After being one of the league’s bottom-feeders for quite some time, Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden wanted to change the image — and fast. And boy, did they do just that and have set this team up for playoff runs for years to come.
First, the new regime traded Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn to the Chicago Bulls for Jimmy Butler. Then, they added veterans with playoff experience in Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson and Jamal Crawford. Minnesota also signed Anthony Brown to one of their two, two-way deals.