3 trade ideas to send Kemba Walker to the Timberwolves
By Ben Beecken
Timberwolves get: Kemba Walker, Marvin Williams, Tyson Chandler
Hornets get: Andrew Wiggins, Jeff Teague, 2018 Thunder lottery-protected first-round pick (via Timberwolves)
Suns get: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cole Aldrich, Shabazz Muhammad
Okay, let’s simplify things a bit. Here’s how I believe this would break down.
Why Minnesota may or may not do this
They do this for the point guard upgrade, plus a pair of big men to add to their collection.
And really, that’s probably the biggest issue with this trade: the Wolves trade one never-used big man and acquire two useful ones. They’d surely prefer to acquire Kidd-Gilchrist in this trade over Williams — and that would work, as their salaries are similar — but the Suns don’t need another big man, either, with plenty of frontcourt promise already on their roster.
To alleviate the logjam, the Wolves would probably consider moving Bjelica or Gorgui Dieng in a separate trade, or add a fourth team to the above.
Why Charlotte may or may not do this
The Hornets get Wiggins, plus a new starting point guard.
If you don’t buy that the Hornets truly want to tear-down and start fresh (and clearly I don’t), then slotting Teague right back in at the point makes sense. The Hornets are only a few games out of the playoffs and they add Wiggins and Teague to their starting lineup alongside Lamb, who they get to keep in this scenario, and they can make a run at the postseason.
The other side of it, of course, is that they apparently are trying to shed salary. Again, unless they love Wiggins, this accomplishes the opposite. But if they do love him and if they like Teague, this could be seen as a better reallocation of assets.
Why Phoenix may or may not do this
The Suns do this to acquire more young talent in Kidd-Gilchrist, who is already a solid player but still carries some upside at just 24 years of age. Phoenix’s backcourt features some talented scorers in Devin Booker and Josh Jackson but not a ton of defense, and MKG could step in and provide help on the perimeter immediately.
The Chandler-for-Aldrich swap provides some salary relief for the Suns, as Aldrich is only partially guaranteed for next year and carries a smaller cap hit than Chandler. Shabazz Muhammad would have to approve a trade due to carrying one-year Bird Rights, and his minimum contract for next season is a player option.
Verdict
This trade hinges on a) the Hornets willingness to receive Teague alongside Wiggins, and b) the Wolves finding another way to further balance their roster. If the Suns aren’t a perfect third partner, the Hornets and Timberwolves could surely find one if they agreed on the Wiggins/Teague-for-Walker portion of the trade.
From there, Minnesota has to hammer out if they’d receive either Williams or Kidd-Gilchrist and which of those players would head to the third team.