Anthony Edwards is making a Timberwolves trade deadline move more likely by the day

It was a frustrating way to close out 2025 for the Minnesota Timberwolves as they lost 126-102 to the Atlanta Hawks. Unsurprisingly, nobody was more upset than Anthony Edwards. The 24-year-old superstar poured in 30 points and was a clear bright spot in an otherwise dreadful game for the Wolves.

With less than eight minutes to go, Edwards was ready to keep playing in hopes of mounting an improbable 29-point comeback. However, head coach Chris Finch waved the white flag, putting in the bench warmers. Following this, Edwards stormed off to the locker room and refused to speak to the media.

Over the weekend, Minnesota lost to the Brooklyn Nets. After the game, Edwards suggested, "Maybe this is just Timberwolves basketball." Asking for more accountability from your star is reasonable. It's also fair to suggest Edwards' relationship with Finch could be deteriorating.

Nevertheless, the bigger thing Edwards' recent actions tell me is that he's not happy with the current roster, and changes seem like they will be made. It's been widely believed that the Wolves will be buyers ahead of February's trade deadline, and this possibility is starting to seem even more likely.

The Wolves seem likely to make a trade

While the Wolves still have an overall solid record of 21-13, they're clearly a notch below the league's elite teams. Thus, Edwards' frustration is totally valid, especially since he is doing everything he can (on offense) to put the Wolves in a position to win, and the team is coming off back-to-back conference finals runs.

Notably, Edwards is averaging a career-high 29.1 points. He is a franchise superstar, and the Wolves must do whatever it takes to maximize their title chances.

The Wolves' need for a point guard has been well-discussed. They desperately need someone who can create for himself in the backcourt next to Ant and organize the offense late in games. Frankly, though, the star-level PGs who could be available are problematic for one reason or another. These star names include Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball, Trae Young, Darius Garland, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.

Another problem is that the Wolves' defense without Rudy Gobert has been awful; it's starting to look like the Julius Randle-Naz Reid minutes are untenable on defense. I've generally been more in favor of the Wolves trading for a role player, but at this juncture, it's starting to look like they may have to shake up this core in a bigger way.

Luckily, Tim Connelly has a history of pulling off unexpected yet beneficial blockbusters.

I don't know who the Wolves will trade for, and to this point, the names they've been linked to haven't thrilled me. However, I think it's safe to say that a move will happen, and reading the tea leaves, it looks like Edwards wants changes to be made.