Taj Gibson signs two-year deal with Timberwolves

Taj Gibson has agreed to a two-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, ending his short stint with the OKC Thunder.

All good things must come to an end. And even though the time was short, Taj Gibson’s tenure with the Thunder made a resting impact on the organization.

Shams Charania from The Vertical reported that Gibson is on his way to re-joining Jimmy Butler and Tom Thibodeau in Minnesota.

Good for Taj. He’s getting a solid contract from arguably his all-time favorite coach. Taj is re-joining Jimmy Butler in Minnesota, and he has a chance to groom the young TimberPups much like he did in his few months in OKC.

It would have been really nice to bring back Gibson. The Paul George trade resulted in the loss of Domantas Sabonis, the likely starting power forward next season. Jerami Grant seems like the natural choice now, but he’s not ready to be a starter on a contending team.

That means Sam Presti must have another move ready. Many seem to believe it’s Rudy Gay. Fantastic. Gay is an established scorer on the perimeter, yet as he’s getting up in age/coming off a torn Achilles his game is translating more and more as a small-ball 4. But he’s not a true 4. Neither is Grant. And Enes Kanter is a center. So even if Rudy Gay is on the Oklahoma City horizon the Thunder have to have another player in mind.

It doesn’t have to be starter though. Crunchtime lineups are increasingly more perimeter-oriented; with Steven Adams the Thunder already have their big. If the Gay rumors are in fact true, Russ-Roberson-George-Gay-Adams is almost guaranteed to be the lineup of Billy Donovan’s choice.

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So it’s Sam Presti’s job to find a capable backup. Gibson would have been that guy for the Thunder, but not at that price tag.

James Johnson, Ersan Ilyasova, maybe Michael Beasley. These are the type of forwards the Thunder should be looking at. Established players that understand their role as bench players in this league.

Congratulations on the contract Taj. We thank you for your time with the Thunder and wish you  luck in your new adventures.

Now it’s your move again Sam.

#inPrestiwetrust