What if . . .? Timberwolves Connelly saved the best from Class of 2022?

When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded a package of picks and players to the Utah Jazz, the slicing and dicing of who and what the team surrendered to acquire NBA All-Star center Rudy Gobert has been a topic of frequent discussion.  Who did the Timberwolves give up? What did the Timberwolves give up? Did the Timberwolves give up too much?

So we won’t do that here. Rather, we will focus on who the Timberwolves did not give up. But just to refresh everyone’s memory (because there is a lot to unpack in that trade), here is a recap of the Timberwolves package of five players and five picks:

After so many players wrapped into one bundle, have you pondered the matter of who was not included in the trade package? Like, Walker Kessler was traded away, but Wendell Moore Jr. and Josh Minott were not? Jarred Vanderbilt was sent packing, but Jaden McDaniels remains?  Who and what was behind the decision-making process?

Well, without a lot of investigative work, we can safely conclude several points without a lot of effort. In any trade, inquiries and requests can be placed, but it is the team with the player’s rights that controls who is and who is not included in any trade. What do we mean? Well, in this instance, it simply means that the Utah Jazz had the opportunity to request players and picks, but it was up to the Minnesota Timberwolves to place requested players into the trade package.

That means that it was Timberwolves’ front office that had the final say in trading Vanderbilt, while also nixing any attempts by the Jazz to acquire McDaniels, Moore, or Minott.  So let’s look at the pieces not traded away: