After a ton of rumors at the deadline, it was reported earlier in the offseason that the Minnesota Timberwolves aren't a factor in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes anymore. The Wolves' lack of draft capital (two tradable first-round picks, including the No. 28 pick in this year's class), combined with a high payroll, made things clearly challenging.
It keeps becoming clearer that the Milwaukee Bucks' ultra-high asking price is another major hurdle, though. Recent reporting from Jake Fischer spoke to this high price.
"I'm told that the Timberwolves, for example, indeed circled back to the Bucks this week to see what it would take to make another run at pairing Antetokounmpo with Anthony Edwards … after The Stein Line revealed in late January that a partnership with Edwards had quietly appealed to Giannis for some time. Yet Milwaukee is said to have asked for even more now than the teams discussed in the winter when Minnesota was at the forefront of the Giannis Trade Chase along with Golden State and, of course, Miami," Fischer wrote.
An Anthony Edwards-Giannis duo would be tantalizing, and as Fischer noted, Giannis would be open to teaming up with Ant. Regardless, it would be unwise for the Wolves to gut their future for Giannis and it's thus understandable why they don't seem like a threat to trade for him.
The Timberwolves don't need to go all-in on Giannis
Last week, The Athletic reported that the Bucks were asking for Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, Terrence Shannon Jr. and the Wolves' two tradable firsts.
For the Timberwolves, who were already not willing to trade McDaniels, it doesn't make sense why they would not just trade him, but trade more assets with him. And Fischer's reporting indicates that this is an increased price from the deadline.
In a vacuum, this isn't an absurd price for a top-five player in the league. Still, given that this involves three of the Wolves' 26-and-under players and all their firsts, that's a price too steep, especially with how much they value McDaniels. The Bucks should have understood this after talks at the deadline; instead of finding another path, they decided to ask for more.
Let's be clear, trading for Giannis is far from a risk-free move. While taking the risk for another team could make sense, the Wolves are close enough to contention where they don't need to go all-in on Giannis.
Given how much the Wolves would have to cut into their depth and possibly future, I was always on the fence about making a move. With the more reporting that comes out, a move doesn't make sense, despite how exciting an Ant-Giannis duo would be.
There is a gap between the Wolves and the top-tier contenders. However, the Wolves should fill this gap by building a roster that better complements Ant-Man, not gutting their core for a big name. The Wolves don't have a ton of assets and they must use them wisely, meaning going all-in on one move would be a major risk.
A Giannis trade always felt like a long shot and a risk. With the Bucks' asking price going up, that should keep proving why it would be unwise for the Wolves to make such a move.
