Despite having the NBA’s worst record (7-29), the Minnesota Timberwolves are acting more like a trade deadline buyer. Rumors of interest in John Collins and Aaron Gordon have put the focus on power forwards to play alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. Now, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com has added a third target. The Timberwolves are reportedly one of six teams interested in Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr.
Sources say the Minnesota Timberwolves have been aggressively pursuing [Larry Nance Jr.] since the offseason. Nance’s old teammate and buddy D’Angelo Russell is a strong Nance advocate.
Star players often get what they want. Who they want to play with, where they’d like to be traded to, etc. Russell is not on that level, and at this point he’ll never have that kind of influence. His own presence in Minnesota is strongly driven by his friendship with Towns. So Russell being a “strong Nance advocate” comes with a grain of salt. But the Timberwolves have been aggressively pursuing Nance since the offseason. So maybe Russell actually has some pull with the front office.
As Fedor alluded to, Russell and Nance were both drafted in the first round by the Lakers in 2015 and they played two seasons together there. Russell was traded to the Nets in the summer of 2017. Then Nance was traded to the Cavaliers during the 2017-18 season.
Nance has been sidelined by a left hand injury, after surgery, for a month now. He is averaging 9.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game this season, while making just over 38 percent from 3-point range. Knowing exactly when he’ll return to action would presumably dictate his trade market, but it doesn’t seem to be a big factor. But there an expectation Nance will back in the Cavaliers’ lineup coming right out of the All-Star break.
The Cavaliers are not likely to trade Nance, as they’d have to be “completely blown away” by an offer. But no one on their roster is untouchable. The amount of interest in Nance is notable.
What Minnesota’s offer would look like, or how it would stack up against others, is unclear. But Nance would be an intriguing piece to add. If there’s a chance to get him, Russell apparently wouldn’t mind being teammates again.
