The Minnesota Timberwolves could use a complementary guard next to their second star.
The Minnesota Timberwolves need to focus on surrounding their two stars, D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns, with as much talent as possible. Currently, there are not many starting-caliber players on the roster – and adding to the current core will only improve upon the teams’ current 2020-21 playoff chances.
One of the best players that Gersson Rosas could target is Nets’ guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who is coming off of a 20-point-per game season. Dinwiddie, who played alongside Russell during his time with Brooklyn, is an excellent secondary playmaker that brings another scoring dynamic to the backcourt.
The Timberwolves likely do not have any assets that the Nets would be immediately interested in. The only way that Brooklyn would entertain any offers is if there was a third team involved – one that would be willing to part with one or more quality rotation players – especially given that the Nets are expected to be a top-3 seed in the Eastern Conference after Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both return from injury.
Back in Brooklyn, the two-man combination of Dinwiddie and Russell played over 750 minutes together. Having him on the floor allowed Russell to take on more scoring responsibility whilst maintaining enough size on the defensive end.
Creating a trade offer that is acceptable by all sides in a package for Dinwiddie is undeniably difficult given the previously mentioned roadblocks. But a possible deal could look like this.
In addition to replacing Dinwiddie with Derrick Rose, the Nets also get a versatile forward that can stretch the floor as well as two additional second round picks. The Pistons take on a one-year contract to take on the 17thoverall pick while only giving up a player that has one year left on his contract.
For the Timberwolves, the price is a big one. Giving up three total draft picks, a rotational forward, as well as a player that probably meshes well with Karl-Anthony Towns in the frontcourt is a lot. However, Dinwiddie provides a unique skill set that would help unlock certain aspects of Russell’s game – and bringing him in helps not only for 2020-21, but likely years after that as well.