The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the NBA teams who are expected to be active on the trade market before the February trade deadline. Andrew Wiggins may be starting to finally live up to expectations from a No. 1 overall pick, but in order to make a huge noise in the Western Conference this season, the Timberwolves obviously still need to make upgrades to their roster. According to Nick Crain, of Forbes , among the NBA players that the Timberwolves could target on the trade market is Dennis Schroder of the Oklahoma City Thunder .
In the proposed trade deal discussed by Forbes , the Timberwolves would be sending a trade package including Gorgui Dieng and a 2020 first-round pick to the Thunder in exchange for Schroder. The deal works on ESPN ‘s NBA Trade Machine. If the trade were to become a reality, Crain believes that it would help both the Timberwolves and the Thunder in filling the needs to improve their rosters.
“In most situations, Dennis Schroder probably wouldn’t return a first round pick to the Thunder. However, taking on a bad contract in Gorgui Dieng would warrant getting a first round pick in return. This would be a win-win for Minnesota who would get Dieng off their books and also get a much needed scoring guard for a playoff push of their own. Oklahoma City would receive a large, expiring contract to flip next season along with yet another first round pick.”
Touchdown! ? Dennis Schroder beats the clock to send the game to overtime! pic.twitter.com/NpHBnYDp05
— NBA Philippines (@NBA_Philippines) December 7, 2019
Though they would need to give up a first-round pick, the Timberwolves would be hitting two birds with one stone in the potential deal with the Thunder. Aside from successfully getting rid of Dieng’s lucrative deal, the suggested trade would allow the Timberwolves to replace Jeff Teague, who is currently playing the final year of his contract, with a younger point guard who fits the timeline of Karl-Anthony Towns and Wiggins.
Schroder might not be as good as the Timberwolves’ No. 1 trade target, Golden State Warriors point guard D’Angelo Russell, but he could still help Minnesota become a more competitive team this season. Schroder would give Timberwolves a veteran playmaker who is also a very reliable option on the offensive end of the floor.
Though he’s only a backup point guard in Oklahoma City, Schroder still manages to post incredible numbers, currently averaging 17.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from beyond the arc. If he, Towns, and Wiggins grow together and build good chemistry, the Timberwolves could soon become a legitimate threat in the deep Western Conference.
Meanwhile, in exchange for Schroder, the Thunder would be acquiring a future first-round pick that would help them speed up the rebuilding process . With the team expected to focus on the development of their young players for the next couple of years, the Thunder wouldn’t mind absorbing the two years and $33.4 million left on Dieng’s contract.
