At this year’s trade deadline, the Minnesota Timberwolves were heavily involved in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors. Of course, Giannis ended up staying with the Milwaukee Bucks, but most expect him to be traded this offseason.
Will the Timberwolves once again see if they can acquire the two-time MVP? Probably, but it just doesn’t seem likely. On The Hoops Collective podcast, the hosts spoke on potential Giannis suitors. Minnesota was brought up at the end, and Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon said this:Â
Bontemps: "I just don’t see how Minnesota gets a deal done."
MacMahon: "Their track record tells you they will try to turn over every rock they can to figure it out. Their roster and their pick situation moving forward, still owing significant picks to Utah tells you it’s gonna be extremely difficult."
Bontemps: "They don’t have any young players to put in the trade either."
Move on to trade targets that will cost less
Bontemps and MacMahon aren’t the first to essentially say that the Wolves are out on Antetokounmpo. Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report did likewise last week as well.
It’s understandable why they all believe that’s the case. The Wolves just don't possess enough assets that the Bucks would be interested in to make a deal happen. Milwaukee will want draft capital, and other than the No. 28 pick in this month’s draft, the only other tradable first-rounder that Minnesota has is way down the line in 2033.
The Miami Heat is seen as the favorite to land Giannis because they have young pieces (Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr.), a former All-Star (Tyler Herro), and the 13th pick in this month’s draft, as well as two future firsts they can trade.
Even outside of the Heat there are other teams as well that can offer substantially better draft packages than the Wolves can.
It’s really time for the fanbase to move on from what is almost certainly a pipe dream and focus on lesser stars who will cost the team less to acquire. Whether that’s Kyrie Irving, Ja Morant, or Jalen Suggs, those guys will be more attainable for Minnesota.
Sure, it may be disappointing for some fans to hear that their team doesn’t have a chance to get the Greek Freak. Still, with his lower-body injury history, the fact that he’ll turn 32 in early December, and the fact that a team will have to sacrifice a lot of depth to acquire him, it probably will end up being a good thing.
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