All eyes on the Timberwolves as the NBA trade deadline is just four days away, with the final moment to pull off trades coming at 2 p.m. Central Time Thursday. Will the Wolves trade Andrew Wiggins or Robert Covington, and will they land D’Angelo Russell from the Warriors?
Marc Stein of the New York Times is reporting that the Warriors are listening to offers for Russell, adding that it’s “no secret the Wolves want D-Lo badly.”
Many thought the Warriors would wait until draft time to seriously ponder moving D'Angelo Russell, but sources say they are listening to pitches — with no secret Minnesota wants D-Lo badly. Golden State is widely expected to trade Alec Burks and/or Glenn Robinson III this week
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 3, 2020
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater has reported (paywall) that Minnesota has “dangled” Andrew Wiggins in a pitch to the Warriors for Russell, whom Slater says the Wolves want to improve a positional need and to keep franchise player Karl-Anthony Towns happy. But Wiggins, who has three years and $94 million remaining on his contract after this season, probably won’t convince the Warriors to part with the 23-year-old guard, says Slater.
“But the Warriors aren’t in a panic about Russell. Unless the Wolves unload the vault — something like Robert Covington and Josh Okogie plus a basket of appealing, unprotected picks — it’s wiser for the Warriors to wait until past this deadline on Russell and perhaps well beyond.”
Will the Wolves give up Covington, who has a team-friendly contract (two years, $25 million remaining), Okogie, their 2018 first-round pick, and a high pick this summer to get Russell?
According to The Athletic’s (paywall) Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania, Minnesota doesn’t want to part with its 2020 unprotected first-round pick, which could be very high in the draft. But the Warriors are looking for significant draft capital if they are to consider dealing Russell.
For Covington, Stein is reporting that Minnesota wants two first-round picks for the high-level three-and-D small forward, who could help a contender get over the hump and win a championship. Stein says Houston and Philadelphia are at the “front of the RoCo line.”
Ambitious as it sounds, Minnesota has sought two first-round picks in exchange for Robert Covington in advance of Thursday's trade deadline, league sources say. Let's see where the Wolves land if/when they actually deal him, with Philly and Houston at the front of the RoCo line
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 3, 2020
In his podcast from Sunday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski mentioned Covington as a possible target for the NBA-leading Bucks, who could dangle the first-round pick they got from the Pacers in the Malcolm Brogdon trade.
That pick is lottery-protected, meaning Indiana keeps the pick if it falls within the top-14 selections. At 31-18 entering play Monday, Indiana is not destined for the lottery, so the pick is likely to stay with Milwaukee and possibly be used as trade bait.
