Golden State Warriors delivered Minnesota Timberwolves horrid reminder of double-disaster

As the Golden State Warriors produced a dominant first-quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, and ultimately concluded with a comfortable win, social media was quick to recall the teams’ recent off-court history.

From the very first possession when Andrew Wiggins detonated a left-hand alley-oop slam, the game served as a reminder of the lopsided trade the two orchestrated in 2020. Not only that, but it also demonstrated the limitations to Minnesota’s new lineup after a major offseason deal.

The Golden State Warriors delivered the Minnesota Timberwolves a reminder of their disastrous recent trades in a 137-114 at Target Center on Sunday.

After injuries led them to the worst team in the league in the 2019-20 season, the Warriors made a host of trade deadline moves which included sending D’Angelo Russell to the Timberwolves. Minnesota had long coveted the former number two overall pick, and in return gave up Wiggins and a top-three protected future first-round pick that resulted in Jonathan Kuminga.

That transaction has now developed into one of the most lopsided trades in recent NBA history, and it was completely encapsulated in the Warriors’ 23-point win. Golden State looked very much like the NBA champions they are, while Minnesota appeared like nothing more than a first-round playoff team at best.

Wiggins had his usual high-standard, efficient performance, dropping 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting and 3-for-6 from three-point range. He was a +14 in the game, while Kuminga also produced an impressive 20-minute outing with seven points, six rebounds and two blocks.

Meanwhile, Russell was key to a lot of the Timberwolves’ struggles. He shot just 5-for-14 (35.7%) from the floor and was a catastrophic -32 in the game. Wiggins’ value has skyrocketed over the past 18 months, while Minnesota would now be hard pressed to find a suitor for Russell’s expiring $31.4 million contract.

The Timberwolves also made a contentious offseason move to acquire three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. In doing so they gave up a raft of young assets and future picks to the Utah Jazz. This game surmised the issues that come with Minnesota’s twin-tower lineup on both ends of the floor.

Now playing at power-forward, Karl-Anthony Towns was unable to contain Draymond Green off the dribble — Green had a season-high 19 points and a game-high 11 assists, playing key orchestrator to the Warriors’ 137 points on 57.5% shooting.

On the other end, Gobert’s lack of offensive game meant Minnesota failed to capitalise on Golden State’s lack of interior size. The key offseason recruit was rendered practically useless though he did have plenty of mates who delivered underwhelming performances.

The Warriors have plenty to thank the Timberwolves for well beyond Sunday’s win. It’s a history that goes back to 2009 when Minnesota selected Ricky Rubio and Johnny Flynn directly before Golden State found their franchise-altering superstar in Curry.