The Minnesota Timberwolves have had an extremely quiet offseason. They swapped Ricky Rubio and Taurean Prince with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and haven’t signed any free agents. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Timberwolves completed a trade for Patrick Beverley.
The Memphis Grizzlies are trading Patrick Beverley to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Jarrett Culver and Juancho Hernangomez, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 17, 2021
Minnesota Timberwolves Trade for Patrick Beverley
The Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies made a no-brainer trade here. They set their point guard rotation with Ja Morant and recently aquired Rajon Rondo, making Beverley expendable. Trading an expendable player for a former 6th overall pick and a shooter adds more depth to their rotations. In addition, the Grizzlies saved a million dollars in cap space, which could come in handy down the line.
Jarrett Culver simply didn’t work in Minnesota, he never seemed to find a steady role, and served best as a point of attack defender. The Grizzlies do well with their wings, so it’s possible a change of scenery can turn his career around. Juancho Hernangomez is a stretch 4 that is a surprisingly good finisher in transition. He has skills every team would appreciate, but recently butted heads with Timberwolves management after being blocked from playing in the Olympics due to a shoulder injury.
Grade: B
The Minnesota Timberwolves
Acquiring Beverley required Gersson Rosas to part with former 6th overall pick Culver and Hernangomez. The Timberwolves traded up from 11th in the 2019 Draft to select Culver. He struggled with injuries this past season, playing in only 34 games. He also struggled to find minutes in head coach Chris Finch’s rotations. Culver put up only 5.3 points per game on 41% from the field and a putrid 24% from deep. Hernangomez was a pleasant surprise when acquired from the Denver Nuggets. He earned himself a 3-year deal on 6 million dollars annually. He functioned well as a shooter and finisher in transition, but it became too difficult to find lineups that could handle his lack of defense.
Bringing in Beverley fills the backup point guard spot while adding much-needed energy, perimeter defense, and shooting. After missing out on the big names in the trade market and free agency, Rosas made it known that the focus was shifting to internal development. The additions of Beverley and Prince this offseason will hopefully bring veteran leadership and show the Timberwolves how to win on a consistent basis.
Grade: B+
