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The Minnesota Timberwolves finished the 2020-21 NBA season with a 23-39 record in the regular season and ended 13th in the Western Conference. Though they have missed the NBA Playoffs for the third straight season, there were some issues that we have to consider.
For starters, the Minnesota Timberwolves had their best player, Karl-Anthony Towns, on the floor for 50 of the 72 games of the team. Moreover, D'Angelo Russell only played in 42 games last year and the team's second-best scorer, Malik Beasley, appeared in 37 games.
Three players the Minnesota Timberwolves can use in trade packages during the 2021 NBA offseason
The 2020-21 Minnesota Timberwolves would've been even worse under the circumstances, but the first overall pick, Anthony Edwards, showed up and kept the team a bit away from finishing with the worst record in the league.
The team now needs to improve for the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season, and it can only happen via trades as the team does not have picks in the 2021 NBA Draft.
In this article, we will see three players that the Minnesota Timberwolves could look at as trade material in order to improve for the upcoming 2020-21 NBA season.
Without further ado, let us start.
#3 D'Angelo Russell
Under different circumstances, D'Angelo Russell would be first on this list. However, the Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly expecting to keep him even if they acquire some other star names like Ben Simmons from the Philadelphia 76ers.
Moreover, Russell's big salary (over $30 million) is not something that every other team would like to acquire for a player that has had an injury-plagued 2020-21 NBA campaign.
Russell is definitely a big NBA talent. He's been an All-Star in the past and the Minnesota Timberwolves had a winning record when the guard and Karl-Anthony Towns were on the floor together (13-11).
Russell averaged 19 points and 5.8 assists in 42 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves last year and posted shooting splits of 43/38/76.
#2 Malik Beasley
Malik Beasley has been solid for the Minnesota Timberwolves since he arrived via trade from the Denver Nuggets on February 5th, 2020. Beasley has averages of 19.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game (51 appearances) for the Timberwolves with 44/40/82 shooting splits.
The 6' 4'' shooting guard, however, might not be a priority for the Minnesota Timberwolves' starting lineup, as Anthony Edwards has surely earned a place as one of the cornerstone pieces for the team going forward and he is a SG too.
Moreover, Beasley has a salary over $15 million and the Minnesota Timberwolves could be willing to include him in trade packages. The receiving team would be very interested too, as the 24-year-old seems to be on an upwards trend and could definitely help any team in the league.
#1 Ricky Rubio
The Minnesota Timberwolves could have a great asset in Ricky Rubio, as the Spaniard and the organization can take advantage of the importance of the point guard.
There are reports that solid players in point guard positions could be heavily demanded in the 2021 NBA offseason, and there are certainly some contending teams, like the LA Lakers, who are reportedly on the market for a veteran point guard.
Rubio meets the criteria of a veteran point guard and he remains a solid one, even though he is coming off a down year. Rubio added 8.6 points and 6.4 assists per game last year, also with 1.4 steals per game. His shooting splits were not great as he put up a 38/30/86 shooting line.
However, he's been solid throughout his career and could be a solid addition to any contending team, possibly being a point guard coming off the bench and be a playmaker for his teammates.
The 30-year-old Spanish guard, who is actively looking for a gold medal with Spain at the 2021 Olympics, has career averages of 11 points and 7.6 assists with 39/33/84 shooting splits.
He is not a great shooter, but he can certainly create offense for an entire team, which means that the Minnesota Timberwolves would not be hindered by keeping him.
Moreover, he will be in the final year of his deal in the 2021-22 NBA season and is set to be paid over $17 million, which could make the Minnesota Timberwolves put him on the trade market before losing him for nothing.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: Minnesota Timberwolves pursuing Atlanta Hawks’ Danilo Gallinari
Guess the Lakers players!
