Should Timberwolves consider flipping Russell to Wizards for depth?

The Minnesota Timberwolves have beaten three good teams in the process of a good run as of late. That sounds great, except for the part where that still leaves them shy of .500 and out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference.

It’s clear that the Timberwolves need something to change. Perhaps that is Rudy Gobert playing better, or Karl-Anthony Towns getting healthy, or Anthony Edwards taking a step forward. One path to getting better, however, is via trade.

The Minnesota Timberwolves need to make a change and consider a trade.

Making a trade for an upgrade is difficult given how much the Wolves gave up in the Rudy Gobert trade. Their supply of available assets is very limited, and even this year’s first-round pick is held by the Utah Jazz. Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype recently presented one path to a change: trading point guard D’Angelo Russell.

Russell has been up and down for the Timberwolves, but he certainly hasn’t been a high-end difference-maker and is a pending unrestricted free agent. If the Wolves are going to take advantage of his salary and trade value before he walks or demands a raise, now is the time.

In his piece, Gozlan suggests a financially-balanced trade with a team that could be after Russell’s services to be their “fourth piece” as they push into the Play-In Tournament. Could a trade with the Washington Wizards make sense for both sides?