After the Dallas Mavericks fired general manager Nico Harrison, Anthony Davis seemingly became a realistic trade candidate. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon spoke to a Western Conference executive who suggested a Davis trade could be possible. It is unclear what Davis’ value is and which teams are interested in him.
One team quietly floating around for Davis is the Minnesota Timberwolves. Sam Quinn of CBS Sports ranked the Timberwolves sixth in his favorite landing spots for Davis, and Zach Lowe of The Ringer discussed Minnesota as a destination for AD.
While these aren’t official reports, it’s worth discussing whether Davis will indeed become available should the Wolves pursue him. I understand the idea behind a Davis-Wolves trade, and how people could see him as the final piece. However, I don’t think this move would be in Minnesota’s best interest, and there is far too much risk with Davis.
Davis is extremely talented, but a trade doesn’t make sense
Listen when healthy, Davis is a clear top-10 player and a two-way monster. But as we all know, that’s the problem with Davis: he’s not healthy enough. Davis has played in more than 65 games just once in the last five years. In addition, Davis is already suffering from a calf injury. At 32 years old, Davis’ injuries are unlikely to go away, especially since they have been a factor throughout his career.
Look, I’m not opposed to the Wolves making a big trade if the right move presents itself. I don’t think Tim Connelly would be afraid of that either. Regardless, the Wolves’ primary need is a lead guard, not a frontcourt player. In the hypothetical scenario where the Wolves pursue a Davis trade, they would part ways with at least one, maybe two, of their frontcourt players.
Nevertheless, Julius Randle should be a non-starter for the Wolves. He has proven to be an ideal co-star alongside Anthony Edwards and is on a team-friendly deal, also for Jaden McDaniels. I think the Wolves will want to keep this core group of players intact even if they look for a big trade.
In my opinion, with this core, the Wolves have a better chance of winning a championship now and in the future. Is Davis better than Randle and McDaniels in a vacuum? Of course, but as we all know there are many more factors that play a role in winning than pure talent. At this point, there’s no reason to shake up this trio.
Would the Mavs really be interested in a combination of Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, young players and the small draft capital the Wolves have? Frankly, I doubt it.
Not to get too technical, but the Wolves and Mavs are both first-platform teams, meaning a third team would have to be included for salary matching purposes. Davis has a huge annual salary of $58.4 million.
Taking on another contract of this size is risky in the second-apron era, especially if it is an injury-prone player. Basketball reasons aside, the logistics of this trade are messy, and frankly, unlikely.
Ultimately, the Wolves trade for Davis sounds intriguing in theory, but the price will likely be too high given the risk.
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