Last week’s draft is done and the NBA free-agency period doesn’t begin until 11 p.m. Saturday.
But every day, Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau is at work, laying brick-by-brick a path that will keep four-time All-Star Jimmy Butler in Minnesota beyond this season.
The question is, just how good of a stonemason is Thibodeau?
The Wolves added cost-efficient Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop to their roster in the draft. They will work to sign Thibodeau favorite Derrick Rose and bring back Nemanja Bjelica once free agency begins. They could sign another free agent to a salary exception, despite their stretched cap space, once superstar LeBron James determines his future — he must decide by Friday if he will opt out of his contract with Cleveland — and the league’s free-agency moves tumble like dominoes in response.