The worst Wolves trade proposal yet? Gobert for Reaves and spare parts

In an NBA rumor mill filled with stars like Kevin Durant and Darius Garland, someone cooked up what might be the worst trade proposal yet for the Timberwolves.

The idea: Rudy Gobert and Josh Minott for Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber.

Does no one else remember watching Timberwolves scorers blow by Reaves and Luka Doncic in the first round against the Lakers? Anyone else remember Gobert dominating the smaller Lakers, including a game with 27 points and 24 rebounds? Did everyone suddenly forget that great defense and offense will be required to get through the Oklahoma City for the foreseeable future?

While Reaves has some scoring mojo to his game — he averaged 20.2 points and shot 37.7% from three this season — he's a major liability on defense. He posted a 116.2 defensive rating in five playoff games against Minnesota, only slightly worse than his 113.3 defensive rating during the regular season.

Gobert's defensive rating during the regular season was 107.6 — the best of any regular Timberwolves rotation player. Who is going to protect the rim for the Wolves if Gobert is controlling the paint for the Lakers?

Oh, and let's not forget how good Doncic is at throwing lobs to big guys like Gobert. Right about now is when Wolves fans will have memories of Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford dunking on them in the 2024 conference finals.

Not only that, but where would Reaves fit? He's a wing, and Minnesota's starting lineup already features Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels at shooting guard and small forward.

The best value from the proposal is that it would shed significant salary for the Wolves during the 2026 offseason, while also giving them three moveable contracts.

Reaves is due to make $13.9 million in 2025-26 before he's expected to reject a $14.9 million player option ahead of the 2026-27 season — and he's reportedly seeking $30 million annually on his next contract. Vincent has one year and $11.5 million left on his contract, and Kleber is a free agent after playing for $11 million next season.

Reaves also doesn't exactly fill the biggest missing piece on Minnesota's roster, which is a ball-handling point guard who can score and take the pressure off of Edwards. He can handle the ball, but he's more 2-guard than PG.

The trade idea also fails to take into account Terrence Shannon Jr., who is ready for a larger role next season with the Wolves. Unlike Reaves, Shannon Jr. has chops on both ends of the floor.

"He has all the raw tools to be a great defender. No doubt about it," Wolves head coach Chris Finch said when discussing Shannon Jr. last week. "For him, his biggest area of growth this offseason and into next season is really shoring up his defense. He should be destructive, be able to blow up a lot of stuff. Has a body to contain. Like most young players, what trips him up a little bit at the moment is the awareness that things are happening so fast and just getting a feel for that. That's just repetition."

Does a starting five of Mike Conley or Rob Dillingham along with Edwards, McDaniels, Reaves and Julius Randle sound like a team capable of being a top-10 defense? If you say yes, you're insane.

Reaves is an exciting offensive player, but this is a bad trade proposal for a Timberwolves team that is ready to contend for a championship next season.

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