The NBA Trade Deadline is coming up on Thursday, and the Timberwolves rumors have continued to trickle out over All-Star Weekend.
The Tom Thibodeau ‘rumor’ that surfaced last Thursday overshadowed the first legitimate Wolves-related rumor that was thrown out there within seven days of the February 18th deadline.
Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 in the Twin Cities floated the following:
Newton's first real test: whether to move Shabazz. Hear tonight Blazers, Suns, & Celtics kicking the tires. LAC still too, & more. #twolves
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) February 11, 2016
Wolfson followed this up by saying that the Timberwolves would likely ask for sharpshooter Allen Crabbe in return from Portland, as well as conceding that the Trail Blazers are highly unlikely to actually pull the trigger on this particular one-for-one swap.
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He also doesn’t think the Wolves will ultimately trade Muhammad, and I tend to agree. Justin Schardin and I talked in the latest No Frills Wolves Podcast that he likely won’t be moved until summer, and my personal take is that Minnesota could put Shabazz in some better spots to succeed in coming months before maximizing his trade value in the off-season.
As for Kevin Martin, we’ve been discussing the likelihood of the veteran guard being moved since before Christmas. The rumors have continued into January, and now we have an unsubstantiated report of the Detroit Pistons getting involved.
Det. makes sense. Have previously reported that the Rockets and Kings like Martin. Dallas potentially too. #twolves https://t.co/ExIifmuAe9
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) February 14, 2016
The retweet above is the most recent Martin rumor, but Wolfson is also re-bringing up the teams he’d heard are interested.
Looking at the Pistons, Rockets, Kings, and Mavericks, there could certainly be a match, depending on what the Wolves are asking for in return. It also depends on how the receiving team views Martin’s player option for 2016-17.
I would bet that Martin is moved by Thursday’s deadline, but Wolves fans should not expect much in return given his struggles thus far this year, plus his nagging wrist injury, and the looming player option for next season.
Finally, let’s look at the most recent rumor, centered around veteran point guard Andre Miller.
Hear there's a team kicking the tires on A. Miller -- not the Kings even though Karl loves him. Worth monitoring approaching Thurs. #twolves
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) February 14, 2016
Since his signing back on August 1st, I’ve been of the opinion that he could be moved at the deadline for a second-round pick or something of the like. That possibility could also be why he’s been playing more of late, although I would contend that it’s more likely that Sam Mitchell simply wanted Zach LaVine to play more at shooting guard.
A Miller trade would mean that either LaVine would be forced to play the backup point guard spot again, or we’d see rookie Tyus Jones receive meaningful minutes that he likely isn’t quite ready for, based on his limited playing time thus far.
Wolfson also added this warning:
And my yearly trade deadline week reminder: most trades talked about never happen. But Milt is talking/listening. #twolves
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) February 14, 2016
We’ll be on top of each and every rumor throughout the week, and I would expect there to be a steady stream. Not of the blockbuster variety, of course, but we’ll be on them nonetheless.