MN Sports John@MNsportsjohn
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been incredibly active in the early part of the offseason to retool around Anthony Edwards in order to jump into the championship contender tier. After trading Naz Reid and Julius Randle, the Wolves find themselves with a major need for frontcourt players, plus an excess of combo guards:
Anthony Edwards, Ayo Dosunmu, Jaylen Clark, TJ Shannon, Josh Green, Isaiah Evans, and Donte DiVincenzo when he gets healthy.
I think one of these guys needs to be traded for frontcourt depth.
This scenario is really only possible if Donte is re-signed this offseason. Right now, he has only one year left on his deal and will be out for most of the season. It is not fair to expect him to make a Jayson Tatum return in a contract year. In this scenario he is re-signed, he will be back sometime in March, ramp up, and be a key bench guard for the playoffs.
Under this scenario, Josh Green is the likely odd man out. He is on an approximately $14 million contract for an end of bench guy. That on its own is not a great trade piece, but he is on an expiring deal, which is desirable.
This makes the path to finding a power forward one with a bad deal and term.
That brings me to the trade target: Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams.
First of all, I am not a cap expert, so this may not be possible, but if they make this deal before officially signing Ayo, I think they can. It worked on ESPN's trade machine but I know that is not perfect.
Let’s start with the bad. Patrick Williams still has three years at $18 million AAV with a player option. He is also, according to advanced metrics, one of the worst players in the league. When he was drafted, he projected to be a good defender who ideally would develop a good 3-point shot. Fast forward to today, he can’t defend or shoot, and he’s on a bad deal.
With all that being said, why would the Wolves target him?
Advanced metrics do not like players on bad teams, so that can be slanted. Advanced numbers also hated Ayo, albeit not as bad, and he turned out to be a pretty good bench guard. Recently, there is plenty of reason to question the development staff of the Chicago Bulls. None of their young players have really developed, and taking Patrick is a hedge against that and assumes you can develop him better in Minnesota. Under that philosophy, there is no doubt he would be better, but how much is the question.
The Bulls have a plethora of power forwards. This year was the third year in a row the Bulls drafted a power forward in the lottery in Caleb Wilson, Noa Essengue, and Matas Buzelis. They have zero need for Patrick Williams, and the GM who drafted him just got fired too, so there is minimal attachment to him either.
If you look at Chicago’s roster, they have an odd roster construction. They have a bunch of point guards and power forwards with no one who can shoot. That means Josh Green may be an appealing asset for them.
By bringing in Patrick Williams, you get a buy low wing who you are hoping can develop into a solid bench wing who can defend well. The Bulls recently have not had plus shooters at all, meaning someone who struggles to create would not benefit. The gravity of Ant, LaMelo, and Jaden would give a former lottery pick an opportunity to get better looks to score.
His long wingspan and solid frame make him strong enough to theoretically defend all wings. Not sure why it hasn’t clicked yet, but I suspect the environment did not help.
The trade:
Chicago acquires guard Josh Green.
Minnesota acquires forward Patrick Williams, a 2029 top 10 protected first-round pick, plus 3 second-round picks.
The Wolves trade someone unlikely to play and definitely unlikely to be here in the long term for a buy-low guy at a position of great need. By taking on a guy on a bad contract with term, they get badly needed draft assets back.
The reason I like this deal is how it can age. If Patrick Williams can come in and be a solid defender who LaMelo can get the ball to in plus ways and score 14 points on efficient low volume, the Wolves get a great package for an expiring deal.
There is risk that he is simply not a good player, and the Wolves just muddied their cap sheet for three years. That could happen, but the NBA’s ratings are going up, which implies a cap rise should follow, making absorbing that deal manageable.
The Wolves have very little cap flexibility right now. They have minimums and the Taxpayer mid-level exception. That is not a great recipe for building a championship level front court. They will need to take on a risky player and Patrick Williams is the best option compared to the free agents available.
If you do not like this return, how much draft capital would you think is needed to warrant brining on Patrick Williams?
