Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 best trades of the 2010’s decade

HM #1 – Wolves acquiring the man, the myth, the legend, Darko Milicic

David Kahn wasted no time making what he thought had the potential to be a huge splash just after the dawn of the new decade. Regarding Darko’s arrival in Minneapolis, Kahn said, “It [Milicic] was like manna from heaven.”

The following summer, after Milicic signed a four-year deal worth $20 million, Kahn met his match during a legendary Summer League interview with Chris Webber and Matt Winer in which Webber hilariously defended himself after Kahn’s compared him to Milicic.

The former No.2-overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, taken in between LeBron and Carmelo, Darko never fully lived up to his massive expectations as a dominant force in the paint. Over his 12-year career, Milicic averaged just 4.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.7 blocks, and shot just 40.8 percent from the floor.

The Serbian center did, however, create a buzz amongst Wolves fans when he arrived in the Twin Cities. While he’s largely viewed as a huge bust that never materialized in the league, many Wolves fans are glad they can say that Darko was a Timberwolf, largely as a footnote of the legend of Darko Milicic.

While Milicic’s numbers were nothing to write home about, Brian Cardinal failed to generate better production during his time as a Maverick. The Custodian turned in just 1.9 points and 0.9 boards during his two seasons in Dallas.

Kahn, along with former Wolves coach Kurt Rambis and assistant Dave Wohl, was a big believer in Darko’s talent.

"Darko, we played Darko. Kurt Rambis and Dave Wohl both were big proponents of making the trade. And once we obtained Darko, I could see what they were talking about. Darko has enormous skills. Both Kurt and Bill Laimbeer played the big-man position in the league and they felt if it ever worked out for him psychologically, he could be one of the top three or four centers in the league."

While Darko never panned out in Minnesota, his makes the honorable mentions part of this list solely for the moments that arose out of his time as a member of the Wolves.