The Minnesota Timberwolves moved on from Jeff Teague on Thursday morning, flipping him and Treveon Graham to Atlanta for Allen Crabbe. In response, basketball fans have wondered what could possibly be the next move Minnesota makes, and thanks to Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, we’re starting to get an idea.
According to the pair, the Timberwolves are once again trying to acquire the services of someone they’ve wanted for a while in Warriors guard D’Angelo Russell, who’s good friends with All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns. Minnesota was reportedly interested in bringing him on board this summer, and ever since he ended up in Golden Stat, Russell’s name has been floated as a potential trade chip, even if the Dubs have reportedly expressed no interest in trading him.
Having said that, Charania and Krawczynski also mentioned that while the Wolves are ramping up their efforts to get Russell, it hasn’t led to any traction in trade conversations.
New team president Gersson Rosas and the rest of his front office have been actively pursuing deals on a number of fronts to try to remake the roster to better fit their vision for the team moving forward, league sources told The Athletic. That includes intensifying their pursuit of Golden State Warriors guard D’Angelo Russell. Discussions have yielded no traction to this point, league sources said. So far, Golden State has been inclined to keep Russell.
The report also pointed out that Golden State won’t be hard capped anymore once the summer rolls around, which gives them a little more flexibility as they look to build on a lost 2019-20 campaign. This does not mean that the Timberwolves will be quiet on the trade market, though — the team has been in conversations with other squads about three-and-D ace Robert Covington.
Rival teams also say the market for forward Robert Covington has been heating up over recent days. Covington has become a coveted player, with his defensive prowess and outside shooting an ideal fit for most teams in the playoff hunt. Houston, Dallas and Philadelphia are among the teams who have expressed interest in Covington, but Minnesota is expected to drive a hard bargain, league sources said.
There’s no guarantee that Covington gets moved, but he’s a player who could serve as a huge boost for any squad with championship aspirations. We have less than a month until the Feb. 6 trade deadline, and while time will tell what happens, Minnesota seems primed to be involved in the rumor mill the entire time as it’s clear they’re looking to shake things up and get some new faces around Towns.
