The latest Timberwolves trade rumors on Trae Young, Rob Dillingham, more

Trae Young reportedly has interest in playing for the Timberwolves, which shouldn't come as a surprise. From his perspective, there'd be a lot to like about the fit alongside Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert in Minnesota.

But as we covered this week, the fit doesn't make much sense for the Wolves. That's mostly due to Young's price tag and how many players they'd have to give up to trade for him, but there are also questions about the basketball fit and Young's impact on winning. So it similarly shouldn't come as a surprise that the Timberwolves don't appear to be considering a trade for Young, who is actively being shopped by the Hawks.

"I'm told that Young’s camp has suggested Minnesota and Brooklyn, from their side, as two attractive potential destinations," wrote insider Jake Fischer. "Yet I'm also told that neither the Timberwolves nor the Nets are in pursuit. For all the leaguewide discussion about the Timberwolves' search for more playmaking, they would face similar issues in a theoretical Young trade as Milwaukee. How many key players would the Wolves have to sacrifice to match Young's salary? Answer: Too many."

Anthony Edwards — Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Because Young is making nearly $46 million this season and the Wolves can't take back more salary in a trade than they sound out due to first apron restrictions, they'd have to include at least three players — a package would be along the lines of Julius Randle, Mike Conley, and Rob Dillingham — to trade for him. That doesn't sound like something the Wolves are interested in. And while putting together a deal for Ja Morant ($39.5 million) or LaMelo Ball ($38 million) would be slightly more doable, it doesn't appear the Wolves have any plans on making a massive in-season move.

"The Wolves have prized depth ever since they made the difficult decision to part with Karl-Anthony Towns to turn that contract into Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo," Fischer wrote. "I've been told pretty emphatically this week that Minnesota is not only uninvolved on the Young front but also isn't chasing any high-priced guards."

That probably means Darius Garland, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving aren't realistic options either. Instead, Fischer's belief is that Tim Connelly and the Timberwolves are interested in adding a medium-salaried rotational guard.

"It sounds as if the Wolves, should they make a move to enhance their backcourt, are much more focused on adding a mid-tier-salaried player at the position," he wrote. "They can easily combine Mike Conley Jr.’s $10.7 million expiring contract and second-year guard Rob Dillingham's $6.5 million to absorb incoming salary in the mid-level-exception range and could conceivably add a few more end-of-roster players if they need to go a little higher."

In regards to Dillingham specifically, Fischer believes the Wolves are open to moving on from the 8th overall pick in the 2024 draft, who is currently out of their rotation and on the verge of bust territory despite just turning 21 years old. A change of scenery may be what he needs.

"I have heard, by the way, that parting with Dillingham is indeed on the table," Fischer wrote. "The Wolves were certainly aggressive in acquiring the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to select Dillingham, but he simply hasn't been able to fill Minnesota’s playmaking needs as quickly as hoped and could well benefit from a change of scenery."

In terms of medium-salaried guards the Wolves could pursue before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, the list is long. The Bulls' Coby White ($13 million) and Ayo Dosunmu ($7.5 million) could both make sense. There have been rumblings of Minnesota interest in the Kings' Malik Monk ($19 million). Collin Sexton is another $19 million option that's been floated. The options go on.

As for Young, it continues to sound like the Washington Wizards are his most likely landing spot.

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