Last summer, the Minnesota Timberwolves had interest in trading for Kevin Durant, but ESPN insider Shams Charania reported that the forward shut a deal down. Like the Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota is far from a hot spot for star players. However, with Giannis Antetokounmpo reportedly showing some interest in playing for Minnesota, per Brian Windhorst, they should be even more eager to get him.
With Anthony Edwards rising to superstardom at just 24 years old, it appears the Greek Freak knows his next running mate could be just down the road. After failing to pair Edwards with Durant just a few months ago, the Timberwolves should do everything in their power to get this deal across the finish line this time around.
.@WindhorstESPN has more on Giannis and where he may land ✍️ pic.twitter.com/5ZOvOkUGPL
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) January 29, 2026
Timberwolves need help if they want Giannis Antetokounmpo
Given their lack of draft capital to offer, the Minnesota Timberwolves have largely been discarded as a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade suitor from the very beginning. One of the best players in the world getting traded to a team without valuable draft picks? Pass. However, Minnesota is reportedly exploring options to rope other teams into a multi-team trade to entice the Bucks, per Windhorst.
In those trades, the Timberwolves would likely look to offload some of their own players, such as Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid, to send as much draft capital as they can to Milwaukee. It's currently their only shot at landing Giannis.
As things stand, Minnesota's offer to Milwaukee would likely revolve around McDaniels and Randle, who are both solid players, but not the type of names a team starts a rebuild with. Furthermore, Milwaukee isn't settling for just pick swaps. They need someone to give up all of their picks AND young players if they want the Greek Freak.
Right now, four teams are publicly linked to Giannis: Miami, Golden State, Minnesota, and New York. The trade packages based on speculation currently rank in that order by desirability. Minnesota needs to beef up its offer to surpass those other teams, and it wouldn't be too shocking if they were working around the clock over the next handful of days to do just that.
The thought of pairing Anthony Edwards with Giannis Antetokounmpo has to be salivating for them. The opportunity to forge what could be the NBA's best duo is staring Minnesota right in the face. If they can pull it off, the Timberwolves will be glad KD turned them down.
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