The Minnesota Timberwolves traded center Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks over the offseason to give the team flexibility to compete around guard Anthony Edwards longer than just the next two years, according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski.
However, that hasn’t stopped teams from trying to land the No. 1 pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, The Athletic’s Sam Amick relayed.
“League sources tell The Athletic that the (Dallas) Mavericks and Timberwolves informally discussed the prospect of swapping (Luka) Dončić for 23-year-old, three-time All-Star Anthony Edwards in the weeks before the Lakers deal went down,” Amick wrote. “More specifically, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison reached out to the Timberwolves and asked if there was any chance they’d be willing to trade Edwards. He was promptly told no. The Timberwolves, league sources say, were stunned that Dallas was contemplating parting ways with Dončić.”
Dončić was infamously traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 1, which landed Anthony Davis in Dallas.
Dončić could’ve been an excellent fit in Minnesota, as his playmaking skills would’ve helped maximize all of his teammates’ strengths on offense, especially Rudy Gobert given his status as a lob threat. The 26-year-old star has proven time and time again that he can take over as a scorer as well.
On the other hand, the Mavs would’ve benefitted from bringing Ant-Man into the fold, as he and Kyrie Irving could’ve formed arguably the league’s best backcourt and Edwards’ defense would’ve helped make up for some of Irving’s deficiencies on that side of the floor.
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