Timberwolves

The Kyrie Irving Effect For The Timberwolves

The disassembly of the King’s throne is real, as Kyrie Irving has asked to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers via trade. His preferred landing spots are the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves.

So the real question is, how do the Wolves acquire the All-Star point guard?

Acquisition 

While they will have to pay for a player as young (25) and talented as Irving, the Wolves have the pieces to go out and get him. Cleveland does not want to keep around a player that has no interest in staying, and they need roster depth along with a replacement point guard. The Utah pick becomes a key asset for the Wolves now, as they are able to pair it with players to give Cleveland immediate roster help, along with incoming young talent — something they desperately need. The Wolves will need to give up a lot, even with the position that the Cavs find themselves in, so here is the Irving acquisition package:

  • Utah’s first-round pick (originally belonging to Oklahoma City)
  • Andrew Wiggins
  • Cole Aldrich

While trading Wiggins would be a hit to the young nucleus, Irving is still only 25 and stretches the floor offensively for the Wolves like only he can. Despite Wiggins’ upside, the future is Karl-Anthony Towns, who the team is going to continue to build around. The Cavaliers get a young, up-and-coming stud and some bench depth with a very good draft pick next season. The Wolves get a four-time All-Star ball handler who puts the offense on the next level. Word on the street is that Irving expressed interest in playing with Jimmy Butler before the 2017 draft, which should make Minnesota front and center in the race to get Irving.

Why the Wolves should get Kyrie 

The problem some saw on the Wolves roster was not having a true 3-point shooter who can wreak havoc from deep on any given night. Irving is an offensive beast who can stretch the floor with incredibly long shooting and then mercilessly drive into the paint when the defense tries to compensate. His willingness to get into the fray around the basket also helps late in games because of his 90 percent free-throw shooting when he is sent to the line.

While the last few seasons have seen him play second fiddle to LeBron James, his ability to take over games and dominate an opponent, regardless of who he shares the floor with, was evident in last season’s playoffs, particularly Games 4 and 5 against the Boston Celtics.

No, he is not the perfect player. His defense is lazy on some possessions, quarters and even games. But pairing him in a backcourt with Butler’s defense would help the Wolves hide his defensive misgivings against the opponents’ second- or third-best player. The biggest part of the trade is that the Wolves will most likely be trading depth for more starting five talent. Here too, the cause for concern is low. Irving, Butler and Towns are All-Stars or will be very soon. Staggering their minutes if the team loses confidence in their bench will help hide a weak second unit. It will also be an easy job with three studs all on the same roster.

The downside here is so minimal compared to the upside of having an offense that could challenge the Warriors — something Irving gives the squad — that there is no reason not to push hard for the Duke product.


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