The Minnesota Timberwolves made noise around the NBA on the eve of America’s holiday, signing stud young guard Anthony Edwards to a rookie-level max contract extension.
Edwards is set to become the face of a Wolves franchise that has not won a playoff series since back in 2003-24.
However, Minnesota front office head Tim Connelly is looking to add more star power to the mix to go with Edwards. Chris Haynes of Turner Sports reports that Minnesota is one of six teams that have reached out to the Portland Trail Blazers inquiring about Damian Lillard after the seven-time All-Star requested a trade.
In a vacuum, this doesn’t seem to make much sense. Portland is said to be demanding multiple first-round picks and young players for the future Hall of Fame guard. By virtue of their ill-fated trade for Rudy Gobert last summer, the ‘Wolves don’t have a first-round selection to offer up through 2030.
Meanwhile, several reports indicate that Dame has his sights set on the Miami Heat and South Beach. Things seem to be going well as it relates to trade talks between the Heat and Blazers.
So, why would Minnesota even waste its time attempting to get involved in a sweepstakes for the high-scoring guard? Well, there’s a lot more to it than what we prefaced above as it relates to the lack of capital in Minnesota.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated NBA trade tracker with grades
Minnesota Timberwolves can put together a package for Damian Lillard
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Monday that any Lillard deal would likely come via a three or four-team trade. Tyler Herro has been the name mentioned the most with the Brooklyn Nets exploring the possibility of being involved in a broader deal that would bring Lillard to Miami.
Interestingly enough, Minnesota has an asset by the name of Karl-Anthony Towns that could be seen as more valuable than Herro or any other big-name player involved in a hypothetical Lillard trade. As such, said deal would involve Towns heading to another team outside of Portland.
The Blazers are said to be looking for young players and first-round picks for Lillard. Minnesota’s potential involvement could help expedite that process.
It’s a pure hypothetical. But contending teams such as the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers and even the Oklahoma City Thunder would love to add someone of Towns’ talents.
We’re talking about a 27-year-old big who is averaging 24.4 points and 10.7 rebounds on 40% shooting from three-point range over the past five seasons. He just isn’t a great fit with Gobert in Minnesota, something Connelly should have recognized in the first place.
Let’s look at the Knicks. They’ve been linked to Towns on a near never-ending loop over the past several months. We can envision a scenario in which front office head Leon Rose offers up Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and multiple first-round picks to bring in Towns. New York could also have Portland take on Julius Randle’s contract instead of Barrett while offering up more draft capital.
As for the Minnesota Timberwolves, they have young frontcourt players in Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels who would be of interest to a Blazers team that’s backcourt heavy.
In reality, all of this could be moot. Damian Lillard is making it known through the media that he wants to join the Heat. Even then, Minnesota can’t ignore how fun an Edwards-Lillard backcourt would be moving forward. At the very least, there’s no reason to avoid kicking the tires on the possibility.