Timberwolves caught sleeping as Cavs steal two ideal trade targets

With the NBA Trade Deadline just days away, moves are slowly but surely starting to trickle in. Late on Saturday night, a three-team trade went down, the Cleveland Cavaliers landed Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis from the Sacramento Kings, in exchange for De'Andre Hunter. The Chicago Bulls helped facilitate the deal by taking on Dario Saric's contract.

While it's nice to see that trade season is (finally) starting to pick up, both Ellis and Schroder would have been perfect additions to the Minnesota Timberwolves bench. Notably, the Wolves expressed interest in Ellis, who is a terrific 3-and-D wing. He would have been the team's long-awaited Nickeil Alexander-Walker replacement and provided the Wolves with some much-needed wing depth. Despite the Wolves not having confirmed interest in Schroder, his well-rounded skill set made him a clear fit for a team that desperately needs a point guard. 

Currently, there are plenty of Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors surrounding the Timberwolves. Up until he's traded, it's fair to expect this to be the case. Nevertheless, as I've outlined before, there are a lot of moving parts with a possible Giannis trade. As such, I don't see a Giannis trade happening, and a move (or two) to bolster their depth seems like the most realistic outcome for the Wolves at the deadline. 

There's no denying that trading for Schroder and Ellis would have been a perfect way for the Wolves to bolster their bench. 

The Timberwolves may have been able to pull off a similar deal

The Wolves package for Schroder and Ellis could have been centered around Rob Dillingham, Mike Conley, and draft capital. On the surface level, getting Hunter is a better return. However, keep in mind, Hunter is having a down season, shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from 3-point range while playing the worst defense of his career. Furthermore, his contract is more expensive and longer. 

The Kings feel primed to enter a rebuild. As such, they could have benefited from some extra flexibility from Conley's expiring contract, taking a swing on Dillingham, and some draft picks, even if it was multiple second-round picks.  

Maybe Tim Connelly put this offer on the table, and the Kings turned it down. However, it's just as possible that he didn't. Outside of Minnesota's pursuit of Giannis getting in the way, Jake Fischer reported that the Wolves aren't keen on trading Conley. I get it, Conley is a beloved veteran, and at this juncture, it doesn't look like he'll be traded. Regardless, trading Conley would help the Wolves move closer to their championship goals, and it's the right basketball move.

Ultimately, this is the exact type of trade I would have loved to see the Wolves make, and maybe they'll make a similar move -- but now they have one less option.