The Portland Trail Blazers recently concluded an underwhelming campaign in the 2020-21 season as they suffered yet another first-round exit in the postseason. The team's failure to advance deep in the playoffs certainly wasted a prime year of their main man in Damian Lillard. This brings us to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Well, in a second it will.
As of the moment, the six-time All-Star is still under contract with the team due to the five-year, $140 million supermax extension that he signed back in 2016-17. However, Lillard has already been carrying the team on his back ever since he entered the league. Each year seems to be the same old story for the Trail Blazers as the front office has failed to surround Lillard with better weapons.
With how the team fared over the past seasons, it wouldn't be surprising if the star point guard demands a trade in the future. One of his possible destinations could be the Minnesota Timberwolves who have a handful of pieces that they could offer for the Trail Blazers in exchange for Lillard. Here is a trade that could potentially work between both sides:
Timberwolves trade Anthony Edwards, Jarrett Culver, and Ricky Rubio for Lillard
Minnesota can offer a promising rising star in Anthony Edwards to be the centerpiece of the trade from their side. The 19-year-old recently concluded the 2020-21 season as the second leading rookie of his batch behind LaMelo Ball. With his impressive showing, Edwards will be a perfect piece for the Trail Blazers' rebuild and will certainly be a threat for the rest of the league in the years to come.
Adding to the mix is another young talent in Jarrett Culver who has shown flashes of his potential in his first two seasons in the league. Though he has yet to fully develop, the Texas Tech product can certainly be molded to serve as a productive contributor for any team moving forward.
In anticipation of getting Lillard, the Timberwolves can also unload a savvy veteran in Ricky Rubio. The Spaniard is still capable of being a solid backup playmaker as he averaged 8.1 points, 6.4 assists, and 3.3 rebounds through 68 appearances last season.
For Minnesota, they will certainly get an MVP-caliber player in Lillard – one that they failed to have ever since the days of Kevin Garnett. With him on their roster, the Timberwolves will finally have a true point guard as he is expected to play alongside D'Angelo Russell who can slide at the starting shooting guard position.
Completing the potential big three of Minnesota would be center Karl-Anthony Towns. The two-time All-Star remains to be one of the league's best young big men after he averaged 24.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, and a career-best 4.5 assists in 50 games played last season. Currently playing at 25 years of age, Towns is expected to get even better and reach his ceiling as his career progresses.
Though the Timberwolves may be letting go of Edwards, Culver, and Rubio in this potential trade, the team still has a handful of solid players left on their roster. In that case, pieces such as Malik Beasley, Josh Okogie, and Naz Reid would still be vital contributors to the team.
More than the added firepower, Lillard would definitely help the Timberwolves become a more attractive destination for free agents as the team is expected to gain significant buzz due to his arrival. Additionally, acquiring Lillard would definitely benefit Minnesota, given that the Timberwolves remain to be one of the small market teams in the league today.
At the same time, Portland would also receive promising players that could be at the center of their rebuilding efforts moving forward. Though Damian Lillard has yet to be made available through trade, the Timberwolves could still hit the phone in a longshot attempt to acquire the star point guard that can potentially revive their title hopes in the years to come.
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