5 trade options for the Minnesota Timberwolves if they lose their pick

After watching the Minnesota Timberwolves gel as a team down the stretch this season, there’s an argument to be made that the Wolves don’t need to make any trades this offseason outside of working through the cap situation.

But not everyone is as satisfied and excited about the future as I am. Gersson Rosas, who is known for going for the power dunk instead of a layup, may feel differently.

5 trade options for the Minnesota Timberwolves if they lose their pick

Let’s take stock of the current roster situation.

The Timberwolves only have three players that are not under contract for next season: Ed Davis, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Jordan McLaughlin.

Davis is the least likely to return as he did not have a rotation spot and rarely saw the court post-Ryan Saunders era. He is an unrestricted free agent.

McLaughlin is a great backup point guard who unfortunately could not find a multi-year contract with any team last offseason. As a restricted free agent coming off his second two-way contract, he will be looking for long-term security and hopefully find his way onto a roster elsewhere.

For his part, Vanderbilt proved to be more than just a spark off the bench. He turned just 22 years old in April but has already been in the league four years, finally cracking the rotation and getting meaningful minutes under new head coach Chris Finch.

He is the team’s heart and hustle, and although he doesn’t stretch the floor, he seems to fit well alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. Shooting 60 percent from the field while being a menace on defense means that it is not a complete stretch to call him a young Dennis Rodman.

Vanderbilt will be a restricted free agent this offseason, and the Timberwolves will more than likely wait to see what he is offered and match the offer if it isn’t too crazy. It remains to be seen how much attention Vanderbilt might get in free agency, but it’s possible he could fly under the radar in a similar fashion as McLaughlin last offseason.

It’ll be interesting to see if the front office will be willing to enter the luxury tax to keep this team together with $131.134 million already on the books and the luxury cap sitting at $132.6 million.

Also, if the Wolves keep their pick in the draft, the salaries for the top three selections range from $9.757 million down to $7.839 million.

The Timberwolves do not have the cap space to bring this rookie on the roster without going into the luxury tax or making a trade to clear up space. Don’t forget, 2020 first-round pick Leandro Bolmaro is also likely to join the team next season with a salary of nearly $2 million which would already put the Wolves into the luxury tax.

Now, let’s look at some trades that help the Timberwolves improve the team.