News
Year-Round News & Updates on the Minnesota Timberwolves
There were reports this summer that new President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders refused to trade Derrick Williams. However, just over 15 games into the season and the DNP-CDs and only garbage time minutes piling up for Derrick Williams, it was clear his time in Minnesota wasn't going to last much longer.
Rumors of a D-Will trade surfaced this afternoon when Dan B. released a statement on Twitter that said Derrick Williams' time in Minnesota is 99.9% done. At the time no transaction was imminent, however the Timberwolves found themselves in advanced discussions with the Sacramento Kings. During the first quarter of Minnesota's game vs. the Pacers (I'm writing this at halftime), there were reports from both local media members and national media members saying that the Timberwolves had agreed to a deal in principle to send Williams to the Kings in exchange for forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. The deal could be finalized as early as tomorrow (Tuesday) morning assuming Mbah a Moute passes a physical (there are some concerns about his knees). However it's reported that it would have to be something major for the Timberwolves not to accept this trade. The trade is a straight-up swap of players with no other picks or cash involved, either. Williams gets a fresh start in Sacramento--with the assumption that he'll get some more playing time--however the Kings are one team that are loaded at the power forward (Jason Thompson, Patrick Patterson and Carl Landry) so I'm not sure that he'll actually find more playing time. Nonetheless, this is still most definitely a 'sell low' for the Timberwolves. The reason being is simple: Derrick is a former #2 overall pick. He was selected immediately after the Cavs took Kyrie Irving (now, a superstar in this League). I wish (or feel) like we could have gotten more, but this trade really isn't lopsided considering how terrible Williams has been this season and how inconsistent his first couple years have been. He was given a golden opportunity last season with Love playing just 18 games, but he never really good take full advantage--mind you he did have the occasional 25+ point outing--but that was routinely followed by a string of games where he looked just lost on the court. In Mbah a Moute the Wolves get another Dante Cunningham-like player. A combo forward who can play both small and power forward. Though Dante's natural position is the four and Luc's is the three. It certainly doesn't add any offensive firepower to the bench--that's why I was hoping the trade included someone like Jimmer Fredette to add some scoring to an offensive inept second unit. However, Rick Adelman is reportedly a fan of Mbah a Moute's game and he'll most certainly be a part of the rotation going forward (the same couldn't have been said for Derrick). Luc paired with Corey Brewer make for a versatile defensive duo and could come in handy against teams like the Miami Heat or San Antonio Spurs that boast multiple superstar offensive talents. I definitely feel as though Derrick had to go and I do with him the best in Sacramento. However, deep down I (along with most Wolves fans) would cringe if he suddenly finds himself in Sac-Town and finally lives up the billing of a high lottery selection. That's all for now, we'll have more tomorrow morning when there's word on the physical. Stay tuned for that and enjoy the second half of Minnesota in Indiana.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Cody AndersonA TWolves fan, bringing you the daily updates. News Archives
August 2017
|