Donte DiVincenzo Trade Shouldn't Be Considered by T-Wolves Right Now Amid NBA Rumors

The Minnesota Timberwolves are off to an 8-7 start, hardly the jump the team wanted to get on a season following an appearance in the Western Conference Finals and amid lofty expectations for the club.

Could other teams already be exploring trades for some of Minnesota's assets, including Donte DiVincenzo, who was acquired as part of the trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks?

It appears that way.

Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reported: "DiVincenzo is being viewed as a possible trade candidate for several contending teams around the league, sources said. While the Timberwolves value DiVincenzo's skill set, the 27-year-old combo guard was not thrilled with the idea of coming off the bench after being traded."

Siegel added that, with the Timberwolves firmly entrenched in that second salary-cap tier, trading DiVincenzo would give them a little breathing room. Still, despite his own less-than-deal situation, the team's slow start and the rumors, Siegel added: "Right now, there are no indications that the Timberwolves will want to move their newly acquired guard."

DiVincenzo is coming off one of his best seasons in the NBA, in which he played 29.1 minutes per game, scored 15.5 points a night, shot 44.3 percent from the field and 40.1 from beyond the arc and added 3.7 rebounds.

The 27-year-old has not lived up to those numbers thus far in his run in Minnesota but just 15 games in, with a more limited role than he had in New York as a bench player, he should not have been expected to.

It is early in the season. And the guard has not found his spot yet and head coach Chris Finch is still figuring out what he has after a trade late in the offseason that shook up the roster.

DiVincenzo is still supplying 9.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. His shooting percentages are down, but they will improve with more opportunities.

Those opportunities will almost certainly present themselves as the long NBA season continues. As long as Finch can keep him focused and not let the frustration of his current role consume him, DiVincenzo will be a significant part of the T-Wolves as the organization looks to push into the playoffs and contend for a championship again.

Trading him and letting him be the X-factor for another team, such as fellow Western Conference-contending Golden State Warriors, would be a major mistake and potentially risk ruining the chemistry of a team still searching for it.