On Monday, the Associated Press reported that Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor wanted to sign Andrew Wiggins to a five-year max contract after meeting with the Kansas product to talk about his commitment to the team with the long term deal.
Two things become apparent with this news breaking:
First, Minnesota is no longer in the running for Kyrie Irving.
Second, the team believes in Wiggins’ offense and progression as a defender, choosing young upside over potential talent.
Over the next few seasons, the Wolves will most likely look to extend Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns, which means Wiggins was the first piece to secure in their trio. Wiggins averaged 23 points and hit 35 percent of his triples — both career-highs. While he has a less than sensational defensive net rating of 110.4, it is balanced out by his 109.8 offensive net rating, which gives him a better differential than players like Carmelo Anthony.
Here are the three reasons why Wolves fans should be excited by Wiggins sticking around for the next five years:
- His defense will improve. In the Tom Thibodeau system that plays heavily to defense, he will become a better defender. With Butler on the roster, Wiggins will no longer face up with the No. 1 player on the other team. Wiggins can develop as a defender while not having to match up against the best in the game. Growth is sure to come.
- Wiggins’ floor is high. Let us skip ahead three years. Wiggins has turned out not to be a multi All-Star and only gets a few points better while at his best guarding the third-best player on other teams. While maybe not worth the max, 26 points per game and a decent defender is still better than 70 percent of the NBA players on rosters. While going with the young talent is always a risk, Wiggins’ offense already has made his floor worth keeping him around for the potential in his ceiling.
- The more pieces they have now, the better chance they have of keeping Towns. While he is not there yet, Towns will most likely develop into a generational talent. Minnesota’s goals over the next three years should be staking this team to keep Towns and overthrow the Warriors. The Wolves need to lock up Wiggins and Butler for the long haul to make sure they can come to Towns with the best offer and situation to return to. Wiggins is the first step, extending Butler past his two years after the 2017-2018 season is the next move.
The bottom line with Wiggins is he is still an exceptional offensive talent, with offensive versatility that is continually growing as he becomes more consistent from range. He can also play with other offensive talents, because of his ability to catch and shoot. He can create his own shot and play at shooting guard or small forward. The versatility he gives the Wolves offense is so valuable, he is worth the defensive risk.
This is the move for the Wolves, with the way Irving has talked about the expectations for his next team and his desire to be the No. 1 guy, he probably would find problems playing alongside Towns and Butler. Sticking with their solid core and continually developing their chemistry will pay the biggest dividends going forward. Youth and upside is the way the league is headed, in an offseason that saw teams picking Devin Booker, Jaylen Brown and now Wiggins over Irving.
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