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Could this actually happen?
The Minnesota Timberwolves finished the 2025-26 season at 49-33 and made it to the second round of the playoffs before the San Antonio Spurs sent them home in six games.
Minnesota has been to the postseason five straight years now, including two trips to the Western Conference Finals, and still the Wolves keep walking away feeling like they are one piece short.
That feeling has brought them back to the biggest name on the trade market.
Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported this week that Minnesota reached back out to Milwaukee about Giannis Antetokounmpo, who averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game in just 36 games this season before a knee injury shut him down.
"I'm told that the Timberwolves, for example, indeed circled back to the Bucks this week to see what it would take to make another run at pairing Antetokounmpo with Anthony Edwards," Stein wrote.
Stein also noted that the idea of playing alongside Edwards "had quietly appealed to Giannis for some time."
But the Bucks are reportedly asking for more now than the two sides discussed in the winter, when Minnesota was at the front of the chase alongside Golden State and Miami.
The difficult part for Minnesota is putting together a package that meets Milwaukee's rising price.
The Bucks went 32-50 and missed the playoffs this season, so they want young talent, draft picks and salary that works.
The Wolves could build a deal around Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels, both of whom carry large contracts that help with salary matching, and attach the No. 28 pick they got from Detroit along with a future first.
Whether that is enough remains unclear.
Randle is a solid starter but not the type of young centerpiece that usually anchors a superstar trade return.
McDaniels brings more upside as a two-way wing, but it is hard to know if the Bucks view that combination as enough to part with a two-time MVP.
The reason to go all in comes down to Anthony Edwards, who posted 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game across 61 games while shooting 48.9 percent from the field.
Edwards is 24 and entering the prime of his career, and three straight playoff runs have ended without a title.
The window to build around him is open right now, and pairing him with Antetokounmpo would give Minnesota a duo that few teams in the league could match.
Losing Randle and McDaniels would thin the roster out.
But Minnesota has reached a point where small moves probably are not going to push them over the top, and Tim Connelly has to decide whether being good enough for the second round is good enough at all when a player like Giannis might be available.
Continue reading...
The Minnesota Timberwolves finished the 2025-26 season at 49-33 and made it to the second round of the playoffs before the San Antonio Spurs sent them home in six games.
Minnesota has been to the postseason five straight years now, including two trips to the Western Conference Finals, and still the Wolves keep walking away feeling like they are one piece short.
That feeling has brought them back to the biggest name on the trade market.
Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported this week that Minnesota reached back out to Milwaukee about Giannis Antetokounmpo, who averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game in just 36 games this season before a knee injury shut him down.
"I'm told that the Timberwolves, for example, indeed circled back to the Bucks this week to see what it would take to make another run at pairing Antetokounmpo with Anthony Edwards," Stein wrote.
Stein also noted that the idea of playing alongside Edwards "had quietly appealed to Giannis for some time."
But the Bucks are reportedly asking for more now than the two sides discussed in the winter, when Minnesota was at the front of the chase alongside Golden State and Miami.
What Could Minnesota Actually Offer?
The difficult part for Minnesota is putting together a package that meets Milwaukee's rising price.
The Bucks went 32-50 and missed the playoffs this season, so they want young talent, draft picks and salary that works.
The Wolves could build a deal around Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels, both of whom carry large contracts that help with salary matching, and attach the No. 28 pick they got from Detroit along with a future first.
Whether that is enough remains unclear.
Randle is a solid starter but not the type of young centerpiece that usually anchors a superstar trade return.
McDaniels brings more upside as a two-way wing, but it is hard to know if the Bucks view that combination as enough to part with a two-time MVP.
Why Minnesota Would Gut the Roster Anyway
The reason to go all in comes down to Anthony Edwards, who posted 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game across 61 games while shooting 48.9 percent from the field.
Edwards is 24 and entering the prime of his career, and three straight playoff runs have ended without a title.
The window to build around him is open right now, and pairing him with Antetokounmpo would give Minnesota a duo that few teams in the league could match.
Losing Randle and McDaniels would thin the roster out.
But Minnesota has reached a point where small moves probably are not going to push them over the top, and Tim Connelly has to decide whether being good enough for the second round is good enough at all when a player like Giannis might be available.
Continue reading...
