Getty Minnesota Timberwolves D'Angelo Russell.
Before making it out of the play-in tournament and into this year’s postseason, the Minnesota Timberwolves had not made the playoffs since the 2017-18 season. This year, despite being the lower seed, they gave the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies all they could handle in the playoffs. But ultimately, the star power of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and the Grizzlies was too much for them to overcome, and they got eliminated at home in Game 6.
The Timberwolves have a good core with players such as All-Star Karl Anthony Towns and a star on the rise in Anthony Edwards. But it was clear in their first-round series with the Grizzlies that there is still a significant drop-off between them and the NBA’s top contenders. Chris Miller of NBC Sports Washington says that Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving could be the player to fill that void.
“Minnesota could make sense in part because they have a player at the same position on a similar contract in D’Angelo Russell. Russell, of course, used to play for the Nets before he was sent to Golden State as part of the Kevin Durant sign-and-trade,“ Miller writes per “NBC Sports Washington”
“Russell would work just fine alongside Durant and Ben Simmons in Brooklyn, while the Timberwolves could move up in the Western Conference with another star like Irving. Some issues for Minnesota to consider would be 1) they are already better on offense than defense, 2) Irving is a higher usage player than Russell, and 3) he has some overlap with Anthony Edwards as an attacking guard.”
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Kings Could Be Potential Trade Partner for Nets in Kyrie Trade
Another team that Miller says could be in the running for Irving if he does become available this summer is the Sacramento Kings. The Kings have proven they are willing to give up assets for players that can help them win now, after trading their former young star Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers for All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis.
That could bode well for a Nets team who already has a solid group of young players, in addition to the Sixers first-round pick that can be used either this year or next year. If they can somehow convince the Kings to give up their number four overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, they would have a good collection of assets that they can use to acquire a third star to place alongside Durant and Simmons.
“Sacramento is riding the longest postseason drought in NBA history at 16 years, so long that the last time they made the playoffs Peja Stojakovic and Bonzi Wells were on the team. It is a desperate situation and they have the fourth overall pick, plus a decent group of young players to deal from,” Miller continues.
“If they want to make something happen soon, an aggressive move like trading for Irving could do the trick. The problem would be whether they could keep him long-term. Every time Irving has had a chance to choose his next team he has always gone after a chance to win a title, even despite the fact he already has a ring. The Kings would probably make the playoffs with him, but he’s not going to make them contenders.”
Nets Already Have Solid Group of Young Players
The Nets are already penciled in as one of the top contenders for next year’s NBA title as they will surely have Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons on the roster next season and Joe Harris returning from injury. If Kyrie opts into the final year of his deal, their title chances increase even more.
But Sean Marks and the Nets front office have also assembled a decent coop of young talent, as rookies such as Cam Thomas, Kessler Edwards, and Day’Ron Sharpe all played significant minutes for the Nets last season. While the Nets have affirmed time and again, that they are in win-now mode, Brooklyn’s current group of young players will surely play a factor in any potential deals for Irving.
If the Nets don’t secure a title during the Kyrie and KD era, they could get another crack at it with the next generation, depending on how their rookies develop.
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