When it comes to the Minnesota Timberwolves, taking risks this offseason is likely necessary. Nobody would doubt that they are one of the better teams in the Western Conference. The problem is they are clearly behind both the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the conference’s pecking order, and those two teams aren’t expected to go away anytime soon.
It’s a summer where roster changes are expected to be made by the Timberwolves. Jace Frederick of the St. Paul Pioneer Press suggests trading for a player who might be the ultimate risk in the league. That is Zion Williamson, the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Could the soon-to-be 26-year-old power forward make sense for the Wolves?
I think it’s a move that the Wolves front office should look into…with a caveat. I don’t think it would make much sense to pair Zion with Rudy Gobert, which would obviously clog the lane and give the team little spacing at times. Sure, you can stagger their minutes at times, but both would be in the starting lineup. Williamson is not a threat to score outside of the paint, much like Gobert.
Believe it or not, Zion might be a risk worth takingÂ
Without question, though, Williamson is a force in the paint. Last season, Zion averaged 15.4 points in the paint per contest, second-most in the league behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. His girth and athletic ability make it a near impossibility to keep him from maneuvering inside.
Of course, the elephant in the room is his never-ending health issues. His 62 games played this season were the second-most in his seven years since being drafted. Williamson has fewer seasons playing more than 30 games (three) than seasons playing no more than 30 (four). Zion has also yet to appear in a playoff game.
Tim Connelly has stated that he will take big swings, and some may miss. Acquiring Williamson would definitely categorize as a big swing for Minnesota, but he could give Ant
Williamson has two more years left on his current deal at around $87 million. A trade for Zion, if on the table, would likely involve Julius Randle. After his poor performance in this year’s playoffs, it is heavily speculated that the 31-year-old Randle could be dealt.Â
That means the Timberwolves would need to find another trade for Gobert. While it may behoove them to find a floor-spacing big man to replace Gobert, they already have one of those off the bench in Naz Reid. Perhaps this is the year that Reid becomes a starter.
The Wolves have seen Zion average 28.6 points on 73.7% shooting from the field in his last five outings against Minnesota. Trading for Williamson is pretty much as risky as it gets. They need to do something, though, to get into the stratosphere of the Thunder and Spurs.
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