We suggest one trade the LA Clippers could make with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Today’s hypothetical trade partners are in a much different place than the LA Clippers.
The Minnesota Timberwolves sit near the bottom of the NBA standings with a record of 19-45. Young superstar Karl-Anthony Towns gives them a franchise centerpiece to build around and acquiring D’Angelo Russell in exchange for Andrew Wiggins provided them with a second young All-Star caliber player. The trick for the Wolves in the near future seems to be filling in the rest of their roster with players to complement their top-of-the-line talent.
However, the Wolves have tried and failed to build a contending roster around Towns for a few years at this point. They traded young promising talent to land Jimmy Butler. That move didn’t end up working out and Butler was shipped to Philadelphia in exchange for Robert Covington and Dario Saric. Covington and Saric both made their way out of town in later deals. Derrick Rose had a bit of a resurgence in his time with Minnesota but eventually left for Detroit. Nothing they have tried so far has been met with great success.
So maybe the answer for Minnesota isn’t actually in building around Towns and Russell, but bottoming out completely and starting from scratch. Our suggestion gets that ball rolling for them.
Why we suggest this trade for the LA Clippers:
This trade hurts the Clippers incredible depth and losing the toughness the team gets from the pair of Beverley and Morris would be difficult, but Russell is a legitimate All-Star point guard who would add versatility and shooting to the team’s starting lineup.
He’s also under contract through 2023 and while his large salary might impact the Clippers future ability to retain some of their upcoming free agents, their owner’s ability to reach deep into his billionaire pockets to pay the Luxury Tax should be taken into consideration as well.
Would the Timberwolves do it?
We seriously doubt that Minnesota is ready to blow it all up at this point. They’ve only had 12 games to test out their new superstar pairing of Towns and Russell. The Clippers would most likely have to throw in any future draft assets in addition to Beverley and Morris, but they aren’t left with many to use after their trade for Paul George. The Wolves could flip Beverley for additional picks to another win-now team looking for a guard, and they’d also receive a haul from someone for Towns, so this trade would just be the tip of the iceberg in a drastic rebuild. Somebody call Sam Hinkie.
Read the rest of our “One Trade with every Team” series here:
Pacific Division: Lakers, Warriors, Kings, Suns
Northwest Division: Nuggets, Jazz, Thunder, Blazers, Timberwolves
Southwest Division: Rockets, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Spurs
Atlantic Division: Raptors, Celtics, 76ers, Nets, Knicks
Central Division: Bucks, Pacers, Bulls, Pistons, Cavaliers
Southeast Division: Heat, Magic, Wizards, Hornets, Hawks