Shocking trade IV: Jaylen Nowell
This one will shock you. But if the Timberwolves want to get some draft picks, create salary cap flexibility, and focus on optimizing their current roster, then perhaps placing guard Jaylen Nowell on the NBA Trade block kills three birds with one stone.
We know that the Minnesota Timberwolves are in contract negotiations with Nowell and his representatives right now. But if the Timberwolves believe that negotiations are not progressing well, or simply that Nowell does not fit what the Timberwolves want to go through the rest of this season, then the time to part ways is now. Why? Because his trade value will never be greater for the team.
Nowell has nowhere to go but up?
So far this year, Jaylen Nowell has appeared in 42 games with one start. Averaging 20.2 minutes per game (a fairly high mark for a bench player), he is averaging 11.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. While he is scoring just 28.5 points from the perimeter, he has had seasons with far higher marks.
For an NBA Playoff team, Nowell is an ideal bench player to come into the game and perhaps spark the offense. He has four games this season where he scored 20+ points and 22 games in which he scored 13+ points. Can that scoring ability prove valuable to the Minnesota Timberwolves roster this season? Yes, certainly. But if the Timberwolves believe that the team won’t have enough juice to make the playoffs this season, then they could expect to trade Nowell now and get a late first-round draft pick in exchange.
Asked Jaylen Nowell how he evaluates his season so far: "Not going well."
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) January 13, 2023
Just hasn't been able to find a rhythm yet. Not having McLaughlin by his side definitely playing a role.
Right now, the Timberwolves do not have a contract with Jaylen Nowell for the 2023-24 NBA season.
Shocked? Don’t say I didn’t warn you.