As far as misfortune goes, the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise has certainly had its fair share over the years. From disappointing draft picks, to free agents and trade acquisitions that didn’t pan out.
The Wolves tried to turn that bad luck around this season after they pulled off a trade for D’Ángelo Russell back in February. If only the Wolves had D’Lo at the beginning of the year, and Karl-Anthony Towns stayed healthy, maybe they would have had a chance to at least be invited in the bubble in Orlando, Florida.
The jury is still out if the Russell deal will pay dividends, but acquiring a second All-Star is indeed a step in the right direction for the disenchanted franchise.
The Wolves still had meaningful transactions over the course of history, and they’re hoping the Russell deal will one day be part of that list.
Here are five of the best trades made by the Timberwolves in their franchise history.
5. Wiggins for Love (2014)
Wiggins didn’t pan out to be the superstar that many thought he’ll be, but he still gave the Timberwolves a nice and young building block after the Kevin Love era ended. He was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014, but was shipped out to the Wolves shortly in a three-team deal that involves the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Wolves parted ways with the disgruntled Love and got Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, and Thaddeus Young in return. The 6-foot-7 Canadian developed into a lethal scorer in his six seasons in Minnessota. Pundits thought he was on his way to superstardom following a stellar third year, but regressed in the following seasons. Minny only managed to reach the playoffs once during that stretch, where they were bounced out of the first round in 2018.
Wig would eventually be the cornerstone of that deal with the Golden State Warriors that allowed the Wolves to pair KAT with Russell.
4. Jimmy Butler “rental” (2017 and 2018)
The Timberwolves briefly had a three-headed monster of Butler, Towns, and Wiggins in 2017, after they shipped Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and rights to Lauri Markkanen for the two-way star.
Pundits thought Butler’s leadership and no-nonsense attitude would rub off on the Wolves’ young stars. Butler was instrumental in the Wolves’ return to the postseason in 2018. However, he was highly critical of both KAT and Wig and wanted out after just one year.
As phenomenal of a player Butler was, there’s no sense in keeping someone who doesn’t want to be there. They traded him to the Sixers the following season and received a nice haul of Jerryd Bayless, Robert Covington, Dario Šarić, and a 2022 second-round draft pick.
3. Giving KG the PG he needed in Cassell (2003)
Cassell was already a two-time NBA champion with the Houston Rockets by the time the Wolves came calling in ’03.
Minnesota had one of the best players in the league, Kevin Garnett, but still failed to make a splash in the West since he barely got help.
The Timberwolves brass reached an agreement with the Milwaukee Bucks to swap underwhelming players Anthony Peeler and Joe Smith for Cassell and Ervin Johnson.
The 6-foot-3 playmaker was already 34 at the time, but proved to be the missing piece needed to elevate the Wolves to the top. Bannered by the trio of Garnett, Cassell, and Latrell Sprewell, the Wolves notched the best record in the Western Conference that year. Cassell also made the All-Star team for the first and only time that season.
His back injury in the Western Conference Finals played a major factor in the Wolves losing the series to the Lakers in six games. The ’03 season was Minnesota’s most successful run in franchise history, and they have yet to replicate that feat ever since.
2. Garnett’s homecoming (2015)
Speaking of The Big Ticket, it was only fitting that he finished his career with the franchise that he put in the basketball map. Although Garnett is no longer the perennial All-Star by the time the Wolves got him back in 2015, his return was certainly a monumental moment for the struggling franchise.
The Timberwolves willingly parted ways with serviceable big Thaddeus Young just to get KG back from the Brooklyn Nets.
Minny endured another losing season in 2015-16, but Garnett managed to mentor the franchise’s next great big man in Karl-Anthony Towns.
He announced his retirement in 2016, putting an end to an illustrious 21-year career.
1. Landing another game-changing “Kevin” (2008)
The Timberwolves were in good position to draft a promising player since they had the third pick in the 2008 draft. They initially took the high-scoring OJ Mayo, but thought they could flip him for another young asset along with several players.
They swapped picks with the Grizzlies, who selected UCLA standout Kevin Love at 5th. Minny received rights to Love, along with Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, and Jason Collins in exchange for Mayo, Antoine Walker, Marko Jarić, and Greg Buckner.
At first, it looked like the Wolves made the wrong choice after Mayo got off to a hot start in his early seasons. Love, however, eventually developed into a more complete player and became the franchise's cornerstone in the post-Garnett era.
Love made three All-Star teams in six seasons with Minny and notched 19.2 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.
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