The Minnesota Timberwolves: Game 12 of 16: When “All-in” Fails
There is usually just one chance for a team to make a huge splash by trading for an impact player who can immediately help them compete for a championship.
After losing to the Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves felt now was the moment to trade for Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz. The trade comprised four first-round picks, a pick swap, and a package of stars that included Walker Kessler.
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There is usually just one chance for a team to make a huge splash by trading for an impact player who can immediately help them compete for a championship.
After losing to the Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves felt now was the moment to trade for Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz. The trade comprised four first-round picks, a pick swap, and a package of stars that included Walker Kessler.
At the time, this looked like an absurd sacrifice to make, and now, as they begin their first “run” together in the playoffs, it looks even worse.
The Timberwolves have lost both games to the Nuggets, with Game 1 being won by 29 points. The Wolves improved in the second half of Game 2, but they still look doomed to another early exit.
Without a first-round pick that can be transferred until 2031, the Timberwolves will have little opportunities to improve this offseason before their inevitable loss to the Nuggets. Mike Conley will be 36 in the autumn, and at 31, Gobert is on the decline even before the end of the season.
While some risky bets pay out (see Jrue Holiday’s signing with the Bucks), this one clearly won’t.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves play NBA basketball in the United States and call Minneapolis home. The Minnesota Timberwolves are an NBA team from the Northwest Division of the Western Conference.
Team owner Glen Taylor also controls the Minnesota Lynx of the Women’s National Basketball Association. Since 1990, the Timberwolves have called Target Centre in Minneapolis, Minnesota, home.
The Timberwolves, like other expansion clubs, had an initial period of difficulty, but after drafting Kevin Garnett in 1995, the team improved to the point where it made the playoffs for eight straight years, from 1997 to 2004.
Although they had previously lost in the first round seven times, the Timberwolves finally reached the Western Conference Finals and won their division in 2004. For that season in the NBA, Garnett was also awarded MVP.
After missing the playoffs in 2005 and moving Garnett to the Boston Celtics in 2007, the franchise went into rebuilding mode for more than a decade.
In the 2016 offseason, Garnett retired after playing his final season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, having rejoined the team via a trade in February 2015. In 2018, the Timberwolves returned to the postseason after being absent for 14 years.
