All offseason long, the Minnesota Timberwolves were expected to make a big push for a star. Things took a turn when Jake Fischer mentioned that the Wolves are out of the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes for now.
On that same livestream with Bleacher Report, Fischer mentioned that Ayo Dosunmu is the biggest addition we can expect from the Wolves at this juncture.
“Definitely, Minnesota is in need of a major clear ball handler next to Anthony Edwards, and they were looking at guys to do that," Fischer said when asked about a possible Kyrie-Wolves trade. "They brought back Ayo Dosunmu, though this summer. I think he is probably the biggest addition that we can expect from Minnesota at this juncture."
To say the least, this isn't what Timberwolves fans want to hear (although Ayo Dosunmu's future seemingly being secure is great news).
The big picture is that fans are begging the Wolves to land a second option alongside Anthony Edwards, and Fischer's comments make this possibility seem unlikely. Even if it wasn't Giannis, fans were hopeful that the Wolves could trade for someone like Kyrie Irving or Dejounte Murray.
The Wolves not being able to add a co-star alongside Edwards would be a major letdown
Listen, Fischer was careful with his language, saying "expect" and "at this juncture could crack the door open for a move still to be made. Given Tim Connelly's track record, I'm not counting out this possibility. It might have to be a three-team deal.
Regardless, one of the NBA's most reliable reporters saying that Dosunmu is the biggest addition we can expect from Minnesota is noteworthy and shouldn't be taken lightly.
The Wolves are desperately trying to catch up to the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. To close this gap, they need another star alongside Ant-Man. After the season, Connelly said everything's on the table this offseason. Based on Fischer's reporting, though, it's fair to wonder if the Wolves don't have enough assets to land the star they may covet.
The possibility of Minnesota being forced to simply upgrade its depth would be a tough pill to swallow, and it could set up a dreaded gap year.
Julius Randle being traded still feels inevitable to me, after the disastrous second-round series he had. Fischer has previously reported that the Wolves have some questions about Rudy Gobert's long-term viability.
To me, his latest reporting indicates that the values of Randle and Gobert aren't super high. Or conversely, they are only drawing interest from younger teams who would give the Wolves a future-based package. Given the new lottery system, which penalizes the bottom-three teams, I have a hard time believing that some of the bottom-feeder teams won't be interested in Gobert or Randle.
Still, it's doubtful (especially given Fischer's comments) that these teams will be able to land the Wolves a star that they are searching for. If the Wolves do pull off a move for a star, it would be an unexpected one, likely involving three teams.
While I won't write off Connelly, it's clear that the Wolves are facing an uphill battle to land a star, and a move might not be in the cards.
Hopefully, Connelly can pull off an unexpected move because not adding another star would be a disastrous outcome this offseason, and it could set the Wolves up to take a step back next year.
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