The Minnesota Timberwolves ended their playoff dry spell by winning the play-in tournament to make it. Minnesota then took the Memphis Grizzlies to six games, but they were unable to hold onto double-digit leads.

If the Timberwolves had held onto leads, they likely would have made it to the 2nd round. Minnesota needs to make changes to its roster if they want to compete in the Western Conference.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards are the cornerstones of the franchise, and they have dynamic talent. Those are great building blocks. The Timberwolves need to focus on surrounding them with players that fit well.

Edwards had a phenomenal playoff run, averaging 25.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and three assists. He shot 45.5 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from behind the arc. He will be entering his third season in the NBA and will only get better. The former number one overall pick is an all-around scorer that can get a bucket any time.

Towns is the other star, who is one of the most prolific scoring bigs in the league. He is a three-level scorer but was inconsistent in the series against the Memphis Grizzlies. In Game 3, he only had four shot attempts and finished with eight points.

If the Timberwolves want to make a deep run, they will need Towns to be more aggressive.

With that said, here is one player the Timberwolves must trade in the 2022 NBA offseason.

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The Timberwolves Trade That Must Be Made

D'Angelo Russell

Back in the 2019-20 season, Minnesota traded Andrew Wiggins in a deal to acquire D'Angelo Russell. Russell and Towns were expected to be a great offensive duo, but it has not panned out.

In the playoffs, Russell struggled mightily on offensive. He isn't a good defender on the other end either. He averaged 12 points per game while shooting 33.3 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from three. He also averaged 2.8 turnovers per contest, which was not beneficial to their offensive production.

In order to best build around Edwards and Towns, adding more defenders could be valuable. The New York Knicks have emerged as the most likely destination for the former All-Star guard. While a trade wouldn't yield a star in return, they could add quality depth.

The Knicks have good role players on the roster that could help Minnesota have a more well-rounded team. New York is in the market for a point guard and have the role players to pursue a trade for the 27-year-old guard. He was a dynamic star in Brooklyn, and a new situation could help him get back to that level.

In the regular season, the Timberwolves point guard was better than his postseason performance. He averaged 18.1 points per game while dishing out 7.1 assists. He shot 41.1 percent from the field and 34 percent from downtown.

Russell is in trade rumors already, and the Timberwolves could act on this as soon as Thursday night. If they can add a quality defender, build out their depth, or open up money to do so in free agency, it would be a deal worth doing.

Minnesota has given Timberwolves fans a glimpse of what being in the playoffs is like. Edwards and Towns have the talent to get them back, and now it's time to upgrade the roster to make a deeper run.