The Minnesota Timberwolves hoped to appease Anthony Edwards with their shocking LaMelo Ball trade, and it appears to have worked already. NBA fans were stunned to learn that the Charlotte Hornets traded Ball to Minnesota in exchange for Naz Reid and a plethora of draft picks. The Timberwolves were active in rumors for weeks now looking to find any new All-Star caliber to pair with Edwards after a disappointing second round series.
Reported Kyle Theige revealed that his sources heard Edwards was “over the moon” about the trade, via the Dane Moore NBA Podcast:
“From what I’ve heard, by the way, ‘Anthony Edwards is over the moon,’ was the quote I got about this deal. And I think if Ant could sign an extension with Minnesota today, he would sign that extension. I think that’s worth mentioning after what we kind of heard earlier this week.”
Previous reports claimed that the Timberwolves felt pressure from Edwards to improve the roster in a tough Western Conference that only gets harder. The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder represent two dominant teams at the top with young rosters. Minnesota also must contend with challenging teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets every season.
Why Anthony Edwards Is Happy About Trade
Minnesota’s biggest problem over the past few years has seen them lacking a point guard and another true creator on offense. Julius Randle and Ayo Dosunmu could get their own shots, but someone who can both create their own scoring opportunities and set others up has been lacking.
Mike Conley was the only prototypical point guard on the roster until his older age started to catch up with him. Edwards finally has someone who can share those duties with him, so he doesn’t have to score nearly 30 points and lead the team in assists every night.
The hope is that a smoother regular season process will finally give Minnesota a higher seed for better playoff odds. Five playoff series won over the past threes is impressive for the Timberwolves, but four of those came as the road team to show how difficult their paths have been.
Keeping Anthony Edwards Happy Is Main Goal
Minnesota’s desire to win their first NBA Championship clearly revolves around keeping Edwards for the rest of his prime. Other top names like Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert are important, but it only works if they have a true superstar like Edwards at the top.
Every other move should be made to put a better roster around Edwards and find the pieces that he lacks. Edwards being happy with the team’s direction gives them a better chance of having more total chances at the title over the next few years.
Ball could easily turn into a bad investment due to his injury history and lackluster defense. However, the move is working for now to ensure that Edwards has no desire to leave the Timberwolves any time soon. LaMelo must prove he’s a winning player now that he finally is on a team with real pressure to contend.
Anthony Edwards Had Strong Reaction To LaMelo Ball Trade