With Jimmy Butler now on board, the Timberwolves’ next step is an upgrade at point guard, tweets Mitch Lawrence of The Sporting News.
Toronto’s Kyle Lowry tops Minnesota’s free agent wish list, according to Lawrence, followed by New Orleans’ Jrue Holiday, Indiana’s Jeff Teague and Utah’s George Hill.
Minnesota has about $20MM in remaining cap room, so more salary would have to be unloaded to offer a max deal. One way to do that, especially if a point guard is being targeted, is to find a taker for incumbent starter Ricky Rubio, who will make $14.25MM next season and $14.8MM in 2018/19.
The Wolves had discussions involving Rubio with the Knicks at last season’s deadline and the Mavericks more recently, but both teams just picked up new point guards in the draft.
Lowry is the most likely of the four to receive maximum money. Coming off three straight All-Star appearances, the 11-year veteran made $12MM with the Raptors this season. Although limited to 60 games by injuries, he averaged a career-high 22.4 points per game.
All four teams have Bird rights on their guards, so they will have the competitive advantage of being able to offer more money and one more season than Minnesota can.
If Lowry goes there the Warriors have a challenge.
Lowry
Butler
Wiggins
Dieng
Towns
Lowry is not enough for the Wolves to be challenger’s to Golden State.
Hmmm…they still have to mesh and they have to play defense but they would easily be the most talented team in the West behind the Warriors. You can argue that they would have 4 legit stars, and two are vets. Just have to see what the bench is like and how well they can meld all the pieces. I will say that if management is committed to spending and they can keep the team together, maybe 2 years down the road they could give them a run for their money.
I like your enthusiasm but not likely. It took the Warriors 3-4 seasons to be title contenders. But I must say that the Timberwolves will be fun to watch next season.
How many playoff games played among that 5 ?
“Stop trying to skip the struggle.” Gary 6:24
How bout just get to the playoffs first instead of worrying about GS..
GS has a powerhouse offense and defense but they have their weaknesses. A team like Portland with the size they will have with Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic will he able to combat the Warriors small lineups in the playoffs, I really think the Blazers GM picked up Caleb and Zach in the draft to beef up the frontline to compete with GS in a series.
They were 31-51, and 18-34 against just teams in the Western Conference. They have to at least show they are a playoff team before making a case against the top team.
Lowry sucks
Not even kind of close. That’s a nice start and might put them in the Top 4, but they have a long way to go to catch GSW.
George hill seems like more of a tom t kinda pg. either way they need to replace Rubio for the 3’s. Butler and Wiggins are fine at 3’s but they’ll need more to compete with the dubs. And they need more depth. If they can retain butler, they’ll be legit contenders in 2019-20 when the warriors might break up
I wouldn’t say that Butler nor Wiggins are “fine at the 3s” if you mean 3pt shooting. Each was respectable around 35% but that’s far from elite and not the norm for their careers.
Who plays SF or do you think they’ll play position-less basketball? That might be the new trend.
Are “respectable” and “fine” not close to the same thing? I don’t know where you got elite from. you also can’t say what wiggins norm is when he’s that young. They’ll both have more open looks next year.
I would say they’ll both play wing. Maybe some small ball 4 from time to time
You made the comment that they were fine and that they needed more. My point was that GSW were #3 overall with a team 3pt average around 38% while the Twolves were #20th overall and they just traded their best 3pt shooter in Zach Levine at 39%, your second best was Rush and he’s unlikely to come back and your 3rd best was Towns who I think might see more post play with Butler, Wiggins and I assume a PG other than Rubio.
Furthermore, while Wiggins might get better, he might also regress. Neither Butler (@ a career 33% 3pt average) nor Wiggins (@ a career 33%) are high % nor high volume shooters in comparison to the GSW. So if the idea is to match GSW firepower they need a lot more. The problem would be is where to get it?
I thought that a Jr Smith for Rubio makes sense for both sides (with Irving becoming more of a SG in a position-less lineup) but the Twolves already have redundancy at the SG positions. Lowry or Patty Mills would make sense. Wolves have great talent they just need to round it out.
First off, it’s Lavine. Secondly, you talk about Wiggins at 22 regressing, Lavine could have regressed also. Check the percentages for the second half of the season. Yes, they need some specialists but they haven’t taken a step back out of their top 5. Granted that didn’t get them far last year.
First off, we are both wrong, it’s La”V”ine. Anyway, of course Lavine could’ve regressed. However, he has HISTORICALLY been a 38% shooter over the course of his 3 year career. Butler and Wiggins don’t have that consistency. Also, not sure the importance of the 2nd half with regards to LaVine since he was injured early Feb and didn’t play. My greater point is, in today’s NBA you have to be able to shoot the 3 and the trade doesn’t improve that. They have great individual talent but it doesn’t make them a complete team. That’s not being negative it just addresses the person who said they can now challenge the Warriors. Not sure which top 5 you’re regarding tho. Towns shouldn’t be your best 3pt shooter and I imagine with Wiggins, Butler and whoever plays PG for them if they replace Rubio, he’ll see a lot more post play in 2017-18.
