Trade deadline day: Dreaming up Collin Sexton with the Timberwolves

While you can't trade injured players in NBA2K, you damn sure can in the real NBA — and we're cooking up a fake trade featuring a couple of injured players that could solve Minnesota's issues at point guard: Julius Randle and Collin Sexton.

Mike Conley has regressed significantly in his age-37 season and rookie Rob Dillingham hasn't garnered the full trust of head coach Chris Finch. That's why Sexton is a great trade target for the Timberwolves before Thursday's 2 p.m. CT deadline.

It probably won't happen, but the idea of adding Sexton is intriguing. He's making $18.3 million this season and is due $19.1 million in 2025-26 before becoming eligible for free agency. He's only 26 years old and he's averaging 18.3 points while shooting 41.3% from three.

"If you're looking for offense from the backcourt, Sexton is probably the best bet below the $20 million salary point," Sam Vecenie wrote in The Athletic. "It wouldn't stun me to see the Jazz get the equivalent of a late first-round pick back for Sexton if they moved him. There aren't a significant number of playmaking guards out on the market, and Sexton just turned 26."

The Timberwolves could package Julius Randle and the 2025 Utah second-round pick or the 2025 Detroit first-round pick for Sexton and another player contract the Jazz want to dump. The money works for both teams, it instantly solves Minnesota's point guard issue while guaranteeing Minnesota has enough money to re-sign Naz Reid. It also gives Reid the permanent spot in the starting lineup.

The Jazz would likely be getting Randle only for the rest of this season because the odds of him picking up his $31 million player option to stay in Utah next season would be slim to none under the assumption that he wants to play for a contender.

Minnesota's starting five would be Sexton, Anthony Ewards, Jaden McDaniels, Reid and Rudy Gobert. Conley would be the primary backup point guard with Dillingham mixing in while developing. The Wolves then still have Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Donte DiVincenzo and the budding game of Jaylen Clark off the bench.

It probably won't happen, but if the Timberwolves aren't too attached to their draft picks this seems like a logical win-win for both teams. The only sticking point we can see is that when DiVincenzo returns from his toe injury, he wouldn't be in the starting lineup—and he was thriving as a starter before he suffered the injury.

There's a lot to digest in these fictional scenarios, but this is a fun idea to think about.