There’s a ton of uncertainty around the Minnesota Timberwolves’ offseason. A frontcourt shakeup seems inevitable, given the Wolves' need for an extra shot creator and ball-handler.
With the draft being a week away, though, we have yet to get an update on teams that are definitively interested in Julius Randle or Rudy Gobert. And unfortunately, Jake Fischer recently added to this uncertainty when he was asked about possible suitors for the two veteran big men during a live stream with Bleacher Report.
“I have not heard anything at this juncture about either of those guys (Randle and Gobert),” Fischer said.
It's worth noting that Fischer previously said there are some doubts about Gobert's long-term viability in Minnesota.
This isn’t what fans want to hear, as everyone would like a bit more clarity, as trade season is soon expected to pick up. Nevertheless, Fischer saying that he hasn’t heard of any suitors for Randle or Gobert doesn’t doom Minnesota’s chance of trading them.
Most of Tim Connelly’s moves happen in silence. Remember how surprising it was when they traded for Gobert and two years later, Randle? Nobody saw those moves coming and based on the lack of tea leaves around the Wolves, nobody will see their big offseason moves coming either this year.
It would be nice to know what teams are interested in Randle and Gobert, but a move can still happen
While it might be difficult to pinpoint suitors for Gobert and Randle, I’d expect them to have some real interest on the open market. This should be the case, particularly given the value of “floor raisers” in the new draft lottery, which should help drum up interest for both players, but especially Gobert.
During his end-of-season press conference, Connelly said that “everything’s on the table.” I would be shocked if he isn’t aggressively pursuing moves and I would be equally surprised if there are no suitors for these two big men. My read is that both the Wolves and other teams are being tight-lipped about these presumed discussions.
Still, it’s fair to have some level of concern that the market might not be robust for either player, given the lack of known suitors for both players at the moment. Ideally, the Wolves can flip one of these players for a co-star next to Anthony Edwards.
Finding a co-star who is a seamless fit alongside Edwards and could be available is a tricky task, though. As such, the Wolves may have to settle for a high-end complementary star or a depth-based trade.
With trade season set to start soon, Wolves fans are eagerly awaiting the team to make some sort of changes, as it’s clear they need to improve. How the Wolves will go about improving their roster remains unclear, but that doesn’t mean fans should lose hope.
