The Minnesota Timberwolves have persisted in the mix for Giannis Antetokounmpo throughout all the ups and downs of the trade sage between the Greek star and the Milwaukee Bucks and most reports indicate that they're looking to be aggressive in adding the premier big man to stay competitive in their conference. 

Staying aggressive in this sweepstakes is easier said than done, though. The Bucks aren't going to part ways with their franchise star easily and will have to demand a massive haul in return for him to justify his loss, and it may not be a price that Minnesota will be willing to pay. 

A recent report from The Athletic written by Sam Amick and Eric Nehm indicated that their sources say that the package Milwaukee would expect from Minnesota would be massive.

They reported that the trade package would have to involve Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, Terrence Shannon Jr. and two first-round picks and while it's not surprising that Milwaukee would be asking this much, there's one player in that package in particular that may be a deal-breaker for Minnesota, even if it costs them Antetokounmpo.

"Considering McDaniels’ immense value alongside [Anthony] Edwards as an elite perimeter defender, as well as his impressive postseason performance, team sources say Minnesota has indicated that McDaniels is off limits. Per those sources, the same goes for 19-year-old big man Joan Beringer," Amick and Nehm wrote. 

McDaniels is the two-way cornerstone of the Timberwolves, contributing both crucial defense and an increasingly impressive offensive game as a wing.

That two-fold value easily makes him the second-most valuable Timberwolf on the roster behind Edwards and as The Athletic wrote, they pairing of the two of them was the driving force behind so much of their success this past season. 

Of course, that value is exactly what makes McDaniels such an attractive trade piece and conversely why the Timberwolves would be unwilling to part with him.

The other irony is how well McDaniels would pair with Antetokounmpo as a front court combination, though that scenario seems the most unlikely with the Timberwolves likely falling through on a deal for Antetokounmpo without including McDaniels.

However, if they could manage to accomplish that, likely through sacrificing even more active players or through throwing in a multitude of second-round picks, then the Timberwolves would have a wealth of physicality on their side and the best defensive big man trio in the NBA with Antetokounmpo, McDaniels and Rudy Gobert.

For all of those reasons, the Timberwolves are wise to try and keep McDaniels to themselves. With that in mind, it remains to be seen if a deal is still possible and if so, what Minnesota would have to give up to get it done.