What is the All-Time Best Minnesota Sports Player Acquisition?
Minnesota acquiring Jimmy Butler during the NBA Draft has the Minnesota sports fanbase buzzing. Where does this rank among Minnesota sports acquisitions in terms of excitement?
I don't know about you, but the moment the trade went down I felt a rush of excitement. I haven't felt this excited about the Timberwolves in a long, long time and it has made me look forward to the start of the 2017-18 NBA season. I'm all in!
The move also had me think about other players that Minnesota teams were able to bring in. Between the four teams, there have been moments for each of them that have prompted interest to increase instantly.
In terms of the Vikings, there have been plenty of moves that have benefitted the team. The shortlist that I came up with includes...
- Brett Favre, 2009
- Randy Moss Return, 2010
- Jared Allen, 2008
- Steve Hutchinson, 2006
- Cris Carter, 1990 (although was kind of unknown of what his production would be at the time)
- Linval Joseph, 2014
- Sam Bradford, 2016
Think this is easily Favre though in terms of getting people excited. Better yet, I'd put Favre as the top overall in Minnesota history. The entire nation was glued to Favre watch and it instantly propelled the Vikings into that Super Bowl conversation (but we won't go there).
After talking to my good friend Randy at KXRB, he mentioned that Herschel Walker was the biggest in Minnesota sports history. People were, according to him, claiming that Super Bowl's were on the way for the Vikings. We all know how that turned out also. But Randy mentioned that he thinks it was way bigger than Favre in 09.
The Twins haven't had much success in bringing in players that has shaken up Major League Baseball. The three I could think of that brought some excitement locally were...
- Jim Thome, 2010
- Torii Hunter return, 2015
- Jack Morris, 1991
Jimmy Butler is, in my opinion, the biggest acquisition in Timberwolves history. People should be excited as he will immediately benefit the franchise alongside Karl Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. The only other moves that could potentially be argued...
- Andrew Wiggins trade (Kevin Love to Cleveland), 2014
- Sam Cassell/Latrell Sprewell, 2003
There's only one move that I can think of immediately when it comes to the Minnesota Wild. It was a pretty significant move, as four seasons prior ended without any form of playoff appearance. Following the 2011-2012 season, Minnesota went after and signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. The Wild have appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs over the last five seasons. Overall, I'd put this move near the top of Minnesota player acquisitions.
All that considered, here's my top 5:
- Favre to Vikings, 2009
- Butler to T-Wolves, 2017
- Parise/Suter to Wild, 2012
- Moss to Vikings, 2010 (even for just a cup of coffee stay)
- Thome to Twins, 2010