The Minnesota Timberwolves need to find a superstar to pair with Anthony Edwards this offseason and the No. 1 target is Giannis Antetokounmpo. The path to bring the Milwaukee Bucks star to Minnesota is already difficult, considering the players the Wolves could make available this offseason and their lack of draft capital. But it was given another obstacle when the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated from the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday night.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported earlier this month that “people around the NBA” viewed Cleveland as a potential destination for Giannis if the Cavs experienced a disappointing playoff run. While they made the conference finals, getting swept by the New York Knicks could persuade president of basketball operations, Koby Altman, to make a big move and it could result in a trade offer the Wolves may not be able to match in their pursuit of “The Greek Freak.”
Timberwolves’ Giannis dreams may be dying after Cavaliers’ playoff collapse
The Cavaliers were interested in trading for Antetokounmpo at last year’s trade deadline but balked when Cleveland reportedly asked for 2024-25 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley in return. The Athletic’s Joe Vardon also reported that not much has changed on that front, citing “two league sources” who said “Cleveland has shown no interest in that move as of now.”
That came as Cleveland was facing a 3-0 hole in the conference finals and before the Cavs were run off the court in a 130-93 home loss on Monday night. While they may believe they won the series analytically, a shakeup could be in order after watching one of the most expensive rosters in the NBA faceplant in the conference finals.
There is also a short window open for the Cavs. Donovan Mitchell is entering the last guaranteed year of his contract before a player option for the 2027-28 season, but adding a player like Antetokounmpo would convince him to sign an extension this summer. James Harden is in the same boat and it may be worth giving up Mobley, first-round picks and all of the fixings to bring Antetokounmpo to Cleveland.
Of course, the Timberwolves would love to have Antetokounmpo come to Minnesota. But the reality is that they may not have the assets to get a deal done. While president of basketball operations Tim Connelly hinted at big moves this offseason, the Wolves are likely rolling with a core of Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid and Joan Beringer, which eliminates most of the attractive assets the Bucks would want in exchange for their franchise player, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jim Owczarski.
“Connelly said Jaden McDaniels is someone they want to keep, as was retaining Ayo Dosunmu in free agency,” Owzcarski wrote. “Though neither are all-stars, they are good young players that the Bucks would want to have. Would Milwaukee want a 34-year-old Rudy Gobert or 32-year-old Julius Randle? Naz Reid is a good player, but the Bucks have their version of the big man in Bobby Portis Jr.”
Without an NBA-ready asset available for trade, the Wolves would likely hope that the Bucks would be interested in Randle or Gobert as a trade-and-flip candidate. But that doesn’t make sense when the Cavaliers are in a position to make a blockbuster move off a disappointing season.
For fans who were hoping to see Connelly pull off a deal for Antetokounmpo, it’s a disappointing development, as Cleveland and several other teams have the assets to put together an attractive trade package that could bring the Wolves back to the drawing board.
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