Minnesota Timberwolves: Ranking Wolves players by trade value

Minnesota Timberwolves players with trade value who are most likely to be dealt

There are only two Wolves players that land in this category. As we’ve seen, the Wolves have a combination of talent that they won’t be excited to trade, players that simply won’t inspire much interest in the trade market, and promising young talent on affordable contracts.

These two veterans, however, fit in the sweet spot of players that other teams may find valuable, and at a reasonable cost.

It was just last offseason that Malik Beasley was given a four-year, $60 million contract. On the heels of a fall arrest and after only 14 games in a Wolves uniform in 2020, many around the league saw it as an overpay and a risk, even with a team option in the fourth year of the deal.

But Beasley came out and played extremely well in the early stages of the 2020-21 campaign, shooting 39.9 percent from deep on a whopping 8.7 3-point attempts per game and scoring 19.6 points per contest well showing improvement defensively, however slight it may have been.

Suddenly, $14.49 million this year and $15.56 next year don’t look crazy. If the legal issues are truly in the past and Beasley is committed to improving himself both on and off the court, then the deal could turn out to be fantastic value.

Since the Wolves are relatively limited on tradeable assets and don’t have any draft picks this year, Beasley is the most likely player to be moved.

The other possibility is Ricky Rubio, who will be playing on a $17.8 million expiring contract in 2021-22. Rubio had a rough start to his first season back in Minnesota, struggling alongside Russell and having his worst shooting season in years, but by the end of the year, he’d found a rhythm both with and without Russell in the backcourt.

Edwards has praised Rubio’s leadership qualities on multiple occasions and Finch has talked about always having a desire to coach the Spaniard, so it stands to reason that he could certainly start the year as one of the Wolves first options off the bench to run the second unit and play some length of time with Russell in the backcourt.

But his contract status, combined with his shortcomings from the perimeter, could make him a viable trade candidate this offseason. If the Wolves are able to acquire a big name on a large salary, then it’s fair to expect Rubio to be part of an outgoing trade package.

It’s safe to say that Beasley and Rubio are far and away the most likely Wolves on the current roster to be dealt. At the same time, there’s always a chance that Gersson Rosas chooses to largely stand pat this offseason.

It’s too early to say for sure, but stay tuned.