Getty
A new report shows the Minnesota Timberwolves are a step closer to trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo and pairing him with Anthony Edwards.
The Minnesota Timberwolves were named as one of the teams in contention to land Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade, alongside the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
However, while each of those teams might be a more flashy landing spot for the disgruntled Milwaukee Bucks superstar, the latest update on the Timberwolves’ Antetokounmpo hopes only signal good news for the title-less franchise.
According to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, Antetokounmpo is interested in playing with Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards.
“League sources say that the prospect of teaming up with Anthony Edwards holds strong appeal for Antetokounmpo, which led to some notable backchannel discussions in recent months that lend true legitimacy to Minnesota’s status as a potential landing spot despite the undeniable obstacles that the Timberwolves would face,” the insiders wrote.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is very interested in teaming up with Anthony Edwards, per @TheSteinLine & @JakeLFischer
“League sources say that the prospect of teaming up with Anthony Edwards holds strong appeal for Antetokounmpo, which led to some notable backchannel discussions in
If the Timberwolves were able to get a deal done for the two-time Finals MVP, the duo would be one of the most dangerous tandems in the league, and with the news that the former is interested in joining up with the latter, Minnesota should now stand out above the rest of the team’s waiting to make their case for an Antetokounmpo trade with the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Rumors
As previously stated, the idea of Antetokounmpo staying up North and joining the Timberwolves might not be as flashy as a move to New York, the Bay Area, or even to the Los Angeles Lakers, but with the sheer amount of talent Minnesota could offer, they shouldn’t be ruled out.
Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up, Brian Windhorst confirmed Charania’s reporting that the Minneapolis team should seriously be considered to land Antetokounmpo, whether it be before the trade deadline, or during the summer.
“He has not mentioned that for no reason. This is something that, from what I understand, that Giannis has interest in,” Windhorst said of Charania naming Minnesota as contenders in the Antetokounmpo trade sweepstakes. “The Timberwolves don’t have draft picks and don’t have the young players; they’d have to center around veteran players, but that is something we should keep an eye on as well.”
While the Warriors could offer a sizable package of Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, and all their picks, they’d have to go against their word and send the now-injured Butler out to a Bucks team that, without their star, would be destined for multiple years in the lottery.
The Knicks would also have to do some massive roster overhaul, and with the massive contracts they signed their current stars to, making a deal isn’t going to come as easily as many think, regardless of whether they want to move Karl-Anthony Towns or not.
Miami, however, should seriously be considered in Antetokounmpo rumors, as they have a great package to offer before the deadline. The only worry would be the lack of talent left on the roster after they land the superstar, but for now, they could pounce on a deal, should Milwaukee be interested in what they have to offer.
The two insiders, Stein and Fischer, also mentioned that the Timberwolves and Heat should remain the top contenders in a trade for Antetokounmpo.
Giannis Timberwolves Trade Idea
But with rumors about a move to the Timberwolves now heating up, exploring the possibility of what Minnesota would have to give up should now come to the forefront. Writing for The Athletic, Bucks insider Eric Nehm created a trade idea that, though it would include another team, would likely be the best-case scenario to pair Antetokounmpo with Edwards.
Here’s what Nehm offered up:
Bucks receive: Julius Randle and Naz Reid; Portland’s 2030 first-round pick; rights to 2028 and 2032 first-round pick swaps with Minnesota; regain control of their own 2029 and 2030 first-round picks
Minnesota Timberwolves receive: Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday
Portland Trail Blazers receive: Jaden McDaniels and Mike Conley
“The Timberwolves do not have any first-round picks they can trade, but they can give the Bucks the right to swap picks with them in 2028 and 2032,” he wrote on the deal. “Those swaps don’t have much value, but they are still something the Bucks can take to make the package stronger.”
The Wolves can throw a pretty compelling package of players for Giannis if they want
The lack of picks might hold them back, but if Milwaukee doesn’t want a full rebuild, Minnesota might be a good trade partner
Two likely packages below ⬇️
Any possible trade for Antetokounmpo would likely have to include Randle and either Reid or McDaniels. But in this case, they would also get Holiday from the Blazers, someone the Greek star is also interested in teaming back up with. This idea makes sense because Portland has the rights to some of Milwaukee’s picks, and while they wouldn’t get back a ton in return, they’d add McDaniels and the veteran Conley to pair with their young core.
The Bucks do this because they get a fringe All-Star candidate in Randle, a solid player in Reid, and a load of picks to start a rebuild.
The Timberwolves do this because they pair two former NBA champions with Edwards, who is already one of the faces of the league. While Holiday isn’t the same player he was in Milwaukee or Boston, starting with those three and figuring everything else out afterwards isn’t the worst idea.
My position as Minnesota would be, if Giannis is willing to extend, I would trade anything but Ant to get it done, and I would be willing to put basically as much depth as it takes on the table if needed.
Giannis and Ant would be so incredible I’d just figure the rest out later.
As time goes on, Minnesota has moved from a dark-horse Antetokounmpo destination to one that should seriously be considered as ready to land the hottest trade commodity in recent NBA memory.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
More Heavy on Timberwolves
Loading more stories