The Timberwolves got the big-name star they wanted in LaMelo Ball this offseason, securing a key roster piece to pair alongside Anthony Edwards for the foreseeable future. But before Ball, Minnesota reportedly had other options on the table, including an offer from the Celtics that included superstar forward Jaylen Brown.
In the days leading up to the Ball trade, the Timberwolves had discussions with at least two teams regarding a blockbuster trade, per The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski. The first team was the Bulls: Minnesota considered pursuing Josh Giddey, according to Krawczynski.
The second team was the Celtics. Boston and Minnesota reportedly discussed a package that swapped Brown for a massive package including Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid and a boatload of picks. Here’s that excerpt from The Athletic:
They had talks with the Boston Celtics about Jaylen Brown, a team source said, but the Celtics were looking for a package including Gobert, Reid and similar pick compensation that went to Charlotte for Ball, team sources said. That was just too much for the Wolves to pay for a soon-to-be 30-year-old forward who, while being a better overall player than Ball, wasn’t as clean a fit next to Edwards.
By this time, the Celtics had already been shopping Brown, per Shams Charania, in the wake of their failed pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who got shipped out to the Heat. After word got out that Boston had included Brown in a potential Giannis deal, the rumors spread like wildfire and Brown’s future in Boston became as tenuous as it’s ever been.
Now we know there was at least one concrete offer on the table, one that would have drastically changed the course of the Timberwolves’ and Celtics’ organizations. In the end, Minnesota went more conservative and opted to hold onto its defensive anchor in Gobert, pivoting to do business with Charlotte instead.
Recapping the Timberwolves’ blockbuster trade with Hornets for LaMelo Ball
As a reminder, here’s what the Timberwolves gave up for Ball:
- Naz Reid
- three first-round pick swaps in 2028, ‘29, ‘30
- 2033 unprotected first-round pick
- three second-round picks in ‘29, ‘32, ‘33
Minnesota received Ball and Josh Green in return. It’s a pretty remarkable draft haul, even if the 24-year-old Ball was coming off a productive sixth season with the Hornets (20.1 points, 7.1 assists, 36.8% from three and 40.7% from the field). But Minnesota apparently felt no buyer’s remorse in the following days, as the franchise sincerely believed it had found its missing piece.
“We needed a guy like LaMelo to make everybody better,” a Timberwolves team source told The Athletic. “That was the thing that was missing.”
All eyes will turn on how Ball and Edwards will mesh on the court next season, with the ex-Hornets star’s health and durability also posing as a looming question mark for the Timberwolves’ future championship-contending hopes.
As for Brown, it appears the Celtics are still sniffing around for deal worthy of the 2024 Finals MVP. They swung and missed on Antetokounmpo and then got turned down by Minnesota—maybe the third time’s the charm?
