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Jim Souhan: Wolves should sit out the NBA trade period

Jim Souhan, Star Tribune on

Published in Basketball

MINNEAPOLIS — Someone check on Tim Connelly. He hasn’t made a trade in hours.

The Timberwolves hired Connelly to be their president of basketball operations in May of 2022. Since then, he has made four major deals:

— A large number of players and picks for Rudy Gobert.

— D’Angelo Russell for Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

— Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

— Draft assets for the pick that landed guard Rob Dillingham.

The only regular starter from the Timberwolves’ 2021-2022 season who is currently starting for the team: Anthony Edwards.

The only primary bench players from 2021-2022 who are currently playing a large role for the team: Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels.

Even if you hated every deal Connelly has made, you’d have to credit him for being fearless. That he crafted a roster that went to the Western Conference Finals and achieved the greatest victory in franchise history — a comeback Game 7 win over the defending champion Nuggets in Denver — speaks to his expertise.

Now he gets another chance to show off his boldness. The NBA trade window opens on Friday and closes Feb. 6. Former Timberwolves Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine and Russell could be moved in the next two months, as Butler strives to alienate every NBA fan base and Russell continues his quest to be traded by every NBA team.

My advice to Connelly:

Take the winter off.

Wolves fans shouldn’t let the uneven performance of the current roster fool them into thinking there is a magic trade available that will improve this team.

What this Wolves team needs is patience and stability.

Randle is gradually adapting to the Wolves’ system. DiVincenzo has been a winner his whole life. He isn’t shooting the 3-pointer as well as he is capable. Give him time and he probably will revert to his norm.

This team doesn’t need to bring in another player who will need time to adapt. This team needs more minutes together, which is one reason coach Chris Finch has given so much time to his top eight players.

The Wolves simply don’t need much in terms of personnel.

 

They don’t need another scorer.

In the injured Joe Ingles, they have a veteran 3-and-D big man who should eventually be able to play at least a small role.

Their only obvious need is at backup point guard, but that need should be filled by Dillingham, who could return from an ankle injury as early as Friday night against the Lakers.

The development of Dillingham into a regular rotation player could bring these benefits:

— Allowing Conley to play fewer minutes, or giving the Wolves a true point guard to run the team if Conley needs an occasional game off. Conley remains one of the Wolves’ most important and intelligent players, but Dillingham is the future.

— Giving the Wolves a player who can push pace and break down half-court defenses in a way no other current Wolf can.

— Giving the Wolves a nine-man rotation consisting of players they think they can win a championship with. With Dillingham out, Josh Minott has played the role of ninth man, and he has done little to impress during the competitive portion of games.

To summarize this trade window another way: If the Wolves don’t suffer any major injuries, the rest of this season will be much more about Finch than Connelly.

Already, Finch has reemphasized the defensive philosophies that served him so well last season and helped Randle become more comfortable in the offense.

The Wolves remain a work in progress, but that should have been expected after a major trade.

And if they continue to stumble, remember this:

Playoff seeding in the Western Conference probably isn’t that important.

It is vital to avoid the wear-and-tear and risk of the play-in games. It’s not that important to secure a top seed.

In the 2024 playoffs, the Wolves went 3-5 at home and 6-2 on the road.

Home-court advantage is not nearly as important as entering the playoffs healthy and cohesive. The Wolves have plenty of time to make that happen.


©2024 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

 

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