Given that the Minnesota Timberwolves need a point guard and their typical affinity for star moves, Ja Morant has been a commonly mentioned trade target. The idea of trading for Morant is a controversial one among Wolves fans. I'm personally not a fan of the idea, given his immense injury history and $42.1 million contract.
Plus, it's far from certain that the Wolves chase a star. In fact, reporting from Jake Fischer indicates it's unlikely.
It might not be in a blockbuster deal for Morant, but the Wolves should look into making a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies this summer to address their PG void. Both Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. would fit in seamlessly with the Wolves roster.
They might not be star additions, but in terms of addressing their need for an extra ball handler with a well-rounded skill set, Jerome and Pippen would be great fits. Crucially, both players should be fairly attainable targets.
Jerome offers more shooting and general creation, while Pippen's blend of defense and finishing is what primarily makes him an appealing trade target.
Both Jerome and Pippen are ideal fits
As noted, the Wolves desperately need another ball handler alongside Anthony Edwards. If they don't pull off a star trade, they should fill out their roster with high-level complementary pieces -- both Jerome and Pippen fit this mold.
It was in limited games (15) and on a tanking team, but Jerome showed he can scale up last season, averaging 19.7 points and 5.7 assists. The season before, he was in the mix for the Sixth Man of the Year award with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jerome is a capable shot creator at all three levels, who is willing to play a spot-up role from beyond the arc, all while being able to run an offense as a playmaker. This is an ideal archetype for a backcourt partner alongside Edwards.
Pippen is a career 39.3 percent 3-point shooter, with the ability to attack the rim, and serve as a connective playmaker. He is also a tenacious defender.
Both players have a solid blend of on and off-ball chops, which is vital alongside Edwards. A backcourt group of Ant, Ayo Dosunmu, one of these Grizzlies guards, and eventually Donte DiVincenzo could prove to be a winning recipe for the Wolves, assuming they make other moves to put forth a better constructed roster.
Why a Timberwolves-Grizzlies trade is possible
Now, it could be argued that the Grizzlies would prefer to keep Jerome and Pippen around as they enter a new era. Both players (especially Pippen) are solid fits with their timeline, and with a Morant trade fairly likely, they could benefit from ball handling. The Grizzlies hold the No. 16 pick, though, which could feasibly be used to draft a guard such as Labaron Philon or Ebuka Okorie.
As such, drafting a point guard could make one of these guards expendable.
The Wolves could acquire either player using their $10.7 million trade exception. In this scenario, the Wolves would have to part ways with some of their already limited draft capital, but it could prove to be worthwhile. This might be controversial, but I would consider trading Terrence Shannon Jr. for one of these guards. While he has some upside, I would bank on landing a more dependable ball handler.
A Shannon-Pippen swap is financially possible, and if the Wolves can open up some cap space in a Julius Randle trade, a Shannon-Jerome swap could be as well. Another possibility is that the Wolves could get one of these players back in a three-team trade involving Randle or perhaps even Rudy Gobert.
In any event, Tim Connelly should be aggressively trying to make a trade with the Grizzlies for either Jerome or Pippen.
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