Minnesota Timberwolves: 4 trade deadline ideas featuring Ricky Rubio

Trade No. 3: Minnesota Timberwolves acquire Larry Nance from the Cavaliers

Sorry, Larry.

Larry Nance Jr. is another name the Wolves have been keeping tabs on for months. This is another opportunity for the Wolves to use Rubio’s contract to improve at power forward.

Nance has the ability to score at all three levels and is a versatile defender, making him a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ type of player that any team can use.

For the Wolves, Nance’s greatest impact would be on defense. His size and athleticism allow him to defend multiple positions, and the Wolves need tons of help on that end of the floor. On the offensive end, much like Collins, Nance’s ability to shoot effectively is what makes him a viable offensive fit next to KAT.

Nance is averaging a career-high 38 percent from three on a career-high 3.3 3-point attempts per game, showing that Nance has successfully adapted from his traditional style of play at power forward while still maintaining his ability to score inside. The optimal power forward for the Wolves has a combination of both a stretch-4 and a traditional 4, and Nance has attributes of each of these skillsets.

For the Cavs, adding Rubio would provide depth and mentorship to their young backcourt of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton. Adding Culver, who the Cavs showed some level of interest in before selecting Garland in the 2019 draft, would bring the Cavs much-needed defensive help on the perimeter as well as a player who would fit much better in the Cavs’ offensive system.

Culver is clearly not a fit in Minnesota offensively, so a change of scenery could be great for his game. Thirdly, adding Vanderbilt would help compensate for the loss of Nance’s defense, as Vanderbilt is a strong, versatile, athletic defender at the 4 position.

Vanderbilt would be a tremendous asset to the Cavs’ second unit defensively, especially with the defensive shortcomings of Kevin Love at the 4. His rapid improvement this season could signify a ‘buy-low’ opportunity for the Cavs in order to get the most value they can for Nance in a trade.