2022 NBA Trade Deadline: 3 splash trade ideas for the Timberwolves

Buddy Hield would provide a shooting upgrade for the Timberwolves

Let’s stick with the Kings, who could be up for a major fire sale before the deadline, and focus on the Wolves’ shooting need.

This could be too much to give up for an older, more expensive version of what the Wolves want from Beasley, but Hield is about as reliable as high-volume snipers come; his 38.1 percent mark from downtown is fourth among players with at least 7.5 3-point attempts per game this season, and this is his second-worst season by 3-point percentage since he entered the league. Essentially, Hield provides elite shooting even in his “off” years.

Towns and Edwards have been Minnesota’s only consistently reliable shooters this season, and those two have a huge offensive load to carry for this team. Adding Hield would allow those two and Russell more space to operate while also giving Chris Finch a toy to play with as an off-ball threat.

This is another package that makes sense for Sacramento. They get a Hield replacement if they can build Beasley back up, players who can bump their defense in McDaniels and Okogie, and, again, a pick that is likely to convey this year.

Hield is who he is at this point and would complicate Minnesota’s future cap situation, but the theoretical fit with the Wolves is good. Adding a shooter of Hield’s level is the kind of move that makes everyone else’s life much easier on the offensive end, and while Minnesota’s offense has surged recently, it’s always good to look at ways to solidify encouraging trends.

Minnesota is not in a position where it needs to make any of these moves. It could stand pat or make more marginal moves that help the pursuit of a playoff spot while maintaining its major future assets (stay tuned on the latter) and feel good about the real progress this team has made this year.

But as long as so many impact players are on the market, Gupta and his team need to at least consider bigger moves that carry bigger risks and grander rewards.