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T-Wolves' Gersson Rosas Has Had 'a Lot' of Trade Talks: 'We've Identified Our Needs'
July 6, 2021
Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas says the team has had "a lot" of trade discussions with other teams ahead of the offseason.
"We're having a lot of conversations now. We've identified our needs, we've identified our options," Rosas said Tuesday on KFAN FM 100.3 (h/t Dane Moore of Blue Wire Podcasts).
The Timberwolves landed at No. 7 during the NBA lottery last month and lost the pick to the Golden State Warriors to complete last year's D'Angelo Russell-Andrew Wiggins trade. They had the sixth-best odds of winning the lottery.
Losing the pick wasn't unexpected, but it was still a frustrating blow to the Wolves, who appear to have found a star in the making with 2020 No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards. Adding another young piece to Edwards, Russell and center Karl-Anthony Towns would have helped the franchise emerge from its decade-and-a-half malaise (one playoff berth in 17 seasons).
The Wolves have to look at improving their roster by trading current pieces—all while the specter of Towns' future looms. He has three seasons remaining on his max contract but could reasonably request a trade to a larger market.
The Wolves have made the playoffs once in Towns' career (in 2017-18) and watched that team implode the following season amid Jimmy Butler's trade demands. The 25-year-old is one of the most offensively gifted big men to play the sport and will want to flash his skills on the brightest stage.
The clock is ticking for Rosas to find a roster that can help Minnesota compete for a playoff spot. With the team's combined 42-94 record the last two seasons, he faces an uphill battle.
