The 2018 30-team NBA mega-trade that solves nothing and makes everyone mad
By Ian Levy
Minnesota Timberwolves
Sending out: Cole Aldrich (LAC)
Bringing in: Troy Williams (HOU), Marcus Morris (BOS)
The Minnesota Timberwolves are finally where they want to be, assured of a playoff spot after an enormous drought that stretched more than a decade. They have a fringe MVP candidate in Jimmy Butler and young talent like Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins to keep the team trending upwards over the next few years.
The Timberwolves don’t need anything major but some small tweaks to build depth on the bench could help them in their quest to win a playoff series this year. This deal adds depth without sacrificing much future flexibility. Aldrich has barely played this season with so much center depth on the roster so moving him out doesn’t affect their bottom line much.
Aldrich’s deal was partially guaranteed for next year so adding Morris and Williams does limit some financial flexibility but not much. Morris can defend multiple positions and adds some shooting. He also loves to take tough shots, which is sometimes the unfortunate defining characteristic of Minnesota’s offense. He may not be better than the guys Minnesota has on the bench, but he seems like a Thibodeau kind of guy and certainly couldn’t hurt.