If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Some might suggest the Minnesota Timberwolves shouldn’t meddle with the roster ahead of NBA’s Feb. 10 trade deadline, due to the contagious player chemistry taking over the locker room.
As of Feb. 5., the T-Wolves are on track to make the playoffs for just the second time since the 2003-04 season. This is in large part to Chris Finch’s coaching prowess in addition to the individual growth seen from Anthony Edwards, D’Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jarred Vanderbilt along with the impact provided by Patrick Beverley’s defensive effort.
Needless to say, the Timberpups are growing up right before our eyes, becoming an exciting team that plays cohesively while showing a lot of respect and admiration for one another. They don’t seem to care who has the big night. Whether it’s Ant going off for 40 points, KAT dropping a triple-double, or D-Lo hitting a clutch shot, it’s all good.
Because of just how much this unit enjoys each other’s success, it’s led to several analysts wondering if they should even tinker with the roster at all. Remember, general manager Sachin Gupta took over for Gersson Rosas back in September, he has yet to make a single trade.
Generally, when a new roster decision-maker takes over, he wants to place his own fingerprint on the roster, for whatever reason. Gupta hasn’t made the same mistake that several others before him have. Instead, he’s chosen to watch, wait, and learn. It’s proven to be an effective method so far, but maybe there’s a deal to be made that won’t negatively impact the good vibes felt within the Wolves’ locker room.
Is Marcus Smart the right fit for Minnesota Timberwolves?
A few weeks ago, we had heard the Minnesota Timberwolves planned to be buyers at the trade deadline. With them in seventh place in the Western Conference, with a chance to move up in the standings, it makes sense to see what type of roster improvements are out there.
According to Darren Wolfson of SKOR North, the Wolves remain interested in acquiring Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart, which is more of what’s been noted in recent NBA trade rumors. But Wolfson adds an additional tidbit of information not yet shared.
Specifically, the Wolves would like to add Smart, but the Celtics are holding out for a package revolving around Malik Beasley plus either a first-round pick or Jaden McDaniels to get the deal done.
For the Minnesota Timberwolves, this is a tough decision. Landing Smart, another defensive specialist who is just 27 years old is intriguing, but not at the cost of parting with two rotation contributors. Big Mac is too valuable to part with, unless a trade brings back a star. Beasley has hit the most three-point shots on the team and ranks sixth in the entire NBA in the same category.
Smart can hit the three too, but at a much less frequent rate, making just 31% of his shots from distance this season. Yet as mentioned, his defensive expertise cannot be understated, as he ranks third in the NBA with 84 steals across 45 starts for the Celtics.
Like Pat Bev, who is scheduled for free agency, and somehow has also been linked to trades despite having a strong desire to remain in the Twin Cities long-term, Smart is on the last year of his contract. However, if Smart is someone they want to target this offseason, trading for him now gives the Wolves a head start in negotiations.
It’s a move we’ve seen from the team before, like when they initially acquired Beasley from the Nuggets before the deadline in the 2019-20 season. Now, we could see Gupta make a similar deal for Smart.
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