It was a rocky second season for promising Minnesota Timberwolves wing Terrence Shannon Jr., who battled with injuries in the regular season and generally wasn't super productive. However, he found his groove at the end of the season, which led to a quality playoffs, where he averaged 11.8 points, including a stellar 24-point game in a series-clinching Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets.
The playoffs showed that Shannon has a path to carving out a long-term role with the Wolves as a sparkplug wing scorer. Unfortunately, as the Wolves try to make a big splash in the trade market, it's not impossible that Shannon gets moved.Â
I refuse to believe that Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert have negative trade value. Nonetheless, adding Shannon could help sweeten a potential star trade and make it financially doable. Likewise, Shannon could serve as a substitute for the Wolves' lack of draft capital, and his strong postseason play likely caught the eyes of decision makers around the league.
Shannon could be a quality player for this team for years to come, and trading him this early in his career wouldn't be ideal. At the same time, he shouldn't be untouchable if it means giving Anthony Edwards a true co-star. Shannon will also turn 26 this summer, which limits some of the risk involved in trading him.Â
Trading Terrence Shannon Jr. could make the Timberwolves' star pursuit easier
It's worth mentioning that Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic noted,"The Wolves feel good about the core of Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and Joan Beringer going forward." He didn't outright say that Shannon is a trade candidate, nor has anyone else. However, reading between the lines, if Shannon isn't seen as part of the core, it's reasonable to expect that he could be included in a trade for a star.
Kyrie Irving is a well-discussed trade target for the Timberwolves. The idea of a one-for-one Randle-Kyrie swap seems unlikely to me. Perhaps they get there with a three-team deal with Gobert, but deals such as that are tricky. Including Shannon with Randle could be highly enticing to the Dallas Mavericks (who have publicly praised Kyrie). It would also ensure that the Wolves are only taking on an extra $3.3 million.
In a potential deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, which I consider unlikely, it's easy to see the Milwaukee Bucks wanting one of the Wolves' few young players.Â
Whether it's a trade for Kyrie, Giannis, or another high-end co-star for Ant, it's easy to see a world where Shannon is included in a deal.
For Wolves fans, though, it would be unfortunate to see Shannon moved after just two seasons. He has shown true flashes of brilliance in his young career. As a rim finisher and general microwave scorer, Shannon's path to a productive career is clear. For a Wolves team whose bench production has fluctuated, having a long-term high-quality bench scorer would be beneficial.Â
Regardless, if you are bringing in a star alongside Ant, I think trading Shannon is worthwhile, and it might be necessary for contract and value purposes.Â
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