Wolves are considered a “potential player” in the trade market

The Timberwolves They made arguably the biggest trade of the offseason at the start of training camp when they sent Karl Anthony cities to New York in a deal that saw Julius Randle And Donte DiVincenzo Go to Minnesota. This may not have been their last big move in the 2024-25 league year.

According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst (insider link), Minnesota is viewed by rival decision makers as a “potential player” in the seasonal trade market.

As the ESPN duo explains, one reason the Timberwolves are viewed as a team in need of a change is that Randle and DiVincenzo haven’t been a perfect fit in Minnesota so far. Windhorst points out that scouts and executives have pointed to Randle’s “ball-stopping” habit as a factor that has slowed the Wolves’ offense, while Bontemps quotes a scout who says DiVincenzo will be asked to do more with his new team Playmaker on his team, something he didn’t really manage to do in New York.

“When you look at them, you see the guys that can be free agents (Randle and Naz Reid) sometimes get frustrated,” a scout told ESPN. “If they won more it probably wouldn’t be a problem, but it’s one of those things that happens when a team underperforms.”

“Just because you trade talent, it has to be right. You have to learn and adapt,” said another scout. “Making a trade this late (in the offseason) is difficult. So I’m empathetic.”

Bontemps and Windhorst don’t specify exactly what the Timberwolves are looking for or what kind of assets they would be willing to give up, but it’s worth noting that both Randle and Reid can be free agents if they decline player options for 2025-26 and it is unclear whether the team would be willing to extend both, as the Towns trade was at least partially financially motivated.

Minnesota also has plenty to work with at the veteran point guard Mike Conleya key offensive link whose age at 37 has been up and down and who has hit just 35.4% of his field goal attempts. It would make sense for the team to find another reliable point guard who could organize the offense if Conley sits and provide much-needed insurance for a player who missed a few games in November due to injury. The Wolves were significantly better with Conley on the court (+7.4 net rating) than off it (+0.2), going 0-4 in the games he missed.

Still, it won’t be easy to make a trade considering the Wolves are operating above the restrictive second tax line and don’t have any future first-round picks available to move. The 2025 trade deadline is two months away and Minnesota has looked good this week with back-to-back wins over the Clippers and Lakers, neither of which scored more than 80 points. If the Wolves can keep playing like this, a deadline move may not be necessary.