The Minnesota Timberwolves are unlikely to trade for Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant or Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, according to NBA reporter Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
The Timberwolves are in fourth place in the Western Conference standings.
“The Timberwolves have been combing the trade market for weeks, evaluating possibilities both big and small. At this point, making a major move for a player like Morant or LaMelo Ball is highly unlikely, team sources told The Athletic, for several reasons,” Krawczymski wrote. “The Wolves are just a few million dollars under the second apron, a threshold they are determined to avoid in 2025-26 so they don’t have to deal with the most severe roster-building penalties for repeat big spenders. They are also concerned about liquidating their depth to match salaries for a star player, sources said.
“It seems more likely that general manager Tim Connelly will look to add a bench piece, a wing or a ballhandler who can help take some of the pressure off Anthony Edwards late in games. If youngsters Joan Beringer and Bones Hyland play like they did in Tuesday night’s surprising blowout win over the Milwaukee Bucks, those needs become less acute. ‘We don’t need anything,’ one player told The Athletic in the middle of the party after Tuesday’s win. ‘We’re a really, really good team.’”
The Timberwolves have made the Western Conference Finals two years in a row. They lost to the Dallas Mavericks in 2024 and fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2025.
Morant is making $39.4 million this season. The two-time All-Star and the Grizzlies have mutual interest in parting ways, sources told DallasHoopsJournal.
Meanwhile, Ball is making $37.9 million this season. The one-time All-Star hasn’t signaled to anyone that he wants to leave the Hornets, sources said.
The 2026 NBA trade deadline is February 5 at 3 p.m. ET.