As the NBA Free Agency period in 2017 starts to wind down, I am going to look back at a couple of winners of this offseason who made pretty significant overhauls to their rosters. These two teams that have made major upgrades to their rosters are the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Both of these teams traded for superstars who are no longer playing in the Eastern Conference but are now a part of a loaded Western Conference searching for a way to compete with the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors. Let's dive in.
Minnesota Timberwolves Free Agency/Offseason 2017
On 2017 NBA Draft night, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded away Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the fourth pick in the draft to the Chicago Bulls for star guard and franchise player Jimmy Butler. Butler gives the Timberwolves a veteran presence and a go-to guy down the stretch of games. He also gives the Timberwolves a defender on the perimeter, something the franchise has not had in a while. Additionally, Butler is reunited with his former coach in Tom Thibodeau back in Chicago, which will make the transition from Chicago to Minnesota easier.
When free agency came around, the Timberwolves went out and signed Jeff Teague, the former Pacers and Hawks point guard to a three-year deal worth $57 million.
He was signed after the Wolves traded away Ricky Rubio going in a new direction at the point guard spot. Often times, teams would leave Rubio open because he was not a consistent knockdown shooter and scorer, whereas Teague is a better scorer than Rubio is. The other notable name that the Timberwolves signed is Taj Gibson, another former player of Thibodeau and teammate of Butler.
The deal was for two years worth $28 million. Gibson brings more size, rebounding, and toughness to a Timberwolves squad that features Karl-Anthony Towns.
The offseason that the Timberwolves had possibly vaulted them into the playoff picture in the West. They acquired one of the top two-way players in the league in Butler and signed a couple of notable free agents in Teague and Gibson that will provide a veteran presence to young guys such as Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
Oklahoma City Thunder Free Agency/Offseason 2017
The Thunder's biggest move this offseason was acquiring superstar Paul George from the Indiana Pacers for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. George is a huge acquisition after losing star Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors in free agency last summer. George brings a full offensive repertoire with him to Oklahoma City from floaters to stepbacks to tough one-legged shots. He also adds another elite defender along with swingman Andre Roberson. Most importantly, George provides another scorer and elite player paired with dynamic point guard Russell Westbrook. Often times when Westbrook went to the bench, the Thunder offense broke down not having another shot creator other than Westbrook.
George lifts some of the burden off of Westbrook. Only time will tell if this is a good fit for George as he has said that he wants to bolt for the Lakers in the 2018 offseason using the team he is currently on as a one-year rental. If George and Westbrook do work out, expect Westbrook to try to convince him to stay for the future.
The other two key offseason moves the Thunder made were signing forward Patrick Patterson to a three-year deal worth $16.4 million and re-signing Andre Roberson to a three-year deal worth $30 million. Patterson gives the Thunder another rebounder and a stretch four who can knock down the three like he did previously with the Raptors. Roberson provides his usual elite defense with quick feet and hands combined with great anticipation.
His offensive game is porous other than his cuts to the basket and occasional drives to the basket. Roberson can focus on his defense rather than his offense.
The whole offseason for the Thunder has been a success acquiring one of the top talents in the league in George and signing for a serviceable power forward in Patterson who can stretch his range out to the three-point line and re-signing Roberson, an elite defender. All of these moves make the Thunder in contention to compete at a high level in the grueling Western Conference.
