Until a deal occurs, much of the talk surrounding the NBA’s offseason will revolve around Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors. The Milwaukee Bucks and The Greek Freak seem like they are at a point of no return.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will be involved in some of these rumors, just as they were during the February trade deadline when Giannis stayed put.
At this current moment, Minnesota doesn’t seem to have the assets necessary to present the best trade offer to Milwaukee. In order to sweeten the pot, the Wolves may need to trade Rudy Gobert first, and then use draft capital/players from that deal to offer to the Bucks.
Rudy Gobert could potentially garner multiple first rounders
Personally, I believe the Timberwolves should make more of an effort to trade Julius Randle rather than Gobert. I just think there’s a chance that Minnesota could get multiple first-rounders back for Gobert, and I don’t see that happening by dealing Randle.
Throughout his career, Gobert has been the ultimate floor-raiser for his team. He can almost guarantee a top-10 defense for a team just by having him on your roster. Yes, he will turn 34 later this month, but the four-time DPOY was still named to his eighth All-Defensive first team this season.
The Bucks certainly won’t be a contending team sans Antetokounmpo. So it’s hard to see them having interest in Gobert or Randle, two players over the age of 30 with both having a player option after next season. Odds are both of them wouldn’t want to stay there long-term either.
Milwaukee reportedly had strong interest in Jaden McDaniels at February’s trade deadline. They likely still are, but it’s hard to believe that Minnesota would change its stance of seeing the 25-year-old as pretty much untouchable.
Other than their first round pick in this month’s draft (#28), the only other first round pick that the Timberwolves can trade is a long way off in 2033. There are numerous teams out there, some rumored to be interested in Giannis, that can offer multiple first-round picks. As such, trading Gobert for some draft capital could be a necessary precursor to set up a Giannis trade.
Tim Connelly has been known to make some blockbuster deals in his front office career, so it can't be ruled out that they trade for Giannis, even if it's unlikely, considering some of the hurdles they'll face.
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