Minnesota Timberwolves should take advantage of lost Trail Blazers

The Minnesota Timberwolves seemingly have a direction for the first time since the Jimmy Butler was moved several seasons ago. One Western Conference playoff team, the Portland Trail Blazers, seemingly don’t.

The Portland Trail Blazers entered the 2021 NBA playoffs with high hopes. They faced off against the Denver Nuggets in the first round – a team that was missing their second star (Jamal Murray) and two of their better role players (Will Barton, PJ Dozier). Unfortunately for the Blazers, they lost in six games – and the Nuggets won a series in less than seven games for the first time in a LONG time.

And now the question comes of where the Trail Blazers go from here. The team has a superstar that clearly wants to win in Portland in Damian Lillard. But the surrounding pieces all underperformed in a major way in the playoffs, including CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic.

So, enter the Timberwolves, a team that is going to attempt to rally and make the playoffs during the 2021-22 season. There are a couple options for Minnesota, one of which would be to trade for one of the role players on Portland – preferably at a discount.

Minnesota Timberwolves should take advantage of lost Trail Blazers team

Here’s the thing: Every team that has succeeded during the offseason over the past few years has done so by taking advantage of desperate teams. If the Blazers are looking to upgrade (or even strip down their team), the Timberwolves could really use that to their advantage.

An example of this came last offseason, when the Pelicans essentially sold Jrue Holiday to the Milwaukee Bucks for a plethora of first-round picks. Making deals with front offices that are on the hot seat is something Timberwolves general manager Gersson Rosas has to make the most of.

There are several players that would work well in Minnesota, additionally, such as Derrick Jones (who struggled this year, but still could be a viable buy-low option), Anfernee Simons, and former Timberwolf Robert Covington.

I also would not rule out CJ McCollum. Bringing him in would certainly be a win-now move, but he would instantly become the second-best player on the Timberwolves – although the fit between he and Edwards would be questionable. McCollum has also struggled in the playoffs the past few seasons – so that would be another red flag.

Regardless of what happens, the Timberwolves have to push themselves into the playoffs. Natural progression should allow the team to be much better than it was in 2020-21 – the only question is how MUCH better.

The one thing that definitely is not going to happen, though, is a Damian Lillard trade. If you have someone capable of bringing a ring to your city – you do everything in your power to keep them – and that is what Lillard is to Portland.