When Kyrie Irving asked for a trade and was no longer interested in being a Cleveland Cavalier, he had no say as to where he would end up and that will not change. Despite Cleveland being able to trade Irving anywhere they wish, that didn’t stop the Duke product from listing his preferred destinations, one of those teams being the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Irving has always been close to their most recent star addition in Jimmy Butler and their solidified core makes them an attractive destination. Adding an elite level point guard to Butler and stud big man Karl-Anthony Towns would propel the Wolves up in the Western Conference pecking order and the two stars know this. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Towns and Butler have been busy trying to facilitate a trade that brings Irving to Minnesota:
Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns, sources tell me, have been lobbying both Irving and the Wolves’ decision-makers to make a trade happen. If the package included Jeff Teague (albeit with a do-not-break-glass-until-Dec.-15 caveat to it), it would give Cleveland the potential to be better in a seven-game series against Golden State.
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While the Wolves already roster a starting caliber point guard in free agent acquisition Jeff Teague, he is certainly no Kyrie Irving. Along with Teague, the Wolves would undoubtedly have to give up a star and the only one who fits that bill is Andrew Wiggins.
Moving Wiggins would likely be something Minnesota isn’t interested in doing, especially since reports recently surfaced that the two sides were already working on a contract extension. However, these talks came before Irving’s uneasiness in Cleveland became public and if they have a legitimate chance to land the franchise-altering talent that is Kyrie, the Wolves front office could reconsider their future plans and their perceived commitment to Wiggins.
A package including Wiggins could be enough for the Cavs to give up Irving, as the front office may be swayed by Wiggins’ untapped potential, especially alongside LeBron James.
With Towns and Butler vouching hard for a Kyrie trade, expect the Wolves to be involved in the Kyrie Irving sweepstakes until the very end.