The Timberwolves need just one more deal to take the next step

By foxsports
Published

The Timberwolves may not be the best team in the league, but they do appear they'll be better next year than they were when they won an NBA-worst 16 games this past season. Minny can return a healthy Ricky Rubio and (hopefully) Nikola Pekovic.

Plus, there is the expected improvement of Andrew Wiggins along with the implementation of Karl-Anthony Towns. Over at Bleacher Report, Stephen Babb names the Wolves as one of five teams which can immediately take another step with just one more move:

(h/t Bleacher Report)

There's an art to rebuilding, and the Minnesota Timberwolves haven't put the finishing touches on their project just yet. Though the franchise has become younger via trade and the draft, there are still two increasingly unnecessary veterans lurking on the roster.

Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Martin will earn over $19 million combined this season, according to Basketball Insiders, and they'll essentially earn that money in exchange for delaying the development of young prospects at the 5 and 2 spots.

Pekovic is 29 and Kevin Martin is 32, placing their career trajectories well beyond Minnesota's current youth movement. Why give minutes to 30-somethings when this team's emerging core is still in its early 20s?

One counterargument is that veterans can serve as mentors. But Kevin Garnett should be enough of a mentor for the entire team over the next two seasons, particularly with 39-year-old Andre Miller joining the fold. And there's little reason to believe Pekovic or Martin are uniquely vital locker room voices. They'd probably appreciate the opportunity to move on to a more winning venture.