The Minnesota Timberwolves have one of the youngest and most talented rosters in the NBA. The two big guns for the Wolves are former number one picks in Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. The team does have a lack of veteran leadership and is looking to retool its roster in order to compete for a playoff spot next season. In Thibodeau's first year, there were a number of rumors around the Wolves and former Bulls players, and there were rumors that the Wolves were looking to add Jimmy Butler, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah, but none of these moves happened.
Thibs is an extremely competitive person, and the last season of just 31 wins may have been tough on Thibodeau. It is important for the team to work to get better, but also to make sure that they do not do anything to mortgage their future.
Is Rose a fit in Minnesota?
The former MVP has had a few tumultuous seasons in the NBA. Much of his career has been overshadowed by injuries. One of the things that Minnesota really needs is leadership, for which Derrick Rose has not been known for this through his career. The one bonified leader on the team right now is Ricky Rubio. Rubio has received his fair share of criticism for his inability to score and shoot from the outside but when watching the Wolves, it is painfully clear that they play much better offensively when Rubio is on the court.
Signing Rose would take away minutes from Rubio.
Other offseason transactions
One of the players on the Minnesota Timberwolves radar is P.J. Tucker. Tucker spent last season playing north of the border in Toronto. The Wolves are in painful need of some defensive specialists. They ranked 27th in the NBA in defensive efficiency and will need to improve upon this number in order to be competitive next season.
Tucker's biggest asset is his defense, as he is a big and physical player that has the ability to play defense in and outside of the paint. They also have a need to bolster their outside shooting. Last season, the Wolves were 20th in the league in three-point shooting, managing to shoot just 34.9 percent. There are a number of options for them on the free agent market to improve their shooting from beyond the arc.
JJ Reddick, Dion Waiters, and Nikola Mirotic will all be available in the offseason. The Wolves will also have the seventh pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. There have been talks of using the pick as trade bait to get some veterans on the roster. If they do end up picking seventh, a good option would be the athletic Jonathan Isaac from Florida State. Isaac would provide some much-needed improvement on defense.
The Wolves are at a critical juncture for their franchise. They must look to make a move that will both improve the team in the short term, while not risking the bright future of the young team.
