National Basketball Association

Timberwolves Rumors: Iman Shumpert A Trade Target

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors: The team has reportedly inquired about the possibility of trading for Cleveland Cavaliers’ shooting guard Iman Shumpert.

Minnesota Timberwolves rumors are already beginning to swirl despite the season being a couple of days young. The Timberwolves lost on opening night to the Memphis Grizzlies, 102-98. It was a game that exemplified the Timberwolves — they are a young team that is on the cusp of becoming playoff contenders that don’t yet know how to win.

The Timberwolves got off to a great start in Memphis. They took a 20-3 less than five minutes into the game. But, they managed to score only 79 points from that point on. As you can see by the score, the young Timberwolves let the game slip away despite the big early lead.

It is the type of performance that the team can learn from as the season goes on, but one you do not want to repeat. New head coach Tom Thibodeau is trying to instill a new mentality with a franchise that has not made the postseason since 2004. It will take some time, but bringing in experienced players could help.

That is why they inquired about the availability of Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard/small forward Iman Shumpert. According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, the Timberwolves are one of several teams to reach out to the Cavaliers about Shumpert’s availability. Lowe also notes that the Cavaliers could be interested in hearing trade proposals for the defensive specialist.

It would be a peculiar move for the Cavaliers to want to move Shumpert. He is their best perimeter defender outside LeBron James and helped them overcome a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors. He fits in well with the team and they are a cohesive unit that looks to have a legitimate chance of returning to the NBA Finals.

One positive for the Cavaliers would be to clear his contract. Cleveland has the highest salary in the NBA this season and will be near the top in the coming years. Shedding the three years remaining on Shumpert’s four-year, $40 million contract he signed last season could lessen the luxury tax bill.

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For the Timberwolves, Shumpert would fill a multitude of roles. For one, he would bring a defensive presence to the team. Thibodeau wants to turn things around defensively and Shumpert would help that. Last season the Timberwolves ranked 23rd in the NBA in defense, giving up 106 points per game. They ranked 28th in opponent shooting percentage, as they allowed teams to shoot 47.1 percent against them.

Part of those struggles is personnel. The Timberwolves had Andrew Wiggins and not much else to defend the perimeter last season. They have strong rim protection with Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng, but there is only so much they can do if the guards and wings can’t keep their opponents in front of them.

Shumpert would help there, but he would also bring much-needed playoff experience and veteran leadership. Despite being only 26 years old himself, Shumpert has played in 54 postseason games with 29 starts. That is almost more than the whole Timberwolves roster combined, who have 60 games of playoff experience; only Brandon Rush, Cole Aldrich, Jordan Hill, and John Lucas III have made the postseason, and barely even played for their respective teams.

The Timberwolves are going to have to learn how to win games. They have a very promising future with a nucleus of Towns, Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn, but none have experienced success at the NBA level.

Shumpert could help push that learning curve. He would bring a defensive mentality to help on the perimeter and invaluable experience from his postseason runs — both things the Timberwolves would benefit greatly from.

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