Insane trade with Lakers would be a disaster for Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves are off to a shaky start this season, struggling to find consistency without several important players from last year’s roster. Many among the Timberwolves’ fanbase have begun ruminating the possibility of major trades the team could make to improve in short order.

Between D’Angelo Russell’s struggles and questions about Rudy Gobert‘s fit, there have been rumblings of moving several big name players from the Timberwolves’ roster. A large amount of fans are eager to find a solution to the Wolves’ struggles.

Of course, after the blockbuster trade Minnesota made in the offseason that landed them Gobert, the organization is no doubt wary of moving on from certain players too soon. With that being said, if the losing continues, it’s hard to imagine every Timberwolves player won’t be on the chopping block.

One proposed trade came from NBA writer Oscar Barkis. He imagined a deal between the Timberwolves and Lakers that is highly intriguing. The hypothetical trade would see Minnesota send Rudy Gobert, Kyle Anderson, and D’Angelo Russell to Los Angeles in exchange for Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, and two first-round picks.

The Minnesota Timberwolves would shut down this trade in an instant

While there are interesting reasons for both sides to agree to this trade in theory, the bottom line is that it would be downright ridiculous for the Minnesota Timberwolves. They would be giving up their starting point guard and center, along with a crucial role player, and not getting nearly enough value in return.

While Russell Westbrook has shown he can still produce for the Lakers off the bench, he is not a starting-caliber point guard for a team with championship aspirations. It’s safe to assume Wolves fans would be even more frustrated watching him than they have been with D’Angelo Russell.

And although Anthony Davis still produces at an All-Star level, he consistently struggles to put together a complete season without injuries. Even with the problems the Timberwolves have run into with Rudy Gobert so far, they can at least rely on him to stay healthy. You can always argue that Davis would be a better fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns than Gobert, but this simply comes down to availability.

The part of this trade that is most enticing for Minnesota is the 2027 and 2029 first-round picks from the Lakers. When considering where those picks will land, we can safely assume LeBron James will be retired and Anthony Davis will be past his prime, if he’s even still in Los Angeles at that point. This makes it very likely that those picks would land in the lottery.

Even so, securing two early first-round picks wouldn’t make up for all that the Timberwolves would be losing. Kyle Anderson is the “throw-in” piece in this trade, and he’s one of the more high-end role players in the NBA.

While the Minnesota Timberwolves may be a bit frustrating to watch right now, there’s no sense in throwing away all that they’ve worked to build just because it hasn’t worked right away. Pressing the panic button and agreeing to a trade like this one would only worsen the Wolves’ chances at winning a championship.