The Minnesota Timberwolves' pursuit of Kevin Durant at the beginning of the summer was well-documented. Of course, Durant ended up with the Houston Rockets and reportedly didn’t want to land in Minnesota. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently reported that the Wolves’ offer was Rudy Gobert, Donte DiVincenzo, Terrence Shannon Jr., and the 17th overall pick, which later became Joan Beringer.
In any trade, you have to give up some level of talent, especially for a star like Durant. Nevertheless, trading two key rotational players and two key young assets is an overpay for someone who will turn 37 before the season starts and is on an expiring contract. The Wolves should be even more delighted that they avoided Durant, especially due to the involvement of young talent in their offer.
Shannon and Beringer are impressive young players
Giving up Gobert and DiVincenzo would be necessary to match Durant’s salary; however, the inclusion of young talent is what really makes this offer bad for the Wolves. It’s reasonable for the Suns to have wanted some young talent. Regardless, for the Wolves, this would have caused negative ripple effects.
For starters, both Shannon and Beringer have looked great in summer league play. Shannon specifically is averaging 22.7 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Entering his second season, Shannon is primed for a bigger role and breakout season, especially without Nickeil Alexander-Walker. During limited minutes as a rookie, Shannon showcased his upside, including in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals when he poured in 15 points in 13 minutes.
After this trade, the Wolves would have still likely lost NAW, but they would be counting on Jaylen Clark more to replace his role. Shannon is a clearer replacement candidate given his ability to create shots for himself. As a second-year player with a knack for scoring, Shannon’s potential is clear, and it would have hurt the Wolves' future to trade him. Unlike the Rockets, Minnesota isn't loaded with young talent or assets, so making a trade like this wouldn't have been ideal.
Beringer has also impressed in the summer league, averaging 6.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks. He appears to be ahead of schedule and is poised to be the Wolves' center of the future. If the Wolves had traded both Gobert and the rights to draft Beringer, they would be counting on Naz Reid to run center with a lack of depth behind him.
The Wolves would have gutted their depth and future
It’s also unclear if they would have been able to re-sign Reid and Julius Randle, as the Wolves would have been taking on more money with Durant’s $54.7 million deal. In either case, if they re-signed both players or only one, Minnesota would have likely signed centers to minimum contracts in free agency, like the Boston Celtics did.
While Durant’s fit as a star with elite scoring abilities was clear, the deal always came with some level of risk for the Wolves. Now that we know the official package, it’s safe to say the Wolves dodged a bullet and that Durant not wanting to end up in Minnesota was the ultimate blessing in disguise. With Shannon and Beringer, the Wolves have plenty of upside along with a well-rounded core built to win now. Ultimately, the Timberwolves' current combination of win-now talent and youth next to Anthony Edwards perfectly positions them to have an extended title window.