The Portland Trail Blazers turn one defensive wing into two
The Minnesota Timberwolves are a team in turmoil. They have a good amount of high-end talent between Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Anthony Edwards, but can’t seem to get that promise to translate into wins. No one’s suffered from the team’s lack of direction more than former 2019 sixth-overall pick Jarrett Culver.
The T-Wolves have reportedly been shopping the third-year point-forward for the low price of a second-round pick.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are open to moving Jarrett Culver for a second-round pick, per @DWolfsonKSTP pic.twitter.com/aywnkePkX0
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 27, 2021
The Blazers should be happy to oblige. Despite Culver’s early struggles on offense, he’s still chock-full of promise, an already strong wing defender, and a good playmaker at his position.
His defense and court vision alone would make a great fit off of the Blazers bench. If he can find ways to get points for himself, he’d be an absolute steal. His ankle injury is a concern, but the price tag is low enough to be worth the risk for Portland.
As insurance, the Blazers nab Josh Okogie in this move as well. Okogie’s a non-shooter, but one of the toughest-nosed perimeter defenders in the league.
He would give Portland a great option to check Stephen Curry, Ja Morant, Jamal Murray, and the other great guards in the league. He’s versatile enough to guard positions one through three and could survive against most power forwards in the league, if needed.
This trade brings in two multifaceted defenders for the Blazers depth chart and a player who could grow into a whole lot more.