As the NBA trade deadline approaches, more and more teams will begin to hit the panic button. One of those teams could be the Minnesota Timberwolves.
For a team that came into this season with championship aspirations, the Wolves will struggle to even make the playoffs. In hindsight, the blockbuster preseason trade sending Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks may end up being the team’s demise.
So far, the return on investment for Minnesota has been as lopsided as they come. They lose Towns, who is playing himself into MVP considerations. In addition to that, both players they got in return, Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, have had significantly less productive seasons.
It is because of this, the best option for the Wolves is to trade one of the two players. The biggest dilemma for Minnesota is their lack of cap space. It makes it even more difficult to find a trade that they’re capable of making. The best route may be to pursue a trade involving a third team.
A new proposed trade by Sports Illustrated has the Wolves sending Randle to the Chicago Bulls in a three-team trade that also includes the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bulls would also get Minnesota’s second-round draft pick, and a first-round draft pick from the Bucks. In this trade, the Wolves would welcome former NBA Champion and NBA All-Star Brook Lopez, and veteran guard Jevon Carter. Finally, the Bucks would acquire veteran center Nikola Vucevic and Torrey Craig from Chicago.
This would be a trade that bolsters two teams in Milwaukee and Minnesota that want to push for the playoffs. The Bucks get a slightly younger big man in Vucevic, and the Wolves get some veteran leadership off the bench in the frontcourt and add a veteran guard to help the bench.
For the Bulls, this is a clear sign of a rebuild. If this deal were to get done, it likely comes after a deal that sends Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball out of town as well. Overall, this is a trade that indicates a clear plan for all three teams moving forward.
MORE WOLVES NEWS: Timberwolves swap Julius Randle for Bulls’ $80 million guard in proposed blockbuster trade
