NBA Trade Deadline 2018: 5 teams that should be buying at the deadline

Honorable mention: Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves have a Tom Thibodeau problem.

On the surface, everything is hunky-dory for the new-look Wolves. They’re flirting with their first 50-win campaign since the 2003-04 season, as Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson have given this young Minnesota team the kick in the pants it so desperately needed last season. The Wolves are well on pace to snap their 14-year playoff drought and perhaps put a scare into one of the top Western Conference contenders in the postseason.

However, there’s a real risk of Minnesota entering the playoffs running on fumes. All five Wolves starters are averaging at least 33 minutes per game, while Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns all rank among the top 20 leaguewide in terms of playing time. Whereas most teams have taken a cue from San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and expanded their rotations during the regular season to keep their starters fresh for the playoffs, Thibs is living life a quarter-mile at a time.

Jamal Crawford, Tyus Jones, Gorgui Dieng and Nemanja Bjelica are the only Minnesota reserves averaging at least 10 minutes per game off the bench, and none are topping the 20-minute-per-game threshold. That stands in stark contrast to the likes of the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, who figure to be the Wolves’ top challengers in the West once the postseason rolls around.

The Wolves already shipped their lottery-protected 2018 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for Adreian Payne back at the 2015 trade deadline, so they’re unable to send out a first-rounder in a trade until 2020 at the earliest. If they’re willing to dangle that or a second-rounder for a veteran shooter off the bench — Marco Belinelli or Garrett Temple, perhaps? — that could go a long way toward boosting their dismal output from long range while giving their starters a much-needed break.

Next: 5. Washington Wizards