Were the Minnesota Timberwolves close to landing Jaylen Brown?
It's been an offseason full of change, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have been at the forefront of that change.
After a disappointing playoff exit in the second round against the San Antonio Spurs, the Timberwolves made big changes to their roster.
They started by effectively salary-dumping Julius Randle, trading him and their 2026 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a second-round pick.
After that came a blockbuster trade where they sent Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030), three second-round picks (2029, 2032, 2033) to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for LaMelo Ball and Josh Green.
The move to acquire Ball gave the Timberwolves a dynamic playmaker and creator to pair with Anthony Edwards, hopefully taking pressure off him after he was overwhelmed by the pressure of the Spurs.
Almost Acquiring Jaylen Brown?
While the Timberwolves made a blockbuster deal for Ball, the Boston Celtics fractured its championship core by trading Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks.
According to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski, the Timberwolves were in on the talks regarding Brown, but the Celtics wanted Rudy Gobert and future draft capital. The Timberwolves were not interested in making such a move.
After the trade for Ball, the Timberwolves don't exactly have a ton of draft capital. They have the rights to their 2028 first-round pick, but if they finish lower in the standings than the Hornets, that pick goes to Charlotte, and they would get Charlotte's first-round pick. It's a tradeable pick, the swaps would just become more complicated.
Their 2032 first-round pick is frozen until 2028, as they were a second-place team this past season.
Worth It For Minnesota?
Had they traded Rudy Gobert, they would've been left with just Joan Beringer, who has barely played 500 total NBA minutes, as their only frontcourt player. They did eventually sign Trey Lyles, but he didn't play in the NBA last season.
A frontcourt of Beringer and Lyles is a championship-level duo. A trio of Ball, Edwards, and Brown with rotation pieces like Ayo Dosunmu and Jaden McDaniels is a strong five but is very undersized, especially in the Western Conference, where they'd be battling Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, and Chet Holmgren.
Rudy Gobert has his flaws as a player, but when you're a team that is already short on frontcourt options, you can't afford to lose him.
