The Minnesota Timberwolves are eyeing a point guard upgrade at the trade deadline. I'm not exactly breaking news with this statement. Frankly, a point guard room of Mike Conley, Rob Dillingham, and Bones Hyland is subpar for a championship-hopeful squad. Minnesota is eyeing either a mid-tier salaried or minimum-salaried point guard at the deadline, and there are several impactful players on the trade market. One team has a surplus of point guards and could look to be sellers: the Chicago Bulls.
According to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, Minnesota has inquired about Coby White, Tre Jones, and Ayo Dosunmu ahead of the trade deadline. Cowley has previously reported the Wolves' interest in White, but the other two names are notable -- especially if the Wolves are looking for a cheaper PG option.
A Timberwolves-Bulls trade would make a lot of sense
At this point, any Timberwolves trade is likely to involve second-year guard Rob Dillingham. Chicago could be an intriguing option for him to rejuvenate his career. Outside of Dillingham, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Mike Conley are possible trade candidates. For a Timberwolves team devoid of depth, they are unlikely to give up anyone in the top seven of their rotation.
Perhaps this means the Wolves will be forced to sacrifice some of their already limited draft capital. Nevertheless, the Bulls offer the Wolves three intriguing options to solve their point guard flaw -- heck, even Jevon Carter could be an ultra-cheap target.
Of course, the Bulls are far from the only team that the Wolves could look to make a trade with to solve their point guard problem. Teams like the Charlotte Hornets (Collin Sexton), New Orleans Pelicans (Jose Alvarado), Los Angeles Clippers (Kris Dunn), and Sacramento Kings (Dennis Schroder) all come to mind. My point is that the Timberwolves have several possible trade partners.
Regardless, there's no team with more point guard options than the Bulls.
Which guard would be the best fit?
It's up for debate which one of the Bulls' three guards would best suit the Timberwolves' needs. White is clearly the most talented of the bunch. However, White would be the most expensive, and his pending free agency complicates things. Something that Jake Fischer has noted as a roadblock in the Wolves' pursuit of White. Furthermore, he's the worst defender of the group.
As such, I would prefer to target either Jones or Dosunmu. A well-rounded role player is all the Wolves need from their future point guard. Both players offer high-level finishing and perimeter defense -- two skills the Wolves could use. Jones offers more playmaking (5.8 assists per game with a 4.3 assist-to-turnover ratio). Conversely, Dosunmu offers more 3-point shooting (46.1 percent from beyond the arc on 4.6 attempts).
Jones makes just $500,000 more than Dosunmu, but he is under contract for two more years. Like White, Dosunmu is a pending free agent. However, unlike White, re-signing him likely won't be super pricey.
With Jones and Dosunmu likely being available for a similar price, it will come down to whether the Wolves value more playmaking or shooting. I've been an advocate for a Jones-Wolves trade for a long time, so that's my preference, but Dosunmu is a clear fit as well.
While it's far from a guarantee that the Wolves and Bulls strike a deal ahead of the deadline, it seems like a clear possibility.