Two years ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks made a blockbuster trade just days before the NBA season kicked off. It would send Wolves franchise icon, Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks, and it sent Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a protected first-round pick that later turned into Joan Beringer to the Wolves.
Fast forward to today, and it's looking like the Wolves lost this trade. With the Knicks hoisting the Larry O'Brien this season, and Randle flaming out in the playoffs, the optics don't look awesome for Minnesota.
But all hope is not lost. According to Michael Scotto from HoopsHype, the Timberwolves are dangling the package of Randle, DiVincenzo and the No. 28 pick on the trade market to try to acquire a star to pair with Anthony Edwards.
If the Wolves can take the return of the Towns trade (obviously hold onto Beringer), and flip that to another team to get a quality second option, then the original trade will look a lot better.
Who are some stars that could be available for a Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo package?
On the surface, a package of Randle and DiVincenzo, and potentially the 28th pick, doesn't seem too enticing for a star, but there are a few guys out there who could be labeled as a depreciated asset that Minnesota is interested in who make a lot of sense for this package.
The first, and most obvious one, is Memphis Grizzlies point guard, Ja Morant. Randle and DiVincenzo combined are a near-perfect salary match for Ja, and with his value being as low as ever. At the peak of his powers, Morant is one of the best point guards in the league. He's an electric passer and an absolute highlight factory. But injuries and shooting regression have depreciated his value recently, making him attainable.
The other one is Kyrie Irving. He's likely more valuable than Morant (and right now it looks like the Dallas Mavericks want to keep him), but he's also older and coming off an ACL injury that sidelined him for more than a year. The injuries and age with Irving have also made him a depreciated asset in a sense.
The Timberwolves have made it known that they want to keep their sub-26 core intact, meaning the likelihood of Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, Joan Beringer, Terrence Shannon Jr., or Ayo Dosunmu getting traded is probably slim unless it's for a blue-chip star.
This leaves guys like Randle, DiVincenzo, and Rudy Gobert as the team's main trade chips.
So yes, as of today, the Karl-Anthony Towns trade is a pretty big disappointment, but with the Wolves likely to have a busy offseason, I would hold off on grading the trade fully until we see what a potential package with those same assets nets the Wolves.
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