Here at All U Can Heat, we’ll be running a series in which we build and contemplate (fake) trades between the Miami Heat and all 29 other NBA teams. In part 10, we looked at a trade with the Clippers. In part 11, we dial-up the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Of all the teams who have made noise this offseason, few have fared as impressively as the Minnesota Timberwolves.
They set the ball rolling just prior to this years draft with the blockbuster deal that landed them All-Star Jimmy Butler. And then in free agency, the Timberwolves further reinforced their stocks with the additions of point guard Jeff Teague, and veterans Jamal Crawford and Taj Gibson.
But while these moves were extremely positive, there have been some murmurings regarding one of their current, up-and-coming stars.
Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1 overall selection in 2014, is due for a contract extension at the end of this upcoming season. And the Timberwolves’ owner, Glen Taylor, made some comments recently that had many raise their eyebrows in regards to Wiggins:
"“To me, by making this offer, I’m speculating that his contribution to the team will be more in the future. We’ve got to be better. He can’t be paid just for what he’s doing today. He’s got to be better…..there are some things that I need out of him, and that is the commitment to be a better player than you are today.”"
While they may sound rather innocuous, these types of comments are rarely made by an owner on the eve of potentially coming to terms with a player on an important contract extension.
But just two weeks after these comments were made, Wiggins strangely fired his agent, Bill Duffy, despite Duffy having negotiated with the Timberwolves on a five-year, $148 maximum extension for Wiggins to sign.
So while Wiggins’ off-court dramas have yet to settle, his role on the court with the Timberwolves is also somewhat uncertain.
With the addition of Butler, Wiggins has now essentially been reduced to third on the pecking order. Last season, Wiggins led the team in usage rate at 28.8, just ahead of frontcourt star Karl-Anthony Towns at 27.4. Butler, meanwhile, had a usage rate of 26.5 as a member of the Chicago Bulls. But reunited with his old coach in Tom Thibodeau, Butler’s ball-handling duties are set to expand, thus leaving Wiggins somewhat in the background.
Thus, this represents an ideal situation for the Miami Heat to make full use of their abundance of depth in dealing for Wiggins.
Just this week, the Heat came to an agreement with Josh Richardson on a four-year, $42 million contract extension. In addition to Richardson, the Timberwolves would be receiving third-year forward Justise Winslow, and dynamic guard Tyler Johnson.
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Johnson is signed through till the end of 2019-20, where he is owed $38.4 million over the final two years. Winslow, meanwhile, has two years remaining on his current rookie deal.
Overall, this move makes a lot of sense for both sides.
For the Timberwolves, they receive an abundance of young talent, and two wings in Richardson and Winslow who can excel without having the ball in their hands. And in Johnson, they are receiving one of the more damaging guards off the bench this past season.
For the Heat, Wiggins represents a sensational young piece to build around in the coming years. Still just 22, the 6-foot-8 Wiggins who possesses a 7-foot wingspan has all the attributes to become one of the elite two-way players in the game. Last season, Wiggins posted 23.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 37.2 minutes per game.
Furthermore, the Heat will be avoiding paying the nearly $30 million combined in salaries for Johnson and Richardson by supplanting it with the close to $30 million annual salary that Wiggins will be realising at the end of this upcoming season. And in order to replace the depth lost, the Heat would receive backup point guard Tyus Jones, who has shown flashes of potential in his two years in the league.
Overall, while the trio departing the Heat are all promising talents in their own right, none of them possess the upside which Wiggins has in store.
Just last season alone, Wiggins poured in five 40-point games, including a career-high 47 points in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. And while he’s not quite the “whale” team president Pat Riley has sought after since the breakup of the Big 3, Wiggins has the time on his side to develop into one of the special talents in the league.