Kyrie Irving reportedly had Timberwolves on his radar in 2018

Imagine if Minnesota had drafted Irving or traded for him in 2018....

Jun 5, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) and guard A.J. Lawson (9) laugh with teammates during the NBA Finals Media Day at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports | Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Living in the past doesn't do anyone any good, but it sure is fun to think about what might've been. Enter the latest whopper of a story from Yahoo! Sports' Jake Fischer, who is reporting that Kyrie Irving had the Timberwolves on a short list of teams he wanted to be traded to in 2018.

According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, Irving’s then-agent, Jeffrey Wechsler, informed Gilbert that his client preferred to be dealt to either the Spurs, Knicks, Timberwolves or Heat, with the list intentionally excluding the Celtics — the franchise Cleveland had just faced in Eastern Conference finals. And once Wechsler secured permission from Gilbert to contact opposing teams, sources said, he and then-Celtics president Danny Ainge engaged in frequent dialogue about Irving’s trade market.

Jake Fischer, Yahoo! Sports

Irving wound up being traded to Boston and the rest is history. He's now preparing to face the Celtics in the NBA Finals after he and Luka Doncic roared through the Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals.

Irving has always been closely connected to Minnesota. He was the No. 1 overall pick by the Cavaliers in 2011 after Cleveland won the lottery on a 2.8% chance to do so. The Timberwolves had a 25% chance to win the No. 1 overall pick that year but wound up at No. 2, where they drafted Derrick Williams.

Who knows where the Timberwolves would've gone had they drafted Irving to pair with Kevin Love in 2011. But it's possible that the result of not getting Irving and then not trading for him in 2018 allowed Minnesota to be bad enough to draft Anthony Edwards in 2020.