The Minnesota Timberwolves need a point guard.
Mike Conley doesn't cut it anymore, and Donte DiVincenzo isn't a natural at that position.
That has brought Minnesota's name up in trade talks, especially as the idea of Ja Morant being moved from the Memphis Grizzlies has come onto the table.
The Wolves have a problem, though. They've got very little to trade.
"They are still not allowed to take back more salary because they are over the first apron," ESPN's Bobby Marks wrote on Thursday. "As a result of the Rudy Gobert and (Rob) Dillingham trades, Minnesota does not have a first-round pick available to send in a deal. Their lone year to swap a first is 2028."
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There will be other point guards out there besides Morant. But the star from Memphis may cost something that Minnesota doesn't have.
"Expect the Timberwolves to be linked to any starting point guard who might be available, as has been the case with Ja Morant, as speculation swirls about whether the Grizzlies will consider trading the former All-Star," ESPN's Tim MacMahon writes. "But it will be challenging for Minnesota to pull off a trade for an impact player because of the restrictions on the Timberwolves' future draft capital. It would probably require acquiring a player considered a distressed asset for Minnesota to make a major upgrade."
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Of course, the way the Timberwolves would get around this problem is by trading players themselves rather than draft picks. But the NBA's salary matching rules and restrictions on trading recently signed players make any deal tougher the more players get involved.
Minnesota knows it has a strong roster and will certainly be trying to make something happen. But their assets that have already been traded away may prove to be too much missing to pull off anything substantial.
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