Wolves Add Melo Trimble

Well, this wasn’t the Melo Woj Bomb everyone has been waiting anxiously for. But this news does pertain to the pro basketball team in Minneapolis. Meet the newest member of the New Wolves Order: Melo ... Trimble! The former Maryland guard, and undrafted free agent, has agreed to terms on a partially guaranteed contract with the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

AP Sports Guy, Jon Krawczynski, quickly alluded to Trimble merely being another warm body for the team to have in training camp and preseason, which includes a trip to China where the Wolves will play the Warriors twice in Shenzhen on Oct. 5 and Shanghai on Oct. 8, as part of its Global Games China 2017 series.

Of course, the Wolves are in need of another point guard as insurance behind Jeff Teague and Tyus Jones too, so if Trimble shows Thibodeau enough he could always get this deal fully guaranteed. The odds seems stacked against him though. The Wolves could always add another veteran point guard as well, and that may be the direction they take. Aaron Brooks and C.J. Watson are two free agents that have history with Thibs.

If you follow college basketball, you are likely familiar with Trimble. He was a dynamic freshman at Maryland and there was real buzz around him after his strong first NCAA season. He was probably a fringe first rounder or early second type of talent (based on that word that gets GMs in trouble: potential) if he took the one-and-done path after a strong first season with the Terps. But he went back to school and, well, never really improved. His stock declined over the next two years, he entered the draft as a junior, and catching on with the Wolves for the time being is probably the best move to keep his NBA dreams alive.

Trimble serves as a good reminder of the financial risk talented freshman are taking when they return for their sophomore seasons in order to increase their draft stocks. It doesn’t always happen. Sometimes entering the draft when intrigue is high—when there’s a level of mystery surrounding the growth curve of a young prospect, when the scouts don’t have more video and experiences to shoot holes through the prospect—is the smart play.

Perhaps Trimble would have received a guaranteed deal if he left after one collegiate season. I remember being high on him after his freshman year and thought he could be a late first rounder. But that wasn’t the path he ultimately took. Since I follow Big Ten basketball, I must say it’s been quite odd to see his lack of development over the past two years.

Tim Botemps of The Washington Post wrote an article about the “stark reminder that Trimble’s days of being the big man on campus – or being on campus at all – are officially over.” Melo Trimble is discovering that life in the NBA after Maryland won’t be easy. At Summer League, Trimble really didn’t catch my eye in the limited minutes I saw him play but he left the event averaging 10.3 points in the three games he appeared in with the Summers Sixers. If he doesn’t ultimately make the Wolves regular season roster, Trimble could always find himself in the G League with the Iowa Wolves.