Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 options for offseason roster moves

Minnesota Timberwolves Option No. 3: Make a big trade

Gersson Rosas’ reputation as an aggressive general manager led many Wolves fans to believe that a big trade was coming this offseason.

Most recently, the Wolves were linked to Chicago Bulls power forward Lauri Markannen, but it appears that the price tag on him would be too much for Minnesota. While a big move hasn’t materialized, it is important to remember that two of the Wolves’ top trade targets have yet to move this offseason: Ben Simmons and Myles Turner.

Simmons is a large domino that hasn’t fallen this offseason, as Philadelphia 76ers boss Daryl Morey continues to exercise patience while exploring the trade market for his All-Star talent. At this point, it doesn’t appear that the Wolves will have the pieces to get a Simmons deal done by themselves, but we’ll have to wait and see how the market changes as the season approaches.

Turner is perhaps a more attainable player for the Wolves, and he makes a lot of sense for this roster. There are issues with the pairing of Turner and Domantas Sabonis, but the Pacers will need to get a strong offer from one of the best defensive players in the league.

The addition of either Turner or Simmons would boost the Wolves into the conversation for a top-six seed in the Western Conference. While pulling off a deal for either of these players will be difficult, any trade for either of these players has to be considered.

One bit that should be remembered when thinking about Turner and Simmons: the Pacers were one of the first teams to express interest in Ben Simmons after the playoffs, as they reportedly offered Malcolm Brogdon and a first-round pick for Simmons.

This offer was rejected by the 76ers, but perhaps this provides an opportunity for the Wolves to get in on a Simmons deal with the Pacers in order to acquire Turner:

This is an example of the kind of deal the Wolves will need to facilitate in order to make a big trade at this point in free agency. It is by far the most difficult path to improving the roster before the season, but it also has the potential to have the biggest positive impact on the 2021 Wolves roster.

Regardless of the path forward for the Wolves for the rest of the offseason, it is clear that moves will be made to finalize the roster. There are a number of factors that will influence the level of activity in the front office the rest of the offseason, including the price tags of trade and free agent targets, the Wolves’ belief in Chris Finch as a coach, and the Wolves’ belief in the improvement of their existing players.

It will be interesting to see the rest of the offseason play out for this Timberwolves front office.