Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 former Wolves targets find new homes

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been looking for power forwards to complete their starting lineup for two full years.

In a singular, three-team trade that occurred on Friday, a trio of recent Wolves targets were all traded for one another in a deal that resembled musical chairs.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 former Wolves targets find new homes

To be clear, Wolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas has been rumored to have interest in nearly every power forward who could represent the slightest upgrade over Minnesota’s in-house options over the past two years.

But there are three names whom the Wolves were directly linked to, beginning with last offseason and extending to this year’s trade deadline and this past summer.

The trade in question is the reported three-teamer that will send Larry Nance Jr. to the Portland Trail Blazers, Derrick Jones Jr. to the Chicago Bulls, and Lauri Markkanen to the Cleveland Cavaliers via sign-and-trade. A handful of draft picks will change hands as well.

The Minnesota Timberwolves made a pitch to Derrick Jones Jr. in free agency

Following the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, Derrick Jones Jr. was coming off an impressive pair of seasons with the Miami Heat that had seen him improve defensively and as a rebounder.

His athleticism and ability to play in the pick-and-roll game on both ends of the floor with the versatility to guard multiple positions made him a solid fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns.

The Wolves’ interest in Jones was well-documented, but according to the New York Times’ Jonathan Abrams, Minnesota made a compelling pitch. It sure sounds as though they were Jones’ runner-up in free agency, ranking ahead of the Sacramento Kings, but the potential of a larger role on a better roster in Portland and the chance to play alongside Robert Covington was appealing to Jones.

While the Blazers did make the playoffs last year, they went just 42-30 and lost in the first round to the Denver Nuggets. Head coach Terry Stotts was let go following the season. Now, just weeks after Jones picked up his player option for 2020-21, he’s on his way to the Bulls, a team in a similar situation to the Wolves organization he spurned less than a year ago.

Larry Nance Jr. was a trade deadline target for the Minnesota Timberwolves

The Wolves were connected to Larry Nance Jr. going back to the 2020 draft.

Most recently, the Wolves made a push to acquire Nance from the Cavaliers at March’s trade deadline. There’s no indication that a deal ever truly got close, but the Wolves’ persistent effort is notable.

Nance is another bouncy, athletic 4 who would have been a fantastic pick-and-roll fit in Minnesota. He’s an underrated defender who has managed to improve his long-range jumper, knocking down 35.5 percent of his 3-point attempts for the Cavaliers over the past two seasons.

The Cavs’ decision to give up Nance, who has a bargain of a contract with two years and $20 million remaining, plus a second-round draft pick, for the right to pay Markkanen $67 million over the next four years is … head-scratching, to say the least.

Cleveland knows they must improve offensively, with several defense-first players in their rotation, from last year’s lottery pick Isaac Okoro to the newly-acquired Ricky Rubio. But overpaying for a no-defense, all-offense big such as Markkanen is questionable.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were frequently linked to Lauri Markkanen

Markkanen has long made sense as a trade target for the Wolves as they’ve searched for a strong fit next to Towns at the power forward spot.

The problem was always that Markkanen was going to require a contract extension, and it still isn’t quite clear what his true value is to a winning NBA team. The Wolves were undoubtedly weighing whether or not it was worth giving up an asset in a player and/or draft picks, simply for the right to pay Markkanen following the expiration of his rookie-scale deal.

This offseason, the writing was on the wall that Markkanen wanted out of Chicago, and the Bulls were happy to oblige.

The Wolves were frequently mentioned as a possible destination, a fact pointed out by The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski in the wake of the reported three-team deal.

Here at Dunking With Wolves, we’ve been debating the merits of a Markkanen acquisition for quite some time, including just prior to this offseason’s flurry of league-wide activity.

Ultimately, the price of $67 million, plus a good young player on a great contract and a second-round pick was simply too high of a price.

Markkanen is a nice player; a 7-footer who shot north of 40 percent from 3-point range last year and averaged 18.7 points and nine rebounds per game in his second NBA season. But the shortcomings on the defensive end of the floor and were too significant to look the other way when it came down to the acquisition cost of the former Bulls big.

Now, the Cavs will figure out how to shuffle their young, oddly-formed roster, the Bulls will integrate yet another new piece while acquiring a pair of future draft picks, and the Blazers will continue looking to reshape their defensive culture.

As for the Wolves … well, Rosas is no doubt pleased with his decision to not get into a bidding war for Markkanen’s services.