Complete 2017 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams

Minnesota Timberwolves

Justin Patton (No. 16)

Tom Thibodeau and the Minnesota Timberwolves absolutely fleeced the Chicago Bulls in the Jimmy Butler trade that dominated the headlines Thursday night.

While there should be concern (and plenty of jokes) about Thibs running Butler’s body into the ground again, the Wolves did very well to spin three shaky assets into a bonafide superstar like Jimmy Buckets, even if he’s not quite on the same timeline as Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.

Butler, who averaged a career-high 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.9 steals on .455/.367/.865 shooting splits while doubling as one of the league’s best wing defenders, is one of the best two-way players in the league and is capable of playing either the 2 or the 3.

This works perfectly with Wiggins, since he’s gotten used to sliding back and forth between those positions as well. Adding a skilled and versatile veteran will not only help Minnesota as a team, but should provide a great example for Wiggins as well — even at the cost of LaVine’s potential.

Suddenly, the T-Wolves went from a bummer of a situation, waiting for LaVine to recover and wondering if Dunn would ever pan out, to adding a borderline top-10 player. Passing on Lauri Markkanen or Malik Monk in the draft is perfectly acceptable in that scenario, especially since the Wolves were able to get Chicago to see all three of their assets through rose-colored glasses.

Between Butler, Wiggins and KAT, the Timberwolves are finally back on the playoff path, which they were expected to be on this past season. There’s legitimate reason for excitement for a fanbase that hasn’t seen the postseason since 2004.

The fact that Minnesota was also able to squeeze that No. 16 pick out of Chicago — and use it on Creighton’s Justin Patton to address an area of need at center — is just the icing on the cake.

Grade: A