Fansided

Will Nikola Pekovic get moved this season?

By Wes Goldberg

Mar 31, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic (14) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic (14) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Minnesota Timberwolves got a relatively good haul for Kevin Love, receiving two former No. 1 overall picks, Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett to pair with promising rookie Zach LaVine and second-year center Gorgui Dieng. The Wolves may be extremely entertaining to watch this season with so much athleticism on the court, but they are certainly are a team built for the future. That said, Nikola Pekovic is in his prime right now, and that could lead to the Timberwolves exploring some trade options. According to Cody Taylor of BasketballInsiders.com, Dieng’s play at the end of last season could push Pekovic out of Minnesota.

"With the emergence of Gorgui Dieng in Minnesota, Pekovic may become expendable in the next season or two and could provide a contending team a lot of help if the ‘Wolves decide to move him."

The 28-year-old Pek averaged 17.4 points and 8.7 rebounds last season. He is a swell offensive player, shooting 54 percent and proves troublesome for opposing defenses in the post with his size and variety of moves near the rim. However, Dieng far surpasses him on the defensive end. Last season, Dieng gave up seven fewer points per 100 possessions than Pekovic, according to basketball-reference.com.

More from Minnesota Timberwolves

With Love stretching the court last few years, Pekovic had room to show his strengths in the post on offense and simply just be big on defense. With the dynamics of this team shifting, Pekovic won’t have as much room to work on offense and teams will be able to send double teams to him in the post without risking getting killed by a Love jumper. Since the future is bright in Minnesota, the team would like to get Dieng on the court. If they don’t move Pek, Flip Saunders may experiment with Dieng at power forward this season. That sounds like the Houston Rockets’ Omer Asik-Dwight Howard front court experiment. That didn’t work and led to Asik getting moved. Center is Dieng’s natural position, and the Wolves may be better off trading Pekovic now and getting the most they can back for him.

Home/Minnesota Timberwolves