10. Oklahoma City Thunder
General manager Sam Presti had a terrific summer by re-signing Paul George, signing Nerlens Noel and trading away Carmelo Anthony while getting Dennis Schroder in return. Now he should go for the kill, even if his tradable assets are pretty much depleted at this point.
Russell Westbrook, PG-13 and Steven Adams obviously aren’t going anywhere, but the Oklahoma City Thunder can offer a player who provides what the Timberwolves need most: wing defense.
Andre Roberson can’t shoot outside of 10 feet, but he’s an All-Defensive Team caliber defender, and would make up for Wiggins’ and Towns’ flaws on that end. He won’t be 100 percent until December, but if Thibs wants to stay competitive, Roberson could help where they need it most.
To round out the deal from a financial and talent perspective, OKC throws in Patrick Patterson (who disappointed last year but used to be a plus/minus god and could just need a change of scenery) and Terrance Ferguson (a youngster with untapped potential).
Unfortunately, even if the Thunder included every player with a last name ending in “son,” their lack of a first round pick severely limits their bargaining power. They owe their 2020 pick to the Orlando Magic and their 2022 pick to the Atlanta Hawks.
A starting five of Westbrook, George, Butler, Jerami Grant and Adams is a nice thought, but it’s not happening, and even if it did, OKC would be hard-pressed to re-sign Jimmy Buckets given their already astronomic cap situation.