Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Minnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards is obviously the guy the Minnesota Timberwolves have a lot of faith in moving forward and after re-signing Malik Beasley to a four-year, $60M contract this offseason, this kind of puts Jarrett Culver in an awkward situation with the T-Wolves. They originally drafted him 6th overall in 2019 to be their future on the wing, but things have seemed to change.
Beasley, Edwards and Josh Okogie are all getting more minutes so far this season than Culver, which says a lot about where he stands in the organization. The Timberwolves also drafted Leondro Bolmaro 23rd overall in the draft and have plans to utilize him on the wing in future seasons.
Everything lines up for Culver being the odd-man-out, which is why this trade makes sense for the Timberwolves. They can still trade him at a high price because he is a young talent with a lot of potential, but if they wait and he continues to decline statistically because he is not on the court, then they would have a hard time finding a deal like this one.
Karl-Anthony Towns is out indefinitely after dislocating his left wrist and they do not have much depth in their frontcourt. Kevon Looney could absolutely step up and be a high-level contributor for the T-Wolves in Towns absence and when he returns, could be a guy they feel comfortable putting in the game behind their All-Star center.
Looney is a proven champion and has played the role of backup center for years now in Golden State, which is why he could excel at it with a younger team in Minnesota. Damion Lee would be nothing more than bench depth for the Timberwolves, but the first-round pick they would be getting from Golden State would definitely be valuable.
Minnesota sent Golden State their 1st round pick in 2021 in the Wiggins-Russell trade at last year’s trade deadline and while they probably could not get that pick back, getting a 2022 first-round pick from the Warriors basically cuts their losses for not having their first-round pick next year.
Getting an established veteran player for depth in the frontcourt and a first-round pick in exchange for a young talent they may not have room for anymore would make a lot of sense for the Minnesota Timberwolves, which is why they should pursue this trade with the Warriors.
