Why Giannis to Minnesota didn't Work Out

(David Berding/Getty Images)

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone with the Timberwolves moving on from Mike Conley, Rob Dillingham, and Leonard Miller. Minnesota brought in Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips from Chicago. But, these were not the players that most fans were looking for. The days leading up to the deadline were filled with rumors that Tim Connelly was going after a big catch, 2-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Brian Windhorst reported on the morning of February 5th, that the Wolves had ceased their negotiations with Milwaukee for the Bucks star. This left many Wolves fans wondering, why couldn’t the two sides get a deal done? Of course, there could be infinite reasons the two groups did not agree to a deal. Money-wise, multiple teams would have had to have been involved, this is challenging in itself. This being said, there are two topics that very well could have had the teams at a standstill.

Minnesota’s valuation of Jaden McDaniels is the first stopping point that comes to mind. The 28th overall pick from the 2020 draft has risen to being one of the top defenders in the league. Paired with draftmate Anthony Edwards, he has been a key piece for a Wolves team that made the Western Conference Finals two years in a row. McDaniels is also having his best scoring season to date, putting up over 15 points a night on average. This coming on a career-best year in field goal and three point shooting percentage. It is completely believable that “Slim” was the sticking point for Minnesota.

The second, and maybe more logical reason, is that Milwaukee was never going to trade Giannis in the first place. If it were up to the Bucks, Giannis would be in Wisconsin until he retired. Despite this, a Giannis exit before the 2027-28 season starts feels inevitable. With 1.5 years left on his deal, Giannis has not publicly stated he would like to be traded. In fact, just days ago the former Finals MVP told the media, “If you ask me what do I really want, deep down in my heart? I want to be a Milwaukee Buck until I retire and win a championship here.” Even with him making comments like that, it all comes down to whether or not he would be willing to sign an extension to stay in Milwaukee. Could the Bucks have been fielding offers to estimate what the market will look like in the summer or when Giannis does request to be dealt?

No matter what the reason may have been, the Timberwolves will not be adding Giannis at this time or maybe ever. As it will be much easier for teams to make trades during the offseason and Minnesota does not have the same firepower as other teams to make a deal for the Greek Freak.

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