4 roster moves the Minnesota Timberwolves need to make this offseason: 2. Re-sign Taurean Prince
UPDATE: This was written before the Timberwolves handed Prince an extension. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the two parties have agreed to a two-year, $16 million extension.
Last August, the Timberwolves traded Ricky Rubio, one of their favorite picks, to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In return, they received a second-round draft pick and Taurean Prince. The former member of the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, and Cavaliers then went on to have one of the worst scoring seasons of his career.
However, the joy for Prince and the Timberwolves is that they did not need him to produce at the levels he did at the earlier portion of his career. They spread the scoring load across such a wide range of players and this is part of what made the team so dangerous offensively last season,
The other aspect of Prince’s game that helped the Timberwolves last season is he provided a starter-level intensity from the bench. It is this sort of depth that teams need to make a deep playoff run.
As this was the first playoff run for this team, if they continue their growth next season, they should go deeper into the postseason, especially with the depth that Prince provides.
If the Timberwolves could get Prince on a team-friendly deal then this will be of tremendous benefit to the team. Prince could start on a lot of teams but the impact that he can have on the Timberwolves is crucial, so it is imperative that they keep him.