Despite the Minnesota Timberwolves' undeniable need for a point guard, the LaMelo Ball trade has been a polarizing one. Many pundits said the Wolves lost the trade, and nearly a month later, some are questioning whether Minnesota should have "run it back." Let me make this clear: that would've been illogical.Â
Recently on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Joe House and Simmons made the case that Minnesota shouldn't have made such significant roster changes.Â
"The thing that I wonder, and I will wonder this entire upcoming season, is why Minnesota didn't just run it back. And I do get the idea of moving on from Randle. Getting rid of Randle is kinda fine; you can kinda run it back without Randle. Although speaking of innings eaters, he has been pretty durable," House said.Â
Simmons added that he's been saying this all summer long (which is true). I'm not trying to pick on Simmons and House, based on how many people reacted to the Ball trade; they're not alone. However, with all due respect, the running back tour and any circumstance that involved keeping Julius Randle would have been a disaster for the Timberwolves.Â
The Timberwolves needed to shake up their roster
When you have a star of Anthony Edwards' caliber, your No. 1 goal should always be to win a championship. Unlike some other executives around the league, Tim Connelly understands the task.Â
Finding your superstar a dependable running mate is essential to maximizing your title chances. The Timberwolves had hoped that Randle would be that. At times, he looked like he was up for the task, but for two straight years, he crumbled in the highest-leverage situations, and frankly, in the San Antonio Spurs series, it looked like he checked out.Â
The Timberwolves weren't going to win anything meaningful with Randle as Ant's co-star, and his skill set isn't ideal for a complementary role. I don't care how good a regular-season player he is; Randle couldn't have been brought back.Â
So if you accept the idea that Randle had to be traded, wouldn't the goal be to find a legitimate No. 2 option and ideally a guard to support Edwards? The alternative option, had the Wolves not traded for Ball, would likely have been to sign a point guard in free agency after salary-dumping Randle.
Maybe Trader Tim would have found another move, but looking at the market, I think the free agency path would've been more likely. Realistically, Collin Sexton and Anfernee Simons would have been two options for the Timberwolves. Sure, keeping Naz Reid would have been nice, and the Wolves leaning into a second option by committee approach could still allow them to field a competitive team.Â
With the goal of winning a title, though, wouldn't it make sense to get a true second option, particularly one who fills a pressing need? Furthermore, while players such as Sexton and Simons offer some solid perimeter creation, neither offers close to the same playmaking that Ball does.
The Timberwolves' lack of playmaking and creation, alongside Edwards, has been problematic throughout his career. And in each of the past three playoff exits, this was arguably the root cause of Minnesota's problems. In an era dominated by two high-pressure defenses in the Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, the need for a PG is even more severe.Â
Ball gives the Timberwolves a high-end solution to this longtime problem, and he can play off the ball when needed.
Say what you will about LaMelo (I get it, he's not perfect), but he raises Minnesota's ceiling in a real way. Even if you think Ball is a risky player (fair enough), banking on an ultra-talented guard is a much more reasonable proposition than running it back.Â
Soon enough, though, detractors of the Timberwolves' offseason will see Connelly's vision.
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