There are a few scenarios that could play out for the Minnesota Timberwolves until the start of next season. The first one is that the Wolves show a belief in their current roster, round it out with veteran minimum contracts, and run Jaden McDaniels at the four.
The second, and likely everyone's dream scenario, is that LeBron James chooses Minnesota as his next destination and signs here for cheap, sending Wolves fans into dreamland and sending NBA Twitter into a free fall.
The third and final scenario, and what I feel is the most likely outcome, is that the Wolves use Josh Green's $14.6 million expiring salary to trade for a power forward. One guy who hasn't been mentioned enough, yet who fits this criteria and would be a seamless fit in Minnesota is Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin.
Obi Toppin would be a perfect fit in the starting lineup
When looking back at Ball's career, he's always had great chemistry with an athletic lob threat on the wing. The most prevalent example of that is Miles Bridges. Bringing in a guy like Toppin could replicate a lot of what Bridges was for Ball in Charlotte.
Toppin is one of the most athletic players, period, in the entire league, and he would absolutely feast on transition opportunities where Ball is passing it to him. While he's known for his athleticism, he's also a solid floor spacer at the four, connecting on at least 35 percent of his 3-pointers in all three years he's been in Indiana.
The spacing would be ideal next to Rudy Gobert, and his getting out in transition would fit perfectly with Ball and Ayo Dosunmu. His lack of high-level defense probably means he isn't a 30-plus minutes-per-game guy, but he would be a perfect fifth starter, likely playing the sixth- or seventh-most minutes on the team.
He would likely be one of the easier names to trade for
With the Pacers getting back to full strength next season, Toppin's minutes might see a slight dip. He already had to compete for playing time with Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, and Jarace Walker, but now the Pacers have signed Kelly Oubre Jr. to a two-year deal, further crowding the forward room.
Josh Green is a perfect salary match for Toppin, with both making $14.6 million annually. Green is on an expiring deal, and Toppin has one year after this next one at $16 million. It would make sense for the Pacers to try to trade him for an expiring contract in Green, who may have a path to the rotation in Indiana, and maybe a second-round pick.
For the Wolves, they'd get a guy to finally round out the starting lineup, without trading a ton of value to get it -- and that's a dream outcome.
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