The NBA trade rumors were shaken up by the bold claim that the Minnesota Timberwolves, with their team president and head coach Tom Thibodeau ready to deal their young players for veterans.
The T-Wolves has some of the league's best young players in Karl Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins and right off the bat, they are unlikely to be traded. There are other young players in this team and that's where the guessing game begins.
In his Twitter video post, Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report only named the possible targets that Tom Thibodeau wants (h/t NBC Pro Basketball).
"His first look will be for a player he already knows and trusts because he's already had that player in his system. Would the Lakers consider advancing their youth movement and dealing former Bull Luol Deng? Would the Bulls consider parting with Jimmy Butler or Taj Gibson?"
Thibs has already balked on giving up Andrew Wiggins for Jimmy Butler and he is unlikely to change his mind as Wiggins is showing his potential (despite the team's standing). It's likely that he'll go for Gibson or Deng. With Gibson becoming a free agent next season, Deng would be the better target (and the Wolves need him more than they need Gibson).
If Deng is the target, who would they give up? In an intriguing post on Real GM from user 'shrink' noted the following tidbits on the Timberwolves.
"Shabazz (Muhammad) is probably the most available. Word here was that they were "very far apart" on extension talks, and there are rumors that he has been complaining about playing time."
Muhammad is known to be a talented scorer and not much else--definitely not a Thibs kind of player. It would be a coup for the former Bulls coach to replace him with his old stalwart Luol Deng, but he may have to pay a bigger price. The post continues.
"The Wolves will likely deal one of their PG's. Kris Dunn has looked terrible, which was unexpected because he was older than most of the rookie class. Tyus has been pretty good."
Analyzing the point guard situation, the Dunn experiment turned out sour but there were a lot of teams that were high on him in the draft. The Philadelphia 76ers notable wanted another lottery pick with him in mind.
In a possible trade scenario, the Timberwolves could acquire Luol Deng from the Lakers in exchange for Kris Dunn and Shabazz Muhammad (because Deng has a huge paycheck). Dunn would be sent to Philly and Muhammad to the Lakers.
For the Sixers they should decrease protection on the Lakers pick (currently top 3 protected) or give it outright to acquire a lottery pick like Dunn. While many may find that preposterous, it should be noted that the Lakers, who were predicted to be at the cellar of the Western Conference (or likely to tank again to get their pick) are actually playing well.
The Lakers may even make the playoffs if they somehow sustain their current pace (now at 8th place in the West with a 9-9 record) and the value of that pick is greatly diminished.
This is a purely speculative scenario based on the information of which young players Thibs is likely willing to give up.