NBA trade season is in full swing with three moves happening on Tuesday. One of which was the Minnesota Timberwolves salary-dumping Mike Conley to the Chicago Bulls, which undoubtedly positions them better to land Giannis Antetokounmpo. Frankly, I never saw a Giannis-Wolves trade as all that realistic. However, with new information comes new opinions, and after freeing up some cap space, things now seem possible.
In fact, during a live stream with Bleacher Report, NBA insider Jake Fischer recently said that the Timberwolves currently have the momentum to pull off a trade for Giannis.
“At this point, all this momentum it seems like Minnesota does," Fischer said when asked if the Warriors still have the best chance to land Giannis. "I’ve heard internally Milwaukee values Minnesota's potential package and Miami's potential package more than Golden State's."
The Wolves' chances of trading for Giannis have never been higher
Again, I never thought we'd get to this point, but here we are -- the Wolves appear to be in the driver's seat of the Giannis sweepstakes. Undoubtedly, this is exciting news for Wolves fans. Yes, there are risks with trading for Giannis, given his age and injury history. Plus, the Wolves will likely have to cut into their depth and part ways with some beloved homegrown talent to strike a deal.
Nevertheless, the chance to pair two of the league's top five players together issimply too much to pass up on. Anthony Edwards and Giannis could essentially be the modern version of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, or perhaps more accurately, the modern version of Dwyane Wade and Shaq.
And if you know anything about Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, you know he's never afraid to make a big move. There's no denying that pulling off a Giannis trade despite the Wolves' lack of draft capital, young talent, and high payroll would be his crown jewel. Against all odds, Connelly might be able to pull off the ultimate blockbuster trade and ultimately set the Wolves up to win their first championship ever.
Time is ticking, though, as the Wolves have less than 48 hours to pull off a move for Giannis or any player. In the (still very real possibility) that the Wolves can't land Giannis, expect Connelly to use this new financial flexibility to upgrade their point guard position.
Keep in mind, the Mike Conley trade hasn't been processed yet, so it's possible the Wolves could land Coby White, who they reportedly opted against including in the Conley deal. If not White, expect the Wolves to pursue guard upgrades elsewhere, to upgrade their PG core, as this been a key problem all season long.
Buckle up, Timberwolves fans, it's already been a wild ride, and it's poised to get even crazier before Thursday's deadline.