Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 realistic trades for a power forward

Minnesota Timberwolves trade for Larry Nance, Jr.

The Wolves have had their eyes on Larry Nance Jr. over the past few months, and according to The Athletic (subscription required), the Wolves were in discussions with the Cleveland Cavaliers regarding a potential power forward.

Nance has recently stepped into a temporary starting role due to Kevin Love‘s recent injury that is expected to sideline him for up to four weeks.

Though Nance’s role in Cleveland has primarily been a backup to Kevin Love, he would be a strong fit for this Minnesota roster and would have a good chance at becoming a starter. At 6-foot-7, Nance possesses the athleticism to help the Wolves both defensively and on the boards, which are two of the team’s biggest shortfalls.

Nance also has the ability to be a respectable shooter, shooting 35.3 percent from three on 2.8 long-range attempts per game last season. These aspects of his game make him a realistic trade target for the Wolves.

This trade sends Jarrett Culver, Jake Layman, and a second-round pick to the Cavs in exchange for Nance. From the Cavs’ perspective, they would trade a backup power forward in exchange for defensive help on their wings. Culver is one of the Wolves’ best defenders and has shown improvement on both ends early in his second season.

Layman, despite his early-season struggles, proved to be one of the Wolves’ better team defenders last season before missing significant time with injury.

This trade also makes sense for Minnesota. Though Culver has shown improvement, the Wolves are too deep at both the 2 and 3 for all of their wing players to get consistent minutes. This trade offloads one of their many guards in order to bolster their weakest position.

Additionally, Layman has had a rough start to the year in the Wolves system and could provide the Cavs with somewhat of a positional filler in place of Nance.