With the duo of Karl Anthony-Towns and Rudy Gobert still feeling like an awkward fit, the Minnesota Timberwolves were among the teams tied to the Portland Trail Blazers and the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

The Blazers would keep the pick, selecting explosive G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson on Thursday night. However, there never seemed to be much traction on a deal involving KAT or the No. 3 pick anyways, according to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski (h/t The Jon Krawczynski Show).

However, Minnesota “received a ton of interest in Jaden McDaniels,” Krawczynski reports, with teams all over the draft board calling and inquiring on his availability. The Wolves rebuffed every offer, viewing McDaniels as a huge piece of the team’s long-term future.”

One of the lone bright spots for the Timberwolves last season, the 22-year-old McDaniels broke out as an elite multi-positional defender in what was just his third season. The 28th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, McDaniels has already exceeded the expectations of many despite having more room to grow.

Averaging career-highs of 12.1 points per game, 51.7 percent shooting from the field and 39.8 percent shooting from 3, McDaniels can continue exploring his offensive game for a Timberwolves team that only has a couple of volume scorers. Given his positional versatility, McDaniels can start at small forward alongside KAT and Gobert in the frontcourt or slide to power forward in the event that one of Towns or Gobert get traded down the line.

What can be certain though, given their reluctance to surrender McDaniels and their decision to acquire G League Ignite forward Leonard Miller at No. 33, is that Minnesota wants to improve their defense.