3 Timberwolves who tanked their trade value in 2023 season
By Will Eudy
The Minnesota Timberwolves enjoyed standout performances from many of their stars and role players during the 2022-23 NBA season. In a year where the roster looked significantly different than it did 12 months ago, it was refreshing to see so many players thrive.
Anthony Edwards had a career season and made the fabled “year three leap” we see from a lot of star players. In addition, many of the players down Minnesota’s bench saw success in new and different roles as well. Naz Reid came onto the scene as one of the best backup bigs in the league, and Kyle Anderson showed himself to be one of the best Timberwolves free agent signings ever.
But as is the case with anything, there is always bad that comes with the good. With all the guys that raised their level of play, there was bound to be a few that failed to meet expectations as well. Over the last six months, there were several players in Minnesota that not only had disappointing seasons, but effectively tanked their trade value as well.
These 3 Timberwolves tanked their trade value in 2023:
1. Jordan McLaughlin
Operating as a backup point guard for the Timberwolves, Jordan McLaughlin came into the 2022-23 season playing behind D’Angelo Russell. His expectations for the year were twofold, because although he is not talented enough to play big minutes consistently, he was coming off one of the best stretches of his career in the 2022 NBA playoffs.
In the six-game series against the Memphis Grizzlies last April, McLaughlin played 16 minutes per contest and put up unbelievable shooting numbers. He knocked down 57% of his shots from behind the three-point arc and a stunning 70% from the floor as a whole.
So in November 2022 when D’Angelo Russell was struggling, fans began to talk about McLaughlin taking D’Lo’s starting spot. But as the season played out, J-Mac ended up having such a disappointing campaign that his return to the team next year appears to be in question.
This year, he shot a career-worst 30.8% from three while only putting up 3.7 points per game. In McLaughlin’s defense, he missed a large part of the season with injury troubles. But ultimately, J-Mac had such a dud of a season that there is probably not much trade value for him at all now. He could be a throw-in for a bigger offseason deal, but he will likely end up being waived.