Did the Minnesota Timberwolves trade the wrong guy?
By Luke Askew
On NBA Draft night in 2017, the Minnesota Timberwolves shook up their roster with a blockbuster trade. Did they trade the wrong guy?
Just over a year ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves made a trade that forever changed the fortunes of their rebuild.
The trade I’m referring to is, of course, none other than the famous draft-day move that sent Jimmy Butler and the No. 16 pick (Justin Patton) from the Chicago Bulls to the Wolves in exchange for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the No. 7 pick (Lauri Markkanen).
After one season with the new roster, I don’t think the trade itself was a mistake for either team. Both franchises got what they wanted. The Bulls got to jumpstart their rebuild with some young talent and the Timberwolves got a perennial All-Star in Jimmy Butler, which helped catapult them into the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
However, did the Wolves make a mistake with one of the pieces they included? If the Wolves could go back and trade Andrew Wiggins instead of Zach LaVine, would they? Or should they?
Now, before we go any further, we need to address the contract situations for both players, and the way I’m going to do this is by not looking into them too deeply. Wiggins is already making way too much money, but after this summer, it’s likely the same will be said for LaVine. So let’s throw money aside and just focus on the players and their fit within the team.
Andrew Wiggins vs. Zach LaVine
On draft night, this seemed like it was clearly the correct decision. Andrew Wiggins was a former first overall draft pick with an incredibly high ceiling and Zach LaVine was a former 14th overall draft pick who had recently torn his ACL.
At the time of the trade, both Wiggins and LaVine had played three seasons for Minnesota. LaVine had averaged 13.7 points, 3.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game in that time, while Andrew Wiggins had posted 20.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
Those stats seem pretty lopsided from this angle. There’s a huge difference in a 20 points per game scorer and a sub-14 points per game scorer. However, if you look at the stats from their last season playing together, the line between the two players becomes more blurry.
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In the 2016-17 season, both young guys had their best seasons by far. LaVine averaged 18.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from 3-point range. Wiggins, on the other hand, averaged 23.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from 3-point range.
To put it simply, both players had outstanding seasons individually, but the Wolves still weren’t winning, and that was a problem.
Following the trade, the winning part of the equation changed for Minnesota thanks to Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns, but Wiggins’ production suffered as a result, with his numbers dropping to 17.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game on ugly .438/.331/.643 shooting splits.
LaVine’s 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game on .383/.341/.813 shooting splits weren’t pretty either, but keep in mind he only played 24 games and spent most of his season coming back from an ACL tear.
Looking at the areas where Minnesota struggled this year (defense, 3-point shooting and bench production), it’s interesting to look back and wonder if they should’ve traded Wiggins instead of LaVine.
Final verdict
It’s important to note that deciding who is the better player for the Timberwolves is different than deciding who is the better player.
Despite Wiggins’ struggles, he’s clearly the better all-around player at this points. I also believe he has more upside. However, I think LaVine would be a better fit for the Wolves at this point.
Both Wiggins and LaVine struggle on the defensive end (yes, Andrew Wiggins showed signs of improvement this year, but he’s by no means a stopper), so let’s cast that aside for now. Neither player would be giving the Wolves great defense.
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What really makes LaVine feel like a better fit for the Wolves, is his ability to stretch the floor and his likely acceptance of a lesser role (being the sixth-man or at maximum, being okay with playing the third fiddle in the starting lineup).
I can’t stress this enough: Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins cannot coexist on the same basketball court for the long haul. One of them is going to have to go. Some of it was already noticeable this season. It’s quite obvious that Wiggins doesn’t think of himself as the third option (which he is, and always will be, as long KAT and Butler are still there). This is a problem I don’t think you’d have with LaVine.
His natural role is being a high-volume scorer off the bench with the capability to win multiple Sixth Man of the Year awards — similar to an older gentleman who wore a Wolves uniform this season. LaVine could come off the bench and give the Wolves something they haven’t had in years: a productive second unit.
The thought of that alone is absolutely thrilling, which is a bad sign for the current state of the Wolves’ bench. (Hint: It’s bad.)
(Another hint: Tom Thibodeau doesn’t give them a chance. But this is for another day.)
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So as unappealing of a hot take as this may be to some people, and as much as hindsight is 20/20, the Wolves may have traded traded the wrong guy — not because Zach LaVine is a better player, but because he is the better fit.