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The Minnesota Timberwolves may have jumped the gun when they traded away a boatload of assets, including nascent rim protector Walker Kessler, to the Utah Jazz for Rudy Gobert. Trading for Gobert, in a vacuum, was not the problem. Gobert is a generational defensive player after all. But when arguably the team's best player (Karl-Anthony Towns) is already playing at the center position, perhaps trading for Gobert isn't the wisest decision.
Given how much the Timberwolves had to give up for Gobert, it's hard to envision them pulling the plug on that experiment anytime soon. But it's not too late for the Timberwolves to rectify their mistake — perhaps by trading for another superstar who, at the very least, would fit the team in a much better manner than the Gobert-Towns pairing, which has been a questionable fit since day one.
Enter Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.
For years, there has been much speculation regarding Lillard's future in Portland. The Blazers already peaked with him in town during the 2019 NBA playoffs, and since then, the team hasn't been able to give Dame the requisite supporting cast to contend for a championship.
Thus, Damian Lillard, despite remaining as loyal as he could be, finally requested a trade out of Portland, with the caveat being that he only wants to play for the Miami Heat. There's a chance that the Blazers accommodate Lillard's request to maintain goodwill, but for the betterment of the franchise, it's certainly in their best interest to look for trade offers elsewhere.
And could that “elsewhere” end up being the Timberwolves? The Timberwolves, at the very least, can outbid the Heat for Lillard's services — and here's the perfect trade offer they must put on the table for the Blazers star.
Timberwolves trade Karl-Anthony Towns, Jordan McLaughlin, Wendell Moore, 2028 and 2030 first-round pick swaps to the Blazers for Damian Lillard
If the Blazers want to receive as much of a haul as they could for Damian Lillard, the Brooklyn Nets stand out as a team that could offer them a package of young prospects (Cam Thomas, Noah Clowney, Dariq Whitehead), NBA-ready talent (Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith), and a plethora of first-round picks. The San Antonio Spurs are also a dark horse team to look out for in the Lillard sweepstakes.
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Meanwhile, teams such as the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, and Philadelphia 76ers may not have the draft capital necessary to entice the Blazers, unless Lillard truly forces the franchise's hand.
But in terms of acquiring a player that allows the Blazers to remain as competitive as possible for the foreseeable future, the Timberwolves may be able to offer them the best player in any prospective Damian Lillard trade — Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns has caught a lot of flak for his comments this offseason, saying that he changed the game and that what they did in Minnesota during the 2022-23 season was “more special” than the Denver Nuggets' run to the championship. Those comments certainly warrant criticism, but make no mistake about it, Towns remains a very special talent, even if he may not become the caliber of player who ends up being the best player on a championship team.
Karl-Anthony Towns' gravity as a stretch big remains borderline unprecedented, and he still averaged 20.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game last season even though he had to deal with injuries while playing out of position.
He is still an All-Star level player in the right setting, and a potential partnership between him and Scoot Henderson will be something to behold. Jerami Grant is also an ideal partner for Towns in the frontcourt. Towns masks Grant's considerable rebounding woes, while Grant helps make up for Towns' lack of interior defense with some weakside rim protection of his own.
From a Timberwolves perspective, acquiring Damian Lillard should give them a starting lineup that fits more seamlessly. A starting lineup of Lillard, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Kyle Anderson, and Rudy Gobert possesses the right blend of shooting, playmaking, and defense. Moreover, this trade also improves the team's depth, as Mike Conley transitions into a bench role to lead the likes of Naz Reid, Shake Milton, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Signing Troy Brown Jr. should make it easier for the Timberwolves to trade away Wendell Moore as well, while Lillard and Conley should render Jordan McLaughlin expendable.
The problem for the Blazers in any potential trade with the Timberwolves is that they do not have any more draft picks to trade due to the Rudy Gobert deal. Two pick swaps may be the best they could do. But acquiring a two-time All-NBA third team selection for a player who wants out should be a major win for the Blazers, especially when they could flip him for even more assets should they struggle even further.
