The Minnesota Timberwolves have long been in the market for an upgrade at point guard. They drafted Rob Dillingham in 2024 in hopes of transitioning from veteran Mike Conley and traded for a combo guard in Ayo Dosunmu when it didn't work out. It was on the morning of June 25, however, that they truly fulfilled Anthony Edwards' wish.
Roughly nine months after Edwards expressed his desire to focus more on scoring, the Timberwolves have positioned him to do exactly that by trading for All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball.
BREAKING: The Charlotte Hornets are trading star guard LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030) and three second-round picks (2029, 2032, 2033), sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/lkhXBWHCrA
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2026
Minnesota has been in the market for a point guard for quite some time, as the depth chart they'd built unfortunately underperformed. Conley is limited in his role and minutes at 38 years of age, Dillingham was traded after less than two seasons, and the likes of Dosunmu and Donte DiVincenzo are more of shooting guards masquerading as point guards in a system that needed them to adapt.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN provided seemingly topical insight when he reported during the 2026 NBA Finals that Edwards wanted the Timberwolves to upgrade the roster.
“Going forward after this series, the Minnesota Timberwolves future is in question. Somewhat because of what Ant feels about the roster”
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) June 5, 2026
- Brian Windhorst pic.twitter.com/1KMHDvmeO7
The Ball trade seems to indicate that point guard was a position of priority for Edwards—as were his viral comments from 2025 that he wanted to change his mindset to scoring rather than deferring to his teammates as often as he had in the past.
ant talking about how he’s gonna change his mindset during the dog days of the season 😭
— patrick (@couldbepatrick) September 29, 2025
“Try to get a career high in points… cause I usually approach it like ah imma let my teammates get they shit off” pic.twitter.com/m5sHvYozg5
Though the matter of this being an upgrade is subjective, the Timberwolves undoubtedly found him a point guard with All-Star credentials.
Timberwolves finally have a star point guard for Anthony Edwards
Edwards put his money where his mouth is during the 2025-26 season. He took a step back as a playmaker to focus on his scoring, going from averaging 4.7 assists per game between 2022-23 and 2024-25 to 3.7 in 2025-26.
Edwards proceeded to average a career-best 28.9 points per game while setting additional personal highs in field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, and two-point field goal percentage.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch helped Edwards achieve said feats by effectively turning everyone on the court into a point guard to some degree. Perhaps that's a bit hyperbolic, but the likes of Conley, DiVincenzo, Dosunmu, Edwards, and Julius Randle all took turns running the offense.
With Ball in the mix, however, the Timberwolves finally have a point guard through whom they can run their offense without having to worry about the limitations of their skill set as a playmaker.
Ball is a former All-Star and Rookie of the Year who has deep three-point range, an apetite for the spectacular, and tremendous court vision. In 2025-26, he averaged 20.1 points, 7.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 3.8 three-point field goals made per game on .407/.368/.899 shooting.
If Ball can limit his turnovers and improve his shot selection, the backcourt pairing with Edwards can not only grant the Timberwolves star's wish, but produce sensational results.
