3 trade ideas to send Kemba Walker to the Timberwolves

Timberwolves get: Kemba Walker, Marvin Williams, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Hornets get: Andrew Wiggins, George Hill, Frank Mason III, 2018 Timberwolves second-round pick

Kings get: Jeff Teague, Cole Aldrich, 2018 Thunder lottery-protected first-round pick (via Timberwolves)

Let’s play musical point guards, shall we?

Why Minnesota may or may not do this

The Wolves upgrade the point guard spot, as well as shore up their defense with Kidd-Gilchrist and 3-point shooting with Williams.

Unless the Wolves are apprehensive about giving up Wiggins or both of their 2018 draft picks, this trade is a no-brainer for them.

Why Charlotte may or may not do this

Charlotte would once again have to agree to take on the salary of a veteran point guard, although Hill’s contract decreases in value slightly over the next two years and he had a solid year last year for a playoff team in Utah.

The upside is, again, acquiring the potential of Wiggins while still remaining competitive in 2018 with a starting-caliber point guard, plus getting out from the salaries of Kidd-Gilchrist and Williams.

Why Sacramento may or may not do this

The Kings do this for the first-round pick. It’s a bonus that Teague is better than Hill and two full years younger, too, whether or not they keep him or move him over the summer. At a similar price, Teague is absolutely a better fit and the Kings get a draft pick and salary relief with Aldrich’s partially guaranteed contract next year, too.

Verdict

Once again, the Hornets have to be okay with taking salary back. If they are, this is probably the best trade of the three for the Wolves, as they improve at three positions while really only giving up Wiggins (and his massive contract) and a pair of draft picks.

Clearly, it won’t be easy for the Timberwolves to land Kemba Walker. Tom Thibodeau would first have to show a willingness to initiate a major roster shake-up during the season — including moving Wiggins, whom he just committed to in a big way via a huge contract extension.

Remember, Thibodeau reportedly wasn’t even putting Wiggins on the table in a Kyrie Irving trade proposal, and that was during the summer, which isn’t quite the same as upsetting the apple cart in January.

Next: Time to change the narrative on Wiggins and Towns

A trade remains exceedingly unlikely, but this exercise shows that there are more than a couple of ways that the Timberwolves could pull it off if they found a willing third (or fourth) trade partner.