Kyrie Irving Rumors: Timberwolves Did 'Due Diligence' with Nets Before Mavs Trade
The Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly looked into the possibility of acquiring All-Star guard Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets before he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks this week.
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the T-Wolves "did some due diligence" on Irving before ultimately deciding against pursuing him.
The Nets ended up fulfilling Irving's reported trade request by sending him and forward Markieff Morris to the Mavs for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick and second-round picks in 2027 and 2029.
Minnesota already made a huge splash on the trade market during the offseason when it sent four first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, Malik Beasley, Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt, Patrick Beverley and Leandro Bolmaro to the Utah Jazz for perennial All-Star and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
The Timberwolves hoped Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns would form the most dominant frontcourt in the NBA, but Gobert has had a down year statistically and Towns has missed all but 21 games because of a calf strain.
While the Gobert trade sapped the Timberwolves of many of their draft assets, they conceivably could have been in the mix for Irving since the only first-rounder the Mavs gave up in the deal was a 2029 pick.
Any T-Wolves trade for Irving likely would have involved guard D'Angelo Russell, who was named an All-Star for the first and only time in 2019 when he was a member of the Nets.
The 26-year-old Russell has been somewhat disappointing in parts of four seasons with the Timberwolves, although he has solid numbers this season with averages of 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 2.8 three-pointers made and 1.1 steals, while shooting a career-best 46.4 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Despite his quality numbers, Russell could be moved prior to Thursday's trade deadline, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.com recently reported that rival executives believe the Timberwolves will try to deal Russell before the deadline.
While a Russell trade is still possible, Irving getting traded to Dallas takes a potential upgrade out of the equation.
Even if Russell isn't moved, there is reason to believe that the Timberwolves will be active on the trade front this week, given how competitive things are in the Western Conference.
Despite Towns missing significant time, the T-Wolves are in playoff position at 29-27, which is good for eighth place in the West. They are also just a half-game out of fifth and 1.5 games out of fourth.
Adding Irving to a core of Gobert and a potentially healthy Towns down the stretch could have made Minnesota a force to be reckoned with, but it has a chance to be a dangerous team regardless.
