Dealing will be difficult but Wolves are reportedly a 'potential player' ahead of NBA trade deadline

The trade deadline arrives on Feb. 6, 2025.

Dec 6, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) reacts after being called for a foul against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (not pictured) during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

It cost Anthony Edwards $25,000 but we won't get fined for repeating what he said: Naz Reid and Julius Randle were finally playing some "f***ing defense" in during Minnesota's four-game win streak last week.

Sure, that win streak died with a lackluster second game against the Warriors in San Francisco, but it was the first stretch this season to reveal how mighty the Timberwolves can be when healthy and playing with a defensive attitude.

The question now is if Reid, Randle and others who have been lackadaisical and inconsistent will bring that same energy and attention to the defensive end of the floor for the next six months. If the Wolves believe that four-game sample size is a sign of things to come, then there's really no need to try and finagle a deal before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

But if the Wolves fear Randle, Reid or anyone else won't bring it on a nightly basis, then it may be time to consider some changes. That might be what ESPN's Tim Bontemps was talking about when he said the Wolves could be a player ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

"That's why Minnesota has been labeled by league decision-makers as a potential player between now and the Feb. 6 trade deadline," Bontemps wrote when addressing the result of the the trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York while bringing Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota.

"Yes, the Wolves are coming off comfortable victories against the reeling Lakers and shorthanded Clippers, but they have higher aspirations than battling for the last play-in spot, which is where they currently sit."

The idea of being a player at the trade deadline is interesting, but Bontemps and ESPN's Brian Windhorst are also on record agreeing that teams that are over the second apron of the league's luxury tax, like the Wolves, will have a very hard time trading marquee contracts.

Since the Wolves are over the second apron, they aren't allowed to take more money back than they send out and they can't combine players in a trade. For example, they can't include someone like Josh Minott in a trade with Julius Randle to make the money work. That's going to limit the number of trade routes they can take.

If they want to trade Randle, they can't take back more than the approximately $33 million he's making this season. The options may be limited and the Wolves getting into the rumor mill might be unrealistic if they can maintain a level of consistency going forward.