{"id":585803,"date":"2026-02-06T08:11:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T08:11:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/585803\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T08:11:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T08:11:32","slug":"the-wolves-wisely-didnt-take-the-giannis-bait-at-the-trade-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/585803\/","title":{"rendered":"The Wolves Wisely Didn’t Take the Giannis Bait At the Trade Deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> rumors swirled on January 30, the Minnesota Timberwolves put an exclamation point on their winning streak with a 123-111 national TV win<\/a> over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Anthony Edwards<\/a> led the Timberwolves with 26 points, but Jaden McDaniels<\/a>\u2019 21 points on 8 of 11 and stout defense helped seal the win.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike I always say, he\u2019s my favorite player in the league,\u201d Edwards said<\/a> after the game. \u201cI love everything about Jaden, everything that he does on the court, defensively, offensively, for us as a team. On the bench, he\u2019s always cheering his teammates on, no matter how the game goes for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Milwaukee Bucks may still have<\/a> Giannis, but the Wolves have<\/a> Jaden McDaniels.<\/p>\n

Ant: “You know they got KD but we got Jaden McDaniels” \ud83d\udde3\ufe0fpic.twitter.com\/wKLC7IspQC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 24, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n

Antetokounmpo enticed<\/a> Tim Connelly. He\u2019s not shy about taking a big swing. He made a blockbuster trade<\/a> for Rudy Gobert<\/a> when he took the Wolves job, and then moved<\/a> Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a> before training camp last season.<\/p>\n

The NBA\u2019s new \u201csecond apron<\/a>\u201d salary cap rules forced<\/a> the Towns trade. Still, by trading KAT, the Timberwolves moved a franchise cornerstone and one of Edwards\u2019 best friends<\/a>. Julius Randle<\/a> is having a borderline<\/a> All-Star season, and Donte DiVincenzo<\/a> is the kind of floor-spacer who contenders covet. Still, Towns is one of the best-shooting big men of all time<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, it\u2019s still impossible to render a definitive judgment on the Gobert trade. The Wolves wisely pushed to build a contender once they realized Edwards is a generational player, and they\u2019ve reached the Western Conference Finals twice. However, Gobert may not be the best fit for Edwards as he enters his prime.<\/p>\n

As Edwards continues to evolve as a player, he\u2019s become a better playmaker<\/a>. The Wolves shouldn\u2019t use Ant as a pure point guard. He\u2019s still learning how to read defenses. They\u2019d also burn him out by asking him to bring the ball up, be the primary scorer, and [italics] play stout defense.<\/p>\n

Still, knowing what we know now, the Wolves should probably treat Anthony Edwards as \u201ctheir James Harden<\/a>\u201d as he enters his prime. That means putting 3-and-D players around Ant who can spread the floor, and using him as their offensive hub. Jaden McDaniels, Donte DiVincenzo, and Naz Reid<\/a> fit that model. Rudy Gobert does not.<\/p>\n

Gobert, 33, is still one of the league\u2019s best defensive players<\/a>. However, teams must adjust their roster around him because of his unique playstyle. He fit Minnesota\u2019s old \u201cwingspan\u201d model, where they clogged the floor with long players. But he doesn\u2019t fit the \u201cHarden\u201d spread-the-floor roster that would best suit Edwards in his prime.<\/p>\n

The Minnesota Timberwolves are L O N G.<\/p>\n

Wingspan measurements of their starting five:<\/p>\n

D\u2019Angelo Russell \u2013 6\u201910\u201d
Anthony Edwards \u2013 6\u20199\u201d
Jaden McDaniels \u2013 7\u20190\u201d
Karl-Anthony Towns \u2013 7\u20194\u201d
Rudy Gobert \u2013 7\u20199\u201d<\/p>\n

Good luck scoring on this team. pic.twitter.com\/OIsCJ1nta6<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 . (@TheNBACentral) July 1, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n

The Wolves are still \u201cpaying off\u201d the Gobert trade. They owe the Utah Jazz a pick swap this season, their first-round pick in 2027, and another one in 2029. By gambling on the Gobert blockbuster, Connelly limited his ability to bring in cost-effective depth, and Minnesota has been a top-heavy team this season.<\/p>\n

Connelly also moved up in the draft to select Leonard Miller<\/a> (33rd overall, 2023) and Rob Dillingham<\/a> (8th overall, 2024). On Thursday, he traded Miller and Dillingham to the Chicago Bulls as part of the package<\/a> for Ayo Dosunmu<\/a>. The Wolves acquired a much-needed point guard for two non-rotation players, but it came at the cost of significant draft capital.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The Wolves sent Chicago four second-round picks as part of the Dosunmu trade. They also traded the San Antonio Spurs two second-round picks (2026 and 2028) for Miller, and a 2030 first-round pick swap and their 2031 first-rounder for Dillingham.<\/p>\n

Given that the Timberwolves were above the second apron until they salary-dumped<\/a> Mike Conley<\/a>, they have little cap space to fill out their roster. They also don\u2019t have much draft capital to add to their depth. Therefore, Minnesota\u2019s only big move left is to trade Gobert, if they want to create a \u201cHarden\u201d-like roster around Edwards.<\/p>\n

Trading for Giannis looks great on the surface. Who doesn\u2019t want to see Ant and Antetokounmpo play together? Still, it would have meant trading a player like McDaniels or Reid. They would also probably have had to move Joan Beringer<\/a>, who has flashed upside<\/a> and, at 19, will be more durable than the 31-year-old Antetokounmpo.<\/p>\n

The Wolves need to think big-picture. They have to open a winning window for as long as Edwards is in his prime. Trading McDaniels and Beringer as part of the Giannis package would have short-circuited it.<\/p>\n

Minnesota had a four-game winning streak before losing to the Memphis Grizzlies on February 2. The Wolves started their winning streak by beating the Golden State Warriors, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Thunder. They also beat the Grizzlies in Memphis before losing to them two days later.<\/p>\n

For those keeping score at home, the Timberwolves beat the NBA\u2019s previous dynasty, the last two teams to eliminate Minnesota in the Western Conference Finals. Memphis was also the team that eliminated them in Edwards\u2019 first playoff run.<\/p>\n

The Wolves need to open a wide window of opportunity to win a championship with Anthony Edwards. Trading for Giannis at the deadline would have been a big swing that would have short-circuited their contention window. They were wise not to try to take a shortcut.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t