The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the most interesting teams in the NBA. They have 4 guys who are naturally born scorers (Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, and Malik Beasley) and they have added some toughness with Patrick Beaverly and Tauren Prince this offseason. They have been building their team around Karl-Anthony Towns (KAT) since they drafted him in 2015, even trading Andrew Wiggins and a 2021 first round pick (a pick that would fall 7th in the draft) for KAT’s best friend, D’Angelo Russell, at the 2020 Trade Deadline. Then at the 2020 draft, they selected Anthony Edwards number 1 overall. Edwards showed flashes of superstar potential last season, and Minnesota needs to commit to building around Edwards for the future and needs to improve their defense.
I have wondered if the team should trade KAT, which they should not do as we head into 2021-22 but it is a conversation we will continue to have in the future. A lineup of Patrick Beverly, D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, Jarred Vanderbuilt, and Karl-Anthony Towns is a good start with Malik Beasley, Tauren Prince, Naz Reid, and Josh Okogie off of your bench. That is a team that can compete for a spot in the play in tournament. They have guys that compete defensively while also making open 3 pointers and have guys who can flat out score, as previously mentioned. They could fill out their roster with another minimum point guard, Jordan McLaughlin, who has played for the Wolves over the past couple of seasons and has a qualifying offer from Minnesota currently, is the likely candidate for that but they could also pursue players like Mike James, Brad Wannamaker, Ryan Arcidiacono, and former Timberwolve Jeff Teague. There is also a star out there on the trade market, the Timberwolves should be very interested in.
The Ben Simmons trade rumors are heating up. A report came out on Tuesday that Simmons does in fact want to be traded and is unlikely to report to Sixers camp, should he still be on the roster. The Timberwolves were 28th in the NBA defensively in 2021 which is very bad. Patrick Beverly and Tauren Prince will help that, and the team can also look to hide Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell on that side of the court, but adding the player who finished 2nd in defensive player of the year and is arguably the best defensive player in the NBA would be a massive help for the Timberwolves. Simmons would also help the Timberwolves on offense as he could be the primary ball handler for Minnesota, allowing for D’Angelo Russell to become more of a scoring option, where he is much more comfortable on the offensive end of the court. For a package, Towns, Edwards, and Russell would likely remain out of a trade. So players wise it would include Mailk Bealsey, Patrick Beverly, and Taurean Prince would need to go back to Philly in a trade for salary purposes but that is not enough. I do not expect a James Harden sum of picks in the deal, but 3 unprotected picks and 1 unprotected swap could be Philly’s starting point in a trade. The question becomes is that enough? I am not sure, you would think Minnesota would want to keep Russell, because of his close friendship with Karl-Anthony Towns, even if that is who the Sixers demand.
The Timberwolves have new ownership entering the picture, so the pressure is there to win. They have done a lot of losing since trading Kevin Garnett only making the playoffs once in that time span. With Karl-Anthony Towns in his prime and having a young up and coming star in Anthony Edwards, winning is essential for the Timberwolves in the near future and acquiring a star like Ben Simmons would be a big help to them in that regard.
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