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Minnesota Timberwolves: 15 best trades in franchise history

By Brian Sampson

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 25: Head coach Flip Saunders talks with Sean KilpatrickPhoto by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 25: Head coach Flip Saunders talks with Sean KilpatrickPhoto by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 6: Andrew Wiggins (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 6: Andrew Wiggins (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /

10. Luc Mbah a Moute and Alexey Shved to Philadelphia and Kevin Love to Cleveland for Anthony Bennett, Andrew Wiggins and Thaddeus Young.

Here’s another deal that was made possible by James’ signing with a new team.

There’s no doubting the Minnesota Timberwolves gave up a lot in this deal. There’s also no doubting they received a lot.

Andrew Wiggins was one of the most highly touted college prospect in years. His potential ability to impact the floor on both ends was a highlight of his draft profile.

In order to obtain that potential, Minnesota had to depart with a package of Luc Mbah a Moute, Alexey Shved and Kevin Love.

Mbah a Moute’s true imprint on the game can never be captured by statistics or a box score. He is unquestionably a defensive-minded player who can guard multiple positions. At 6-foot-8 he can realistically guard the 2-4 spots and do an above-average job at each one.

Shved showed some potential early on in his Minnesota career. Unfortunately, a poor sophomore campaign led to his trade to Philadelphia. He only played 42 games between three teams the following season and hasn’t returned to the NBA since.

We all know what Love has done since leaving the land of 10,000 lakes. His numbers have dropped drastically, but there’s no denying the impact he’s had on helping the Cleveland Cavaliers make three straight NBA Finals and win one championship.

The price to offload Love was understandably high. Minnesota received Anthony Bennett, Wiggins and veteran Thaddeus Young in the deal.

Bennett, who was shockingly selected with the number one overall pick the season before, only lasted one season in Minnesota. He averaged 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, both career-highs.

Young didn’t even make it through the whole season with the Timberwolves. After averaging 14.3 points during his first 48 games, he was promptly shipped to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a Hall of Famer (more on that later).

Wiggins was the big haul in this trade and someone who remains a core part of their team today. He hasn’t quite lived up to the billing coming out of Kansas, but has made steady improvements every season. If he ever puts it all together, this trade will sky rocket up the rankings.

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