You’re as insufferable as your name insinuates you are knickscavsfan. Don’t try to tell me what other teams need to beat the warriors by basically repeating what I’m saying in a different way. I’m a warriors die hard so I know. Once again butler and Wiggins are FINE at three point shooting, but the wolves will need to get better in that area to compete. Saying they’re fine isn’t a complement. You’re the dummy that said you wouldn’t say they’re fine but they’re respectable?! you obviously don’t know much. If they traded Rubio for jr smith, they wouldn’t have enough cap room for a free agent point guard. The whole point of trading Rubio is to free up cap for an upgrade. Not to trade him for less cap and a bench player.
The point is that Butler and Wiggins’ 3pt% will go up by playing with each other on a good team. But yes, adding another good shooter will make the, a better shooting team and a better overall team, sure.
Explain to me why their shooting would go up simply because they are playing with each other? What have they done other than swap out LaVine for Butler. Is Draymond any more of a better 3pt shooter simply because he plays with Curry, Thompson and Durant? No.
Can Wiggins and Butler get better? Yes. Of course they might. But just adding Butler doesn’t increase ones ability to shoot.
Example, you add Kyle Kover to the Cavs and his open shot opportunities SHOULD go up because he’s playing with a great passer on a floor stretched out more than Atlanta but Korver already was an elite shooter. Playing with the Cavs just gave him easier and more looks. Either you can shoot or you can’t.
I don’t care who you root for. It doesn’t make you any more intelligent. Butler should make the Wolves better because he’s a veteran and can help close games better. However, statistically speaking, LaVine has posted just as good shooting %’s from the floor, the 3pt line (and more shots) and the FT line. So the idea that, simply replacing LaVine, will open up shots for others isn’t really true. Butler is an overall upgrade over LaVine as a two way player but he isn’t a better shooter than Lavine.
And thanks for repeating what I already said, that a in hindsight, Smith for Rubio wouldn’t make sense because they already have a redundancy at the SG position.
That trade doesn’t make sense for money, not because of your reasoning. They could trade for another wing, but not one that makes MORE than Rubio. And they do not have a redundancy at SG. They have two starting wings, regardless of what they’re listed at position-wise. JR smith would come off the bench anyway like he’s meant to do. You’re obviously too into what’s on paper. You are right for once, in that who i root for doesn’t make me more intelligent than you, but i do know more about the NBA.
Can someone explain to me why the GS Warriors are called the “dubs” ???
It’s short for W, kind of a slangy nickname rather than calling them the Ws.
And a W, writtien in a different font, looks like double Us.
And that’s what it’s called
*face palm*
Why are Volkswagens called “V-dubs”
E C Dub
I’d rather keep Ricky and go for Millsap. I think that would be a much better addition. Dieng would make the bench that much better playing with Bjelica. Just need 3-4 quality bench wing players and an insurance back up pg.
Lowry in the photo: “What the heck? You guys didn’t save me any tacos!”
I’m dying!!!
Would rather see wolves go after Melo. He could play PF there and the go to scorer for them
Stupid. Melo plays no defense…a requirement of Thibs.
Wow that is a horrible idea.
Not sure any of these would happen, but I think Rubio fits on these 3 teams
Cavs get Rubio, Wolves get Shumpert and Richard Jefferson
Nets get Rubio, Wolves get Trevor Booker
Houston gets Rubio, a 2018 2nd round pick, and a 2019 2nd round pick. Wolves get Patrick Beverly and Lou Williams
Only one I would be semi okay with is Beverley. Seems like it makes more sense to trade Rubio for picks and sign a free agent though.
Paul for Lowry would be perfekt
Huh?
Wolves should go after deandre jordan and we could get patty mills for cheap. What do y’all think of this trade
Wolves get
Patty mills
Deandre jordan
Spurs get
Rubio
Clippers get
1st round pick (wolves)
Pau gasol
Shabazz Muhammad
Spurs would have Pau and Mills outhoing and just Rubio incoming… I don’t think they’d be interested. Pau is opting out anyway.
Sounds horrible. Patty is a FA so why would the Spurs do a sign and trade? And a 1st round doesn’t mean much when you’re the Clips looking to compete and to move Jordan who’s an elite defender and rim protector for an older Gasol doesn’t make sense.
That trade might get messy. Pau is opting out so they can’t trade him necessarily. It’s possible, but kind of up to him. Shabazz would have to be a sign and trade. Mills might be a FA.
The wolves need a 3pt shooting pg, a small ball 4/wing like AI or h Barnes was for GS, and some 3pt shooting rotation players like cj miles or Jodie Meeks
I don’t think that Lowry is a max guy, he buckled hard under pressure in the playoffs on multiple occasions. Not where I’d put my money. Plus he’s 31.
do a sign and trade for Kyle Lowry? Butler was trying to get Kyle to come to Chicago before traded.
also a fun pipeline dream to throw out there is doing a sign and trade for both Kyle and Paul Milsap or Serge Ibaka.
Personally i think Atlanta will take anyone for Paul Milsap in a Sign and trade, since Milsap is could leave for nothing. i doubt Atl wants to sign their 32 allstar to a max contract and he will be 37 when it ends.
Rubio for Kyle and Shabazz and deng for Milsap. in sign and trades. and maybe the Timberwolves can convince kyle and paul to take a little pay cut so they can sign both players. if the wolves did pull this off, they wont have much of a bench. but maybe they can get some veterants to take min deals. like what david west or zaza did with the warriors.