Minnesota Timberwolves: 15 best trades in franchise history

9. Trey Burke to Utah for Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad.

The gift that keeps on giving.

In a rare victory on draft night, the Timberwolves gave up the rights to Trey Burke in exchange for both Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad from the Utah Jazz.

Burke was selected with the ninth overall pick with the intention of being traded. He was just coming off a hot year with Michigan and had surprisingly dropped all the way to the Wolves slot. With multiple point guards already on the roster, this was simply a case of taking the best available.

At first, he made everyone believe the trade was a mistake on Minnesota’s part, as he averaged 12.8 points and 5.7 assists his rookie year. However, those were both be his career-highs as they have declined every year since.

Muhammad was picked at No. 14 out of UCLA. There were concerns about his true age, but he’s had a fairly successful career so far.

After hardly playing during his rookie campaign, he blossomed onto the scene in 2014-15 by averaging a career-high 13.5 points per game. His numbers have since dipped some, but he’s a crucial bench piece to a team looking to end the 13-year playoff drought this season.

Dieng, taken with the 21st pick, has been a nice surprise. Age was also a question mark surrounding him coming out of Louisville, however, in a different way. He was one of the oldest rookies, starting his first season at 24 years old.

Like Muhammad, it took him a season or so to get going as well. The good news is it appears he has found his stride, averaging in double digit scoring each of the past two years.

As Burke continues to flounder, Muhammad and Dieng continue to flourish. The longer and better their careers are, the higher they will rise in this ranking.