Timberwolves' interest in Derrick White shouldn't get fans too excited

The Minnesota Timberwolves are in desperate need of a true lead guard alongside Anthony Edwards. Still, it remains unclear who the Wolves can realistically target to fill this void. Recently, Sam Amick of The Athletic noted that the Wolves are interested in Boston Celtics guard Derrick White.

"Also, league sources say the Minnesota Timberwolves — whose pursuit of Antetokounmpo also appears to have cooled — have strong interest in the Celtics’ Derrick White," Amick wrote. 

Despite the Wolves' need for a guard, not everyone is a perfect fit alongside Ant. Due to his comfort level on or off the ball and elite defense, White is one player who is a seamless fit alongside Edwards, though.

Unfortunately, for the Wolves, I don't think the Celtics would be interested in trading White. In short, they need ball-handlers and his all-around impact is too valuable to their success. 

Why a Derrick White-Timberwolves trade is unlikely

As of now, the Celtics are one of the two frontrunners for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Should the Celtics pull off a move for the two-time MVP, that would squash a possible White-Timberwolves trade.

Firstly, a malleable guard like White is essential alongside Jayson Tatum and Giannis. Moreover, the Wolves' most likely package for White would center around a Rudy Gobert swap, which wouldn't interest the Celtics if they are already adding a non-spacing big man.

Even if the Celtics don't land Giannis, a Gobert-White swap wouldn't make sense for them. Since trading Anfernee Simons at the deadline, the Celtics have been short on ball-handlers. Yes, the Celtics need a big man, but by trading White, Payton Pritchard would be their lone true guard and they still have other paths to trading for a big man.

The Wolves' best chance to pull off a trade for White would likely have to include parting ways with some of their limited draft capital, in addition to Gobert, since they are adamant about not trading Jaden McDaniels and unlikely to ship out Naz Reid as well.

Nevertheless, last year, the Celtics had numerous opportunities to trade White, but they stood firm and I don't see that changing. 

The Timberwolves need to save money to afford a new deal for Ayo Dosunmu, which adds yet another hurdle.

White would hypothetically give the Wolves exactly what they need

While a Timberwolves-White trade is unlikely, it's worth considering why he'd be a perfect fit.

I touched on this earlier, but it's really White's ability to play on or off the ball. The Wolves certainly need someone who can alleviate pressure from Edwards as a playmaker and ball-handler. All the same, being able to let Ant-Man operate on the ball is a must. White is one of the guards who can do both. 

And yes, I know he had a down shooting year, but in the three years before White was an elite shooter. 

White is also one of the very best defenders in the league; he especially excels at blowing up plays off the ball. Having a jack-of-all-trades guard alongside Ant would be ideal and assuming they bring Dosunmu back, the Wolves could have two guards of this mold.

Again, though, Wolves fans shouldn't get too caught up in this possibility, as there's no indication Boston would be willing to trade White. On the bright side, if the team wants to trade for a guard similar to White, Jalen Suggs could be a more realistic target. 

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