Dear Timberwolves fans,
Yes, it’s confirmed:
ESPN Sources: On Kyrie Irving front, Cavs were given four preferred landing spots: New York, Miami, San Antonio, Minnesota.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 21, 2017
Kyrie Irving is interested in playing here.
Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns—they want him here:
Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns want Kyrie in Minnesota. https://t.co/Kpt3aqXUDY pic.twitter.com/7SLduYRvBD
— theScore (@theScore) July 22, 2017
Yesir.
I hate to burst your bubbles, guys, including yours Mr. Irving, but after connecting the dots, the Timberwolves will not trade for Kyrie Irving.
Here’s why. Thibs is going to extend Andrew Wiggins before the season begins.
Here’s the $$$ amount:
#twolves turn attention to big extension ($150 million??) for Andrew Wiggins, @JerryZgoda writes https://t.co/vVa6e2Umwf pic.twitter.com/gpy5SvImMf
— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) July 20, 2017
That’s a huge commitment for one of the faces of our franchise.
And Thibs, by the way, is not implying that he wants an extension.
He’s trying to sign him to an extension right now:
Thibs on a forthcoming contract extension for Wiggins: "We're working on it right now."
— Jerry Zgoda (@JerryZgoda) July 19, 2017
Yeah, right now.
So let’s be honest here: do you really think Thibs will trade Andrew Wiggins for Kyrie Irving, just because Mr. Irving became available?
Like this fan right here:
How are people saying no
— CMonty (@CMonty) July 21, 2017
No! Of course not.
There are ramifications for this kind of last minute change that would ripple throughout the league.
Players on the roster right now, like Karl-Anthony Towns, could be scarred by this moment and opt for the open market instead, which undermines the credibility of this franchise as a consistent contender moving forward.
Plus, there’s already enough stigma about players signing here in Minnesota.
It’s not Thibs’ fault the stigma is there, but Thibs, in my mind, is trying to erase those stigmas. That’s why Thibs was thrilled when he acquired Mr. Butler:
Butler: "I'm talking to (free agents) a lot better than me" about coming to Minnesota
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) June 29, 2017
Jimmy Butler’s a much-needed ambassador for this franchise.
Thibs knows that as well as you and I.
He also knows that at the end of the day, everything circles back to him. He’s the President of Basketball Operations.
He’s the one running this franchise, so I can’t see any scenarios in which Thibs blindsides Wiggins and trades him for Kyrie.
Or blindsiding any of the free agents that he signed this offseason.
That would be a P.R. disaster!
Even if the discussions for a contract extension reach an impasse, and Thibs sees an opportunity to trade Wiggins, assuming, of course, that Mr. Irving will still be on the trading block, I don’t think Thibs would approve any trade scenarios that would involve Mr. Wiggins.
This isn’t 2K now.
This is a business.
—DP
Go Timberwolves! Get your howl on.
Follow us on Twitter @howlintwolf & @Twolvesblog.
Last but not least, check out the latest Timberwolves news:
[protected-iframe id=”bf5a57f8bb51dcef03139f9d48248da8-114320562-111400560″ info=”https://feed.mikle.com/js/fw-loader.js” ]Photos: Pioneer Press
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