Dunking With Wolves
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Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 worst trades in Timberwolves history

By Ian Kasdan

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 23: Brandon Roy #7 of the Portland Trail Blazers runs down court after making a shot to overcome a 23 point deficit to defeat the the Dallas Mavericks 84-82 in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs on April 23, 2011 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 23: Brandon Roy #7 of the Portland Trail Blazers runs down court after making a shot to overcome a 23 point deficit to defeat the the Dallas Mavericks 84-82 in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs on April 23, 2011 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
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Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen
OAKLAND, CA – FEBRUARY 22: Teammates Ray Allen #20 and Kevin Garnett #5 of the Boston Celtics. Copyright 2011 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Ray Allen to Milwaukee

Heading into the 1996 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves were a young team buoyed by the talent of its 20-year-old franchise player, Kevin Garnett. During the 1995-96 campaign, the Wolves replaced Head Coach Bill Blair with Flip Saunders following a 6-14 start to the season, and would finish the season with a 25-56 record.

Also during the 1995-96 season, the Wolves would also trade Christian Laettner to the Atlanta Hawks due to a negative relationship with many of the Wolves players, including Garnett. After selecting Laettner third in the 1992 NBA Draft, it was imperative for the Wolves to find a player in the 1996 offseason that could replace Laettner’s career average of 17.3 points per game.

Selecting fifth overall from a loaded draft class that included players such as Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and Steve Nash, the Wolves were searching for a star that would complement the skills of Garnett and help the Wolves become legitimate contenders.

The Wolves accomplished this goal by selecting Ray Allen out of the University of Connecticut. The 1995-96 Big East Player of the Year, Allen averaged 23.4 points per game, with an astounding 3-point field goal percentage of 46.6 percent on 7.1 attempts per game. Allen’s sharpshooting was a perfect fit next to the inside presence of Garnett.

But, in his second draft as Wolves GM, Kevin McHale had his sights set on a different college star, with hopes of recreating his draft success after selecting Garnett fifth overall the year prior.

The Wolves would trade the draft rights to Ray Allen to the Milwaukee Bucks for the draft rights to Stephon Marbury.

Marbury, the fourth overall pick in the draft, was the 1995-1996 ACC Rookie of the Year after averaging 18.9 points per game and 4.5 assists per game in his lone season at Georgia Tech. A natural scorer, Marbury was viewed as the floor general whose talent would create a devastating tandem alongside Garnett.

Unfortunately, the duo would never reach their potential. Marbury would only play 18 games into his third season before being traded to the New Jersey Nets after he issued a trade request from Minnesota due to the desire to play in a larger market as a team’s lone star.

Meanwhile, Allen would become a Hall-of-Famer, with 10 All-Star Game selections and two All-NBA selections. He would also become the greatest 3-point shooter in NBA history, nailing 2,973 threes while averaging a 3-point field goal percentage of 40 percent across his 19 NBA seasons.

Despite the what-if questions following the 1996 NBA Draft, Garnett and Allen would ultimately play together, and their complimentary talents would lead to a NBA championship. The only problem for the Wolves … their title was won in Boston.