A week after essentially swapping one starting point guard for another, Timberwolves boss Tom Thibodeau on Friday addressed trading away fan-favorite Ricky Rubio and signing free agent Jeff Teague by saying he did what he needed to do.
A week earlier, Thibodeau traded Rubio to Utah for a 2018 first-round pick and then used Rubio's $14.1 million salary to sign Teague — an eight-year NBA veteran whom the Wolves coach and president of basketball operations praised for his playoff experience and offensive savvy — to a three-year, $57 million contract.
The Wolves reached an agreement with veteran forward Taj Gibson on a two-year, $28 million contract two days later. That reunites Gibson with both Thibodeau and former Bulls teammate Jimmy Butler, the three-time All-Star acquired in a draft-night trade.
Six years after arriving from Spain to a heartfelt airport greeting, Rubio is gone to the Jazz, which will play sans departing free agent Gordon Hayward.
"Ricky did a good job here; we're happy for him," Thibodeau told reporters in a conference call during his first public comments since the NBA's free-agent moratorium ended Thursday. "We wish him well. He made a number of contributions to our team, our organization and community and we certainly appreciate that. For us where we are now, we have to get out of this hole and we felt we had an opportunity to improve our team, and that's why we did what we did.
"It's the tough part of this job. You always have to put the team first, and so that's what we did. When we had an opportunity to get a guy like Jeff Teague, that's what we wanted to do."
Rubio's improved scoring in last season's final two months didn't dissuade Thibodeau from choosing Teague. The 29-year-old has played 66 playoff games and in 2014-15 helped lead Atlanta to 60 regular-season victories and the Eastern Conference finals.
Thibodeau called Teague a player who has been "a part of teams that have won big" and a "terrific" pick-and-roll player who was difficult to defend alongside Hawks teammate Al Horford. He noted how Teague can get into the lane and finish his drive or draws fouls and shoots well enough that defenses can't sag off him in the pick-and-roll.
"I coached against him in the playoffs, and I know how hard he is to guard," Thibodeau said, referring to a 2011 Bulls-Hawks series.
Teague is not known for his defensive ability, but Thibodeau said, "Defensively, he has a lot of toughness to him."
The Wolves haven't officially signed Teague or Gibson but will introduce both at a Monday news conference.
The Wolves have 10 players signed to guaranteed contracts and need to add versatile wing players who can shoot three-pointers and defend. Unless they make other moves to clear more salary-cap space, they only have a $4.3 million "room" exception and league-minimum salaries to offer while they pursue and wait for wings C.J. Miles and Jamal Crawford, among others, to decide their futures.
"I like where we are," Thibodeau said.
Thibodeau is in Las Vegas, where the Wolves' summer league team begins play Saturday without injured first-round pick Justin Patton. The No. 16 overall pick is out indefinitely after surgery to repair a broken bone in his left foot. Patton can study film and strengthen his upper body while he recovers these coming months.
"He'll be fine," Thibodeau said. "He just has to get through it."
Thibodeau lauded Gibson's defense, rebounding, toughness and ability to guard in the pick-and-roll and also said his ability to roll to the rim offensively will create three-point shooting space for Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
Thibodeau was asked how much he expects his former Bulls Butler and Gibson to change the culture of a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2004.
"The culture is the responsibility of everybody, and I felt the groundwork was laid this past season and we have to build on that," he said. "You make your deposits every day. You come in, attitude and approach are everything. You put everything you have into each and every day and get better.
"The thing they'll help with is they're veterans and they've been through things before. They can share some of those experiences with our players, and I expect them to set the tone for how we're going to work."
