Why The Minnesota Timberwolves Do The Deal
On the other hand, the Minnesota Timberwolves do nothing to replace Russell with this deal directly. They’d be entering 2022-23 without a starting caliber point guard.
At the same time, such positional designations hold less meaning in 2022 than ever. Realistically, this offense will run through Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards next season no matter who’s running point. With that in mind, starting Jordan McLaughlin should be fine for this team’s needs.
After all, Russell’s ball dominance posed this team a problem in the 2021-22 playoffs. They’re better off with it in the hands of the aforementioned superstars. With that in mind, bolstering their wing depth makes solid sense.
The highlight of the return here is Kuzma. He may start at the 3, or come off the bench as a combo forward getting ample minutes between both positions. Either way, he’ll be a valuable addition.
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For that matter, so will Barton (see what we did there?). In fact, he can run a little point when the Wolves are in a jam. This organization already showed a disregard for position by pairing Rudy Gobert and Towns this summer. They should be more concerned with stockpiling talent than they are with making sure they have a traditional floor general.
