Are the Wolves About to Strike Out on All of Their Top Trade Targets?

The first round of the NBA Draft arrives on Tuesday, and it appears that the fireworks have been lit and the long-anticipated show of blockbuster trades and surprises could begin any moment. Will the Minnesota Timberwolves be featured?

While ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported Sunday that Minnesota, along with Boston and Miami, are the three teams vying for Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, the latest intel on Monday suggests that it's a two-team race between the Celtics and Heat.

Marc Stein, via his The Stein Line Substack, says Minnesota has been out of the running for Antetokounmpo since Friday. Stein says that's when the Bucks informed the Wolves that the Bucks want "even more now than the teams discussed in the winter."

ESPN's Shams Charania is also reporting Monday that the Celtics and Heat are finalists in the battle to acquire the 10-time All-Star and two-time league MVP.

Jon Krawczynski, the longtime Timberwolves beat reporter who works for The Athletic, isn't quite ready to completely rule the Wolves out of the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, although he believes the odds are slim.

"The longer the Bucks go without getting a deal done with another team, the more the door stays open for Minnesota. But it seems like a very long shot at this point," he reported Monday.

Krawcyznski is also reporting that Minnesota has pivoted from interest in Kyrie Irving, who appears unlikely to be traded by Dallas, to other guards, including Boston's Derrick White and Chicago's Josh Giddey. However, the Celtics and Bulls may not be intrigued by what Minnesota can offer.

"Minnesota has been most aggressive in pursuing White," Krawczynski wrote, "but so far the Celtics have rebuffed the Wolves’ advances."

"Giddey is another intriguing name, especially given the Bulls’ new regime that was not responsible for bringing him to Chicago," Krawczynski added. "But the Wolves have not received indications that the Bulls are willing to deal him, at least for what Minnesota can offer."

Another name floated by Krawczynski is New Orleans forward Trey Murphy III. Murphy would help Minnesota space the floor in the absence of Donte DiVincenzo, who will miss the majority of next season recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, but he doesn't give Minnesota the No. 1 ballhandler they need to allow Anthony Edwards to play his natural position at shooting guard.

If the Wolves strike out in their efforts to land a true point guard, they can't also lose Ayo Dosunmu in free agency. Dosunmu has quite a bit of leverage as free agency negotiations can begin at 5 p.m. CT on June 30, and if Minnesota doesn't meet his price point soon, other teams can enter the chat and drive up the price even further.

Meanwhile, the Wolves brought in Alabama point guard Labaron Philon for a pre-draft workout last week. Are they going to trade up from No. 28 to draft him? Where there's smoke, there's usually fire. Maybe Tim Connelly is cooking up something big, and no one knows what it is. We're about to find out, that's for sure.

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