Jarrod’s Corner: Minnesota should go after Butler
Published 9:29 pm Tuesday, June 20, 2017
I think the Minnesota Timberwolves are in a unique situation as the NBA draft is fast approaching.
With the salary cap set to rise to $101 million, Tom Thibodeau and the Timberwolves have a chance at adding some good players, whether it is via free agency or trade.
In my opinion and, probably the opinion of many Minnesota fans, the Timberwolves don’t need another young player on their roster.
Here’s what I think they should do:
Make an offer for Chicago’s Jimmy Butler
I think Minnesota has the pieces to acquire the Bulls shooting guard. A package centered around Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine and the seventh pick should be enough to get him. Butler gives Minnesota another key player who has proven himself over the last handful of years to be one of the best two-way players in the NBA. Minnesota only has $79 million in contracts on its roster. Trading LaVine and Rubio will nearly cancel out Butler’s incoming contract, leaving Minnesota with plenty of money to spend on two quality free agents to build a team around Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Gorgui Dieng.
Find a reliable, solid point guard
There should be plenty of good point guards available this offseason. Among them, Jrue Holiday is the best of the bunch. While he has proven that it’s difficult for him to stay healthy, Holiday can shoot, pass and defend better than Rubio. While Holiday is the best point guard, he will also be the most expensive. Jeff Teague and George Hill are other options and both will be much cheaper.
Fill out the roster with young veterans or veterans who can still play
While Cole Aldrich is a Minnesota boy and I like guys from Minnesota, he is taking up a roster spot and valuable salary cap space. The Timberwolves have been rumored to be targeting Andre Iguodala, a 33-year-old and two-time champion with the Golden State Warriors. I’m not a fan of that. He provides another defensive stopper, but he is best suited to stay in the Bay Area. One guy I would like to see Minnesota go after is Washington’s Otto Porter. He is a solid three-point shooter and plays good defense. The one thing about Porter is that he is a restricted free agent and the Wizards will probably match any offer. Taj Gibson is another one of Thibodeau’s guys. He would bolster a weak frontcourt. Miami’s James Johnson is another guy I like. He had a revival with the Heat last season.
It’ll be interesting to see what Minnesota does in the coming days and weeks.