With the Kawhi Leonard-Toronto Raptors trade (finally) being officially complete, talks of the Minnesota Timberwolves' past interest have re-emerged. Earlier in the offseason, it was reported that the Timberwolves had expressed interest in Kawhi, but he wasn't interested in going to Minnesota.
On Tuesday, Shams Charania once again mentioned the Wolves' past interest in Kawhi, noting that he was determined to go to Toronto despite Minnesota being willing to offer him an extension. At first, striking out on the biggest fish on the market was likely a tough pill to swallow for the Wolves' front office, but landing LaMelo Ball instead is the better outcome in the end.
“This is a complete legacy play for Kawhi,” Charania said on TSN. “There were teams — Detroit, Minnesota — others that had interest in trading for him, that wanted to trade for him, that wanted to give him an extension. But he made a decision because he had one year left on his deal to essentially weed out where he wanted to play, where he wanted to be. And so this is a legacy play for Kawhi Leonard. There’s no doubt about it.”
While this isn't exactly new information, it's worth considering the possible ripple effects of Leonard's stance.
If Kawhi were interested in going to Minnesota, a deal could have feasibly happened. Leonard was traded for Brandon Ingram, Grady Dick, and two future first-round picks. That's a price the Timberwolves could have realistically matched or exceeded. And though the Ball trade technically happened first, if Kawhi was interested in going to Minnesota, everything could've changed.
LaMelo Ball is a better fit with the Timberwolves than Kawhi Leonard
Aside from the obvious of having to wait for the entire offseason for the Kawhi trade to be finalized, due to his cap circumvention scandal (which is notable), there are some major downsides to trading for Leonard.
At 35 with an extensive injury history, Leonard inherently shrinks your window. As such, they would soon be searching for another co-star, and finding one would be challenging. If they didn't win a title with Kawhi during this condensed window (which is a strong possibility), the juice wouldn't have been worth the squeeze.
I get it: LaMelo has his own injury woes, but he's 10 years younger than Kawhi. That has to count for something.
Ball and Anthony Edwards are the same age, and this duo, along with a core that, outside of Rudy Gobert, is 26 or younger, gives the Timberwolves a sustainable title contender. Ultimately, that's every NBA team's goal, and while LaMelo has some concerns, he better accomplishes this goal than an aging Kawhi would've.
The other part of this that needs to be considered is that Ball is a better fit for the Timberwolves' roster needs and a better running mate alongside Ant-Man. After the playoffs, it was clear that the Wolves needed two things: playmaking and secondary creation. LaMelo checks both of these boxes; Kawhi would've checked one.
To be clear, Kawhi wouldn't have been a poor fit with the Wolves, and he's a more talented player than Ball. Leonard would have given Edwards some much-needed relief in the shot-creation department. A core of Ant, Kawhi, Jaden McDaniels, and Gobert (assuming they could've kept him) would've had the juice to compete for a title.
Yet the question would remain: Do they have enough playmaking? And frankly, the answer would have likely been no.
The Timberwolves have long lacked someone who can stabilize the offense and create opportunities for others. For as great as Kawhi is, this isn't his skill set. Sure, having two elite shot creators would've been difficult to defend against, but to win at the highest level, playmaking is often vital. This is especially true against the high-pressured defenses of the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
Ball doesn't offer the same scoring, shot creation, or defense that Kawhi does. Again, he's not better than Leonard. However, his playmaking is on a different level. LaMelo is truly one of the league's best playmakers. Notably, he posted an absurd assist percentage of 38.4 last season and was the leader of a Charlotte Hornets team that ranked first in offensive rating for the 2026 portion of the season.
Plus, while he's not at the Kawhi tier of scoring, he's a darn good perimeter scorer and quality second option. Long story short, Ball is the ideal co-star alongside Edwards in terms of both playstyle and age.
It's hard not to be thankful for the LaMelo trade, and if Kawhi wanted to go to Minnesota, it might never have happened. So thanks, Kawhi!
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