The Minnesota Timberwolves recently made a big move, acquiring LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Naz Reid and multiple picks. One of the goals for the Timberwolves' front office was to find a reliable second option on offense for star player Anthony Edwards, and they landed Ball to be that guy for them. 

Before pursuing Ball, the Timberwolves had another prominent guard in mind and even made a big offer to trade for him. Celtics guard Jaylen Brown has been in the middle of trade rumors for much of the offseason, and Minnesota made a significant offer to acquire him. 

The catch for the Timberwolves was that Boston was asking for Naz Reid, Rudy Gobert, and draft compensation. To trade for LaMelo Ball, Minnesota only gave up Naz Reid and draft picks, still keeping their starting center, Gobert, around for next season. 

If Minnesota were to lose both Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert, its frontcourt would be depleted. This is a team that just traded Julius Randle, who played a lot of games at the power forward spot, and without Reid and Gobert, the team would have lacked a lot of size. 

The center playing behind Rudy Gobert is Joan Beringer, who has yet to see significant playing time in his career. In 2025-2026, he only saw about 8 minutes of playing time per game and scored 4 points per game. 

Jaden McDaniels is currently slated to fill in as the starting power forward for the Timberwolves, but that could change as free agency approaches, and Minnesota may prioritize adding size to their roster. 

The team would have been very reliant on the backcourt to take on much of the load on both ends, and in today's NBA, that has not been a recipe for success for a lot of teams. 

Anthony Edwards and Jaylen Brown can both provide a lot of offense as well as perimeter defense, and it could have worked out in their favor more times than not, but it's clear the Timberwolves front office wanted to prioritize having a defense capable of stopping teams like the Thunder and Spurs, who can score in a hurry. 

With LaMelo Ball, the lineup for the Timberwolves provides a healthy mix of offensive firepower as well as defense. Ball and Edwards can score in bunches while players like Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert can provide elite defense, something they will need in the postseason.