Report: The Minnesota Timberwolves Are "Dying" To Trade For John Collins. Aaron Gordon Is Also On The Timberwolves Radar.

With the NBA trade deadline approaching soon, many organizations have either expressed interest in other players or have aggressively approached it. Earlier this season, the Brooklyn Nets expressed interest in James Harden and tried to trade for him many times. After many failed attempts, the Nets eventually accomplished a trade for the former MVP and are currently the favourites to make it to the NBA finals. In this case, the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are currently the worst team in the Western Conference, are trying to improve their losing streak. According to Nick Crain of SLAM, the Timberwolves are targeting Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins and Orlando Magic’s Aaron Gordon. 

Shams Charania of The Athletic believes that the first step in making the Timberwolves elite is trading or signing for a border-line to All-Star level power forward. John Collins and Aaron Gordon would be great fits in Minnesota but, the asking price for either of these players could come at a high cost. John Collins, who is currently on the last year of his rookie contract, would slide into Minnesota as their future power forward for the next 3-6 years. Aaron Gordon, who is slightly older and more established in the NBA (salary-wise), would have a much shorter span with the Timberwolves, depending on how well he gels with the roster. Both forwards are decent options for Minnesota and are better than what they currently have at that position. However, who should Minnesota trade for and what is the asking price for either forward? 

John Collins

In the 2017 NBA draft, John Collins was selected outside of the lottery, making him a huge steal. However, tensions have risen in Atlanta as the chemistry has been underwhelming this season. The Atlanta Hawks are currently the 11th seed with a record of 16-20. Even though they have suffered numerous injuries to their roster, the Hawks have been far from impressive this season. With Atlanta not signing John Collins to a contract extension this past season, it is clear that Collins will either be traded or will be offered a last-minute extension by the contract extension period. 

Many organizations have been intrigued in trading for John Collins, with Minnesota being the most recent team. Even though he is in the final year of his contract, Collins’ value is still relatively high. Here is what a trade for John Collins could look like if the Timberwolves decide to trade for him. 

Minnesota receives- John Collins, Tony Snell

Atlanta receives- Malik Beasley, Josh Okogie, 2024 first-round pick.

Upon reflection, this trade doesn’t look like much as Malik Beasley isn’t exactly a big name in the NBA. However, Beasley is currently averaging 20 points on great efficiency and would compliment Trae Young in the back-court quite nicely. The Hawks would also receive Josh Okogie, a solid wing defender who has freakish athleticism while having the ability to shoot the three-ball. The cherry on top would be the Timberwolves draft pick, as this team has been terrible since Kevin Garnett got traded to the Celtics! 

Aaron Gordon

Since Dwight Howard left Orlando, the Magic has struggled to make a roster capable of competing for a championship. Even though the Magic have made the playoffs plenty of times over the last 10 years, their appearances were meaningless as they would either be swept in the first round or lose in five games. This team needs a dramatic reset button, and one of the first ways to accomplish this would be trading away Aaron Gordon and his multi-year contract. 

The Minnesota Timberwolves have expressed interest in the former lottery pick and believe that Gordon or Collins could be the answer to their consistent struggle. While Gordon has been around much longer in the NBA than John Collins, Gordon is still fairly young and would require a lot less to attain him. Here is what the Timberwolves would have to trade to convince Orlando to accept an offer. 

Orlando receives- Malik Beasley, Josh Okogie, 2025 second-round pick and 2027 second-round pick.

Minnesota receives- Aaron Gordon

Although this trade is very similar to the Hawks trade, the Timberwolves don’t have many assets to give other than their draft picks and future core. Outside of Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Anthony Edwards, the rest of the roster is either not developed or is simply too expensive and unnecessary to trade. To give an example, Jarrett Culver and Ricky Rubio. The Magic need a future shooting guard once Evan Fournier’s contract expires. Malik would be an instant starter and a great scoring option being Nikola Vucevic. Jonathan Isaac, who is currently the future forward of this team, would officially become the Orlando Magic’s starting power forward if this trade were to happen. The addition of Josh Okogie would also increase this team’s defensive potential, and he is another great young player for Orlando to develop. 

Concluding thoughts

The Minnesota Timberwolves need help to end this abysmal streak of being a losing organization. If trading for one of these forwards will improve their winning column, trading anything outside of their core players is 100% worth it. As far as who would be the better fit, it is tough to critique as both players are fairly similar, except Aaron Gordon is a better three-point shooter. In terms of longevity, John Collins is the clear choice, but in terms of who would understand their role and sacrifice their offensive load, Aaron Gordon would be the clear choice. Both forwards are talented and would be great fits for the Minnesota Timberwolves future.