Rumor: Timberwolves among teams with trade interest in Lonzo Ball

The Timberwolves are one of several teams showing interest in trading for Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

"Ball has received trade interest from several teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, and others, league sources told HoopsHype," Scotto wrote. "Ball has looked spry lately, averaging 10.2 points on 40.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc, 3.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 24.7 minutes through his last 11 games."

Among all of the rumored potential trade targets for the Wolves, Ball actually makes a lot of sense. He's a quality ball-handler and playmaker, he's a solid outside shooter, and perhaps most importantly, he's on an expiring $21.4 million deal. The former No. 2 overall pick has bounced back impressively after missing two full seasons due to injury.

A deal would realistically have to include Julius Randle, which may or may not interest Chicago. But if the Wolves' goal was to avoid the possibility of Randle picking up his $31 million player option next season — which could cause Minnesota to lose Naz Reid and/or Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the summer — a deal like this one might be the best return they could get that's centered around a player on an expiring contract:

Wolves get

- G Lonzo Ball ($21.3 million, 1 year)
- C/F Jalen Smith ($8.6 million, 3 years)

Bulls get

- F Julius Randle ($33 million, 2 years)

As mentioned, Ball would give the Wolves another option at point guard who can take care of the ball, shoot it, and defend. With Donte DiVincenzo hurt, Mike Conley struggling, and Rob Dillingham seemingly not yet earning Chris Finch's trust, that would be valuable. They'd also be getting Smith, a decent stretch big who turns 25 next month and could help make up for the loss of Randle.

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There are a couple obvious issues here that make such a trade rather unlikely. First, the Bulls would have to be interested. They're 21-29 and in the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference, and it's unclear if they'd want to add Randle and his 2025-26 player option after just trading away leading scorer Zach LaVine in the De'Aaron Fox three-team deal.

The other is that the Wolves themselves would have to be interested. All the reporting from Minnesota insiders is that Tim Connelly and company don't want to move Randle as a salary dump. The way The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski put it in his latest article was this: "Sorry Wolves fans, but they like Randle more than you do." The team seems to think highly of Randle and how he's adjusted to his role in Minnesota after a slow start. They believe the former two-time All-NBA player can help them win this year.

Would Ball and Smith be enough for the Wolves to feel like they'd be getting value back for Randle and could remain a threat in the Western Conference this season? They'd have then turned Karl-Anthony Towns into DiVincenzo, Ball's expiring deal, Smith, and the Pistons' first-rounder, which admittedly feels a bit underwhelming.

But it might be a pivot that makes sense for the Wolves if they want to prioritize Reid's present impact and his future in Minnesota. Keeping Randle around past the deadline is inherently risky when it comes to the possibility of alienating Reid, the reigning sixth man of the year. This trade might make the Wolves worse this season, but are they realistically beating teams like the Thunder and Nuggets in the playoffs as currently constructed?

The NBA trade deadline is on Thursday afternoon. It remains likely that it'll be a quiet deadline for the Wolves, but a deal involving Randle and Ball — if the Bulls are interested — is a highly intriguing idea.

Coincidentally, Ball and the Bulls are in town to play the Wolves on Wednesday night. Randle will miss his third consecutive game due to a groin strain.