Tim Connelly says Timberwolves have an eye on options ahead of the trade deadline
With five days until the NBA trade deadline, Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly discussed his team's options during an appearance on KFAN's Bumper to Bumper with Dan Barreiro on Friday afternoon.
While Connelly wouldn't put a percentage on the chances that the Wolves will make a trade, he acknowledged Minnesota will look at bolstering its rotation ahead of Wednesday's deadline.
"Certainly, every team is trying to get better," Connelly said. "We know some areas we think we can improve upon. There's some guys we have our eyes on but I think we tend to try to be kind of proactive and if we have those conversations, it's with having to deal in mind and we have not found a lot of partners."
Connelly said that the Timberwolves are looking to bolster the back end of their rotation which is anchored by All-Stars Karl-Anthony Towns (22.7 ppg) and Anthony Edwards (25.5 ppg) but has a significant dropoff before third-leading scorer Rudy Gobert (13.6 ppg).
While the starting lineup is set in stone, adding someone to the bench – specifically a point guard could be a focal point and was hinted at by Connelly later in the interview.
"I think [Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch] feels very comfortable with our top eight," Connelly said. "They've been consistent and...those three guys have been awesome whether contributing or being supportive teammates, I can't give those guys enough credit...but if you're looking at our team, there are some offensive areas that certain skill sets could help us take that next step."
While the Wolves would like to make a deal, Connelly also admitted there are several factors that come into play. Connelly cited the parity within the league as one factor that could complicate a trade as several teams remain in contention for a spot in the play-in tournament and could inflate the price of a potential deal.
"I think with the [Play-In Tournament], there are few teams that are out of it," Connelly said. "So the Play-In has kind of complicated the marketplace and it's a lot of teams that either I'll get asked for the moon or they have these super convoluted, several-paragraph trade ideas that you need a dictionary to figure out."
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Connelly also went on to mention the integration process a player would need to fit in with his new team. While the New York Knicks have posted a 16-2 record since trading for OG Anunoby on Dec. 30, other players have a more complicated process.
"These are human beings," Connelly said. "They have to move. They have to learn new offensive and defensive terminology. And if you're ever going to make a move...we have a room full of great, great guys. It's going to impact them so our message has been pretty consistent."
In the end, the deadline could spark some action but Connelly says it won't be a knee-jerk deal if the Timberwolves make a trade. With several weeks of groundwork already laid, Connelly expects the Wolves to be aggressive at the deadline to try and enhance one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
"We don't want to be on the phone at 1:55 on the eighth," Connelly said. "If you have something around those concepts, let's try to be aggressive. Especially this year."