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The Timberwolves are losers of six of their last seven games, and the pressure is starting to feel insurmountable. While there is still room for improvement, it’s becoming more apparent as time goes on that they won’t reach the expectations the organization had for this season. They’re arguably better than their record, and the return of Karl-Anthony Towns should help. The question is, can they turn things around enough to claim a playoff spot, or are they a lower-tier play-in team?
Don’t expect the Wolves to be very active in this year’s trade deadline. They can’t trade any first-round picks after giving up all their tradeable ones for Rudy Gobert. They only have three second-round picks they could offer in trades this season. Their overall lack of flexibility gives them few options to move forward if it’s concluded that this group does not work together. Any deal they make would improve them incrementally.
Minnesota’s only way out of this hole could be to trade Towns or Anthony Edwards to replenish some of the draft equity they gave up for Gobert and depth. Trading Edwards seems like a complete non-starter, and while they could trade Gobert, they probably won’t be able to get enough value for a trade to be worthwhile. We may hear in rumors the name of Towns, who becomes trade eligible this offseason. He extended with the Wolves for four years, projected at $224 million, so it will be interesting to see how his trade value fares considering he’s under contract for five more years but at an average salary of $56 million per season.
Although it is far from their biggest issue, the point guard position could be improved. D’Angelo Russell is more or less the same player impact-wise Minnesota initially acquired. He is currently extension-eligible to add up to an additional four years and could be at a crossroads with the organization with his future up in the air. If not extended, he will enter unrestricted free agency this offseason.
It’s hard to identify teams in need of a starting point guard where Russell presents an upgrade. One team that could make sense is the Wizards who, for example, could put together matching salaries through a combination of Will Barton, Monte Morrisand Delon Wright. The Wizards are set to be an over-the-cap team, provided they keep Bradley Beal and re-sign both Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma this offseason. Trade will likely be their main avenue toward acquiring a new starting point guard, and this framework keeps them close enough to the tax that they could stay below it with some additional maneuvering.
One framework being floated around involves Miami and Kyle Lowry. Like the Wizards, the Timberwolves will be an over-the-cap team going forward and will have a difficult time replacing Russell in free agency. If they do not plan on re-signing him, then swapping him for a different point guard makes sense. Lowry presents a short-term option at point guard but would bring some much-needed veteran leadership.
Lowry is struggling with the Heat for the second year in a row. While it’s debatable whether Russell is an upgrade or can be reinvigorated under “Heat Culture,” their reasons for doing this deal are mainly financial. Miami is set to be close to $20 million over the luxury tax next season after extending Tyler Herro to a four-year, $130 million extension. Swapping Lowry, who is owed $29.7 million for next season, for Russell’s expiring contract would solve that tax crunch.
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