NBA Free Agency 2017: One trade every team should make
Minnesota Timberwolves
Tom Thibodeau didn’t come to Minnesota to toil in sub-zero conditions or hang out at the Mall of America. This fledgling team busting at the seams with promise was supposed to melt his icy heart like the spring thaw.
His debut season didn’t go according to plan. After pulling the trigger on the offseason’s first blockbuster and netting Jimmy Butler, the Timberwolves now look primed to fulfill the prophecies of yesteryear, when FiveThirtyEight projected them to win 46 games.
They are far from a finished product and could still use a little more help with the supporting cast, and preferably someone who can play above average defense.
Courtney Lee has been undervalued as a role player and passed around the league throughout his career.
If they catch Phil Jackson at the right time, he might see the name “Jordan Hill” and misconstrue it as two separate last names during a peyote flashback. Or maybe he’ll even start dozing off in the middle of negotiations.
Minnesota uses its extra cap space to absorb the surplus of Lee’s contract and New York gets relief with Hill’s expiring deal and a second rounder to grease the rails.