The Minnesota Timberwolves recorded their first winning season since the 2017-18 campaign, as they went 46-36. They finished seventh in the Western Conference, earning the top spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament and defeating the LA Clippers to advance into the postseason bracket.
They drew a matchup with the No. 2 seeded Memphis Grizzlies and gave them everything that they had. Minnesota lost the series 4-2, but they held a double-digit lead in three out of their four losses as they could have advanced had they closed out games.
The Timberwolves learned some tough lessons from the losses that should only help them in the future. They are on the right path with two excellent building blocks in Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards. However, D’Angelo Russell may no longer be a part of their long-term plans.
Russell and Towns are very good friends, but that doesn’t sound like it will stop Minnesota from shopping their starting guard. According to Marc Stein on his Substack, rival teams are expecting the Timberwolves to try and move Russell this offseason.
“Numerous rival teams expect the Wolves to try to trade Russell this offseason irrespective of Russell’s close relationship with Minnesota star Karl-Anthony Towns. Russell, 26, has one season left on his contract at $31.4 million.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Perfect Trade Ideas Involving Timberwolves’ D’Angelo Russell
Russell struggled mightily in the playoff series against the Grizzlies, averaging only 12 points per game, making 33.3 percent of his shot attempts but did make 38.7 percent of his 3-point attempts. He proved to be a solid playmaking, averaging 6.7 assists per game in the postseason after handing out a career-high 7.1 assists per game in the regular season.
While his jump shot was erratic, Russell has improved as a defender. Given the landscape of the league this offseason, as there aren’t many teams with cap space and money to spend, Russell could be a popular trade candidate.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Perfect Trade Ideas Involving Timberwolves’ D’Angelo Russell
However, that $31.4 million player option could be difficult for teams to take on. One intriguing trade candidate could be Ben Simmons, who the Minnesota Timberwolves were interested in before he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. While Philadelphia didn’t think a package headlined by D’Angelo Russell was enough, the Nets might think differently.
