The Minnesota Timberwolves are off to a roaring start to the 2023-24 NBA season. The team boasts an 8-3 record, third-best in the Western Conference. The Wolves hold the best defensive rating in the NBA and the fourth-best net rating in the entire league. Minnesota has been so good to start the year—good enough, in fact, to vault toward the group of true championship contenders.
With a strong rotation, the Wolves don’t have a ton of needs, but could use some additional depth to fortify their bench as the 82-game grind continues and postseason looms. Here are some potential trade targets who fit the team's schemes and roster and should be on Minnesota's radar early in the 2023-24 NBA season.
Wizards' Tyus Jones or Delon Wright would look good in Minnesota 
Since the Timberwolves are likely buyers leading up to the February 9th trade deadline, it’s important for them to identify potential sellers. The Washington Wizards just recently began a long, drawn-out rebuild this offseason after hiring Michael Winger and Will Dawkins. Since those hirings, the team has traded Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and others. In that process, they’ve acquired other tradable assets and players with the sole prerogative of losing now to win later.
There are two veteran guards the Wizards would likely make available for trade. The first one being Tyus Jones, a familiar name to Timberwolves’ fans. Jones, a Minnesota native, played his high school basketball at Apple Valley High School. In college, Jones was a key starter on the Duke Blue Devils during their 2015 NCAA championship and then was later drafted by the Wolves in the first round.
After struggling a bit to find his footing with Minnesota amidst coaching changes and a lot of losing, Jones broke out big time with the Memphis Grizzlies as a backup point guard. Jones has displayed tremendous floor general capabilities off the bench with a career 6:1 assist to turnover ratio.
A trade for Jones would not only be a feel-good story, but a great basketball fit as well. The Wolves currently turn the ball over 15.4 times per game, the ninth-highest mark in the league. One hurdle to Minnesota re-acquiring Jones is his $14 million expiring salary. To match money in a trade, the Wolves would have to send back at least a couple players and, for value’s sake, a few small draft assets would also go to Washington.
A cheaper option also exists in the nation's capital. Delon Wright earns just $8.1 million this season, making him much easier to trade for. The 31-year-old is a natural fit for Minnesota as well on both ends of the floor. Through his career, he averages over one steal per game and offers good positional size at 6’5”. His experience and success playing around star guards like Luka Doncic, Trae Young and De’Aaron Fox would make him a solid addition next to Anthony Edwards.
As a penetrator, Wright has a great Euro-step to give Minnesota more downhill scoring. He plays with great balance and can operate with and without the basketball, key on a team featuring stars like Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Wolves should give the Bulls a call
With multiple reports lately stating the Chicago Bulls are open to dealing two-time All-Star Zach LaVine, it’s fair to assume they are internally considering themselves to be sellers. While LaVine is a big-name player, he’s not the Chicago guard Minnesota needs to covet. Alex Caruso should be the Wolves’ top trade target this season for a variety of reasons.
First of all, Caruso is affordable. Caruso makes just $9.5 million this season and and $9.9 million next season. The term and price of his contract are both phenomenal and would help Minnesota not only this season, but next year as well. The Wolves have committed a lot of money to this team with players like Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards all on max contracts. Finding cheap, good players is a necessity for star-laden teams.
The second reason the Wolves should trade for Caruso comes back to their identity. The best defense in the NBA would get even better. Caruso earned an All-Defense spot in 2022-23 for his capabilities on that end of the floor. Caruso is a switchy 6’5” guard who can defend both guards and wings while serving as a disruptive helper. He wins with quickness, positioning and defends without fouling.
The third reason Minnesota needs to target Caruso comes down to competition. If the Wolves land Caruso in a trade, that means some other Western Conference contender did not acquire him. Teams like the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors will likely all bid for his services. The difference in having Caruso or your opponent having Caruso could literally dictate who wins or loses a playoff series.
With all of the interest in Caruso, Minnesota will have to outbid others and get creative to do so. The Wolves can currently offer first-round pick swaps in 2024, 2028 and 2030 as well as second round picks in 2024, 2025, 2026, 2029 and 2030. With this collection of assets, Minnesota might be able to get something done on the market, whether it’s for Jones, Wright, Caruso or another veteran contributor on the perimeter. The Wolves should consider themselves a viable title contender, and making a deal to win now could seriously bolster their odds at competing on the highest levels come playoff time.
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