Wolves Prove They Made the Right Call By Not Trading For Giannis

A little over 24 hours after his own head coach called out him out for not following the game plan, Terrence Shannon Jr. was bursting down the lane to throw down a thunderous dunk, giving the Wolves a seven-point lead late in Minnesota's series-ending win over the Nuggets. Shannon displayed his blazing speed and scoring ability on the national stage, helping the undermanned Wolves advance to the conference semifinals, and giving Minnesota and even brighter long-term outlook.

When asked after the 110-98 win what's impressed him the most about the second-year guard, Jaden McDaniels stated, "The work."

"Even if he had a bad game, he's still coming in and putting in work," added McDaniels. "If he had a good game, he's always coming to work. It got to a point where we had to ban him from working out. So, I mean, it's just a good thing. And you see it tonight. He comes in with confidence and we all knew TJ could do this. So, it's not a surprise to us and I'm just happy for him."

Apr 30, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) celebrates making a shot against the Denver Nuggets in the second half during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

While Shannon played the spark plug role for Minnesota on Thursday night, McDaniels, once again, manned the superstar role for a Wolves team missing three of their best offensive weapons in Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo, and Ayo Dosunmu. McDaniels finished the evening with a career-high 32 points on 13-of-25 shooting, while grabbing 10 boards and adding three assists. More importantly, McDaniels effectively shut down Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, who has a history of starring performances in elimination games.

Murray shot a miserable 4 of 17 from the field. Overall, throughout the series, Murray made only 15 of 47 shots when McDaniels was the primary defender.

Jamal Murray's final stats with Jaden McDaniels as the primary defender this series:

G6 — 2 PTS // 1-6 FG
G5 — 5 PTS // 2-6 FG
G4 — 14 PTS // 4-11 FG
G3 — 6 PTS // 3-8 FG
G2 — 8 PTS // 3-9 FG
G1 — 11 PTS // 2-7 FG

In the regular season, Murray shot 14-25 (56%) vs. McDaniels.
— Charlie Walton (@CharlieWaltonMN) May 1, 2026

In the aftermath of Edwards' knee injury, the Wolves increasingly relied on McDaniels. The sixth-year guard entered the postseason off of what was his best offensive season, averaging a career-high 14.8 points per game on 51% shooting. Despite the added attention, McDaniels has stepped it up in the playoffs, averaging 17.8 points, including his 32-point outburst on Thursday night.

Rethinking the Giannis trade that never happened

What the Timberwolves got from McDaniels in the series, trash-talking included, as well as from Terrence Shannon Jr. in Thursday's Game 6, was almost for naught.

Earlier in the season, with the days ticking towards the NBA trade deadline, McDaniels and, to a lesser extent, Shannon were included in hypothetical trade packages for Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo. While the Bucks were reportedly more focused on landing picks in any blockbuster swap, the Wolves, who didn't have too many picks to bargain with, were one of the leading teams among the trade discussions.

The proposed packages often included McDaniels, the picks the Wolves could offer, and other depth pieces, sometimes including Shannon. Those talks eventually stalled, and Antetokounmpo stayed in Milwaukee, while McDaniels and Shannon remained in Wolves jerseys.

It wasn't the first time in the past 12 months that McDaniels was considered a key piece Minnesota would need to give away if they wanted to land a superstar. Throughout last summer, there were reports the Wolves were attempting to land Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade. Phoenix reportedly wanted McDaniels in any swap. Like the Giannis talks several months later, a deal wasn't able to be consummated and McDaniels remained in Minnesota.

While adding a big name like Durant or Giannis would bring eyeballs and be seen as breaking open the title window even further, keeping McDaniels and Shannon proved critical in Minnesota's first-round playoff win over Denver — and will loom large in the second round against the Spurs.

Would the Wolves be better off with Giannis over McDaniels, Shannon, and draft picks? That's debatable, but McDaniels and Shannon keep Minnesota younger and deeper than they would be had they been traded, along with others, for the Greek Freak. Not only that, but the Wolves probably wouldn't have had the capital to acquire Dosunmu if they had traded for Giannis.

Shannon's explosive performance in Game 6 was a revelation, and an eye-opener for the Wolves' coaching staff, who may have learned more about how to best use him going forward.

"It was incredible," Finch said of Shannon. "I thought he'd give us a boost. I didn't realize it would be like this. Not just, you know, with his scoring, but I think he's made a lot of emotional energy that got the crowd into it, played with force. He let it be known he was going to be reckoned with and just kept putting the ball in his hands. What we've learned with TJ is he's got to have the ball in his hands. Silly me, we played him out of the corner most of the season, but he's way better with the ball in his hands at the top of the floor."

TERRENCE SHANNON JR MY GOODNESS

RISE UP. 😤🔥 pic.twitter.com/rKPwhByXk7
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 1, 2026

For McDaniels, he's developed into an offensive weapon who can take the pressure off of Edwards and even pick up the team when Ant isn't available. Is he to Ant-Man what Scottie Pippen was to Michael Jordan? There's more to prove, but the way he's elevated his offense without Edwards is an indication that he can be a No. 2 player on a championship team.

With McDaniels and even Shannon now, Minnesota's long-term future looks even better, even if this playoff run ends in San Antonio.

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