Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 potential Malik Beasley trades

The Minnesota Timberwolves haven’t played a game since they beat the Mavericks on May 16th in the season finale, but after more than a month without a game, the offseason is finally starting to heat up.

With virtually no cap space and a 72.4 percent chance that they won’t have a pick on draft night, completing a trade is almost certainly the best way to upgrade the roster.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 potential Malik Beasley trades

While the Wolves finished with the sixth-worst record and have a nine percent chance to vault up and steal the first pick in Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery, they only have a 27.6 percent chance to keep their first-round pick. If it falls outside the top three, it conveys to the Golden State Warriors.

With little cap space to add many impact free agents, the lottery is the best way for the Wolves to quickly add talent and significantly improve this offseason.

The other way to add talent, of course, is via trade. The Wolves have plenty of young trade pieces behind two untouchables: Karl-Anthony Towns and Rookie of the Year runner-up Anthony Edwards. Everyone else is or should be on the block, regardless of the outcome of the draft lottery.

The best trade chip the Wolves own is Malik Beasley. The 24-year-old had a breakout season averaging 19.6 points per game on 39.9 percent shooting from three in just 37 games. Before the season, Minnesota signed Beasley to a four-year, $60 million contract. Thus far, he’s outplayed it.

Minnesota hoped he would be a key cog in the turnaround for one of the most moribund franchises in sports history. Unfortunately, Beasley’s off-the-court issues have made him nearly expendable. He’s currently serving a 120-day jail sentence for pointing a gun at a family parked in front of his house last fall. Add in Edwards’ rapid improvement and trading Beasley is a legitimate option.

If the Wolves shop Beasley this summer, they could look to add a defensive-minded power forward or center to pair with Towns in the frontcourt. Minnesota finished with the No. 28 defense this season and hasn’t finished in the top half of the league since 2013-14.

Outside of power forward, the Wolves should look to add a defensive stopper on the wing to pair next to minus defenders like D’Angelo Russell and Edwards.

President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas has shown he’s not afraid to pull the trigger on a franchise-altering deal, so look for the Wolves to be aggressive in the upcoming trade market.

Here are three trades the Wolves could swing for Malik Beasley.