There have been a few teams around the NBA looking to make a major splash over the past few months, and one of them has been the Minnesota Timberwolves. Reports had indicated that the Timberwolves were interested in Kevin Durant before he was traded to the Houston Rockets.Â
As others potentially become available, including LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers after the recent rumors surrounding the all-time great, some believe the Timberwolves could be a perfect landing spot. That includes Sports Illustrated, which recently proposed an idea to land James in Minnesota for a decent haul.Â
Hawks Receive: Mike Conley
Lakers Receive: Rudy Gobert, Donte DiVincenzo, and a 2032 unprotected 1st round pick swap
Timberwolves Receive: LeBron James, Bronny James, Dalton Knecht, and Vit Krejci
âIf James wants out, the Lakers could still use a center and there are not many centers that are better defenders than Gobert. While he is aging, he is still an elite rim protector and would be just the kind of player that pairs well with Luka Doncic. DiVincenzo would give the Lakers a huge boost on the bench and getting a potentially valuable pick swap would be the icing on the cake. The Lakers would be a deeper and more complete team after this trade and they still have enough assets to make another move if they wanted,â they wrote.
Does the Deal Make Sense for Both Sides?
From the Los Angeles Lakers’ perspective, this might be a deal that makes some sense. However, it’s also important to question whether the Minnesota Timberwolves would want to take James and give up this many players and picks in a deal.Â
Considering they were just interested in trading for Durant, they were certainly looking for a star. However, would they want to go all out and add James despite his age?Â
Sports Illustrated believes there’s a case for it.Â
âThey switch up their roster by moving Gobert and DiVincenzo in hopes that this gets them over the hump. Naz Reid can take over at center for Gobert, and James can pair up with Edwards and Randle to try and lead Minnesota to the Finals. Getting off of Gobert’s contract might be a smart move since he has three years left on it. Knecht and Bronny James give them young players to develop, as well as Krejci, who is a high-level passer and three-point shooter,â SI added.
Will the Lakers Cut Ties With LeBron?
It’ll be interesting to see what the Los Angeles Lakers do over the next few months, as they could decide to move on from James if things aren’t working out.Â
However, at the end of the day, the front office has to understand that if they want to win at the highest level, it might require them to keep the all-timer in town. At the end of the day, it isn’t like Rudy Gobert and others in that proposed trade would be exactly what they need.
James certainly isn’t what he once was, and that’s tough to ignore at this point in his career, but to suggest that he’s anything less than a top 10 to 15 player in the league still is unfair after what he did a year ago.
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