Rumors around the future of Giannis Antetokounmpo are rife, with the Milwaukee Bucks star linked to Golden State, New York, and Miami. However, there is a surprise team on the list of destinations that perhaps doesn't have the assets to pull off a trade: the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Timberwolves don't have the assets to meet Bucks' asking price
The primary reason Minnesota will struggle to finalize a Giannis trade is the lack of draft capital and prospects to include. The Wolves will only have a first-round pick swap in 2028 as real draft capital, with Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid likely being the center of what the Bucks would receive.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Bucks have "set a price point of blue-chip young talent and/or a surplus of draft picks," something the Timberwolves will struggle to meet.
If the reports around the league are true, Anthony Edwards is a key attraction for Giannis to join the young star in Minnesota. They were a team that had been involved in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes over the summer, but refused to move McDaniels, which would have to change should they make a move to acquire Giannis.
From Milwaukee's point of view, they will clearly turn Minnesota away if that was indeed their offer, unless Giannis made it clear that was his desired destination. Miami has a young talent in Kel'el Ware with draft picks. Golden State will have a number of picks available come the offseason, and San Antonio and Oklahoma City are still being thrown into the mix, given their sheer number of young talent and draft capital.
Where the trade auction would get interesting is in the offseason when more draft picks become available to teams. Minnesota would gain two more first-round picks this summer, and has shown its aggression before by trading away Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks. Whether that would be enough for Jon Horst and the front office to accept is a different question, considering Giannis would be paired with a 24-year-old Edwards, who will still not be into his 30s when those draft picks come around.
The saga will continue right until the trade deadline and likely for the rest of the season, with continuous rumors and reports being thrown out there. Ultimately, the Bucks have set an asking price, and right now, the Timberwolves cannot meet that. It will be a different conversation in the offseason when they have more draft capital, but it is still hard to see the front office accept that offer, unless Giannis really wants to take his talents to Minneapolis.