What if…the Minnesota Timberwolves kept Lauri Markkanen?

So what happened to the Minnesota Timberwolves without Jimmy Butler?

The question of whether or not the Timberwolves should have traded for Butler ultimately comes down to three big questions. 1.) How important is it that Towns made the All-Star game? 2.) How important is it that the Timberwolves broke their playoff drought, albeit with a meaningless run?  And 3.) How do you like your brand of Timberwolves confused messes?

Without Butler, Minnesota doesn’t make the playoffs, and Towns likely doesn’t see the All-Star game. As much as Minnesota fans may despise him, possibly for even good reason, this is almost indisputable. Butler’s talents, although the effects they had were certainly tumultuous, did have a net positive on Minnesota. It brought the team to the postseason for the first time in many fans’ lives and put the team in at least a semi-national media spotlight.

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Also, without Towns making an All-Star appearance, people start to question his ceiling. I alluded to it in the previous entry, but around 2019, without a single winning season, no playoff berths, and no All-Stars or All-NBA honors to show for his work, the national media begins questioning whether Towns was the right guy for the Timberwolves at the time of the NBA draft and whether he is going forward.

And now for the confusing mess question. With the Butler trade, the mess surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves elevated quickly and was long and drawn out. It took years for Minnesota to find something resembling a rhythm after Butler left, and the argument can easily be made that they still haven’t found it quite yet. Without Butler though, this mess builds slowly and explodes in the team’s face as everyone is trying to come back from the hiatus. And considering the level Markkanen is at with his play, it’s questionable whether or not he’s worth it.

Ultimately, the Timberwolves probably made the right decision trading away LaVine and Markkanen for Butler. Without that trade, Minnesota doesn’t get Malik Beasley or Anthony Edwards, who are two of the team’s biggest current assets. Plus, they got a playoff series out of it, and after 13 years of losing, it was nice for the fans to have that one brief moment of hope.