Most of the rumors surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves center on franchise-changing megastars. However, some players one to two tiers below them have caught my eye as guys who would really improve this team despite not being on the same level. One of my favorite targets in the players who fit this mold is Toronto Raptors point guard Immanuel Quickley.
Quickley isn't a household name. He was a microwave scorer off the bench with the New York Knicks before heading to the Raptors in the OG Anunoby trade a few years ago. With the Raptors, he's rounded his game out a lot, becoming a consistent 16-plus-point per game scorer over the course of three years.
He is a point guard by definition, but he plays really well without the ball as an elite catch-and-shoot threat -- something that would intrigue the Wolves. Quickley is also a better defender than he gets credit for, frequently being a pest in passing lanes. If the Wolves strike out on the All-Star-level talents, Quickley would be an awesome consolation prize.
Having an extra ball handler and shot creator alongside Anthony Edwards would surely benefit the Wolves.
What would an Immanuel Quickley to Minnesota trade look like?
The Raptors have a lot of elite defensive wings on their team, but what they don't have is a defensive anchor at center. Jakob Poeltl had a miserable year battling injuries, and he's on an extremely unfriendly contract. No doubt the Raptors will try to offload him for whatever they can get this summer.
Rudy Gobert as Poeltl's replacement makes a lot of sense, and the contracts he and Quickley are on match just about perfectly. The one downside to Quickley is that he is a little overpaid and on a lengthy contract. He'll be making $32.5 million for the next three seasons.
Given that Gobert is only under contract for two more years (he has a player option which he'll likely accept in the second year), and he's still playing at an elite defensive level, the Raptors may have to add draft capital to sweeten the deal. Here's my stab at what a Quickley for Gobert swap would look like.
Does Immanuel Quickley get the Wolves over the hump?
The short answer is it's too early to tell, but I do think that it gives the Wolves a much better shot at competing with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. More ball handlers are something this team desperately needs, and Quickley has been one of the more underrated point guards for a few years now.
This move would also likely signal a Julius Randle trade to follow. Trading Gobert leaves a big hole at starting center, and flipping Randle for a younger rim protector who fits the dynamic of the team makes a lot of sense. Some names that come to mind are Nic Claxton, Myles Turner, or Daniel Gafford.
Quickley wouldn't be the flashiest name the Wolves can trade for, but it would be subtly effective, and having another legit creator at guard next to Edwards could open this offense up tenfold. I'm sure he isn't the Wolves fans favorite choice at an acquisition, but if the move happened, I think he'd quickly become a fan favorite.
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