'Good chance' Wolves make a trade before February, top insider says

There sure are a lot of dots connecting the Timberwolves to the Bulls.

Sep 29, 2025; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly speaks to the media during media day at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Of all the rumors about point guards and backup big men, the top Timberwolves insider doesn't believe either of those is at the top of Minnesota's list.

"I believe that wing-scorer, ball-handler, bench boost is probably the biggest thing that this team needs right now," Jon Krawczysnki said Tuesday on his podcast, The Jon Krawczynski Show. "It would be nice to have a third option with [Bones Hyland] and Naz Reid, so that even if both of them are having a tough night, your bench isn't just sunk."

Terrence Shannon Jr. was supposed to seamlessly replace Nickeil Alexander-Walker as a 3-and-D wing off the bench, but he's struggled on both ends of the floor and is now dealing with a foot injury.

"If I were Tim Connelly, I would be looking for an Ayo Dosunmu from Chicago, maybe a Coby White. I don't think it's Malik Monk, but some kind of wing, guard off the bench who can handle the ball a little bit, who can score, give you some points, and ideally can play a little defense. That's a small needle to thread, but I think that should be the priority over the backup big and over a point guard."

The NBA trade deadline hits at 3 p.m. CT on February 5. Krawczynski thinks there's a "good chance" Minnesota makes a trade before the deadline, though he's skeptical of how big a trade will be.

"I would just say like, yes, I think that they are trying to look at deals. I would even say I think that there's a good chance they do make a trade before February. It's just, I would be really surprised if it's of the really big variety," Krawczynski added, noting that Tre Jones, the Minnesota native who plays for the Chicago Bulls, is an intriguing name brought up by one of his followers on X.

"That's a really interesting guy for me. Would Chicago part with him? I'm not sure," Krawczynski said. "But somebody like that, a bench guy who could come in and play some for you, for a relatively small price. That's what it feels like we're headed towards here.

Jones, by the way, is playing on a three-year, $24 million contract. We wrote about Jones and Dosumu on Monday, and we've been paying close enough attention to even notice how head coach Chris Finch admitted how much Bulls basketball he's been watching recently, which led to speculation that he might be scouting their guards.