per game and was a complete non-factor on the court. Sam Mitchell is rightfully beloved for his time as a player and coach in Minnesota, but the Wolves should have moved on from him earlier.
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