Giannis Antetokounmpo
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
The NBA trade deadline is exactly one week away. Tim Connelly has been poking around for point guard help. The Minnesota Timberwolves seem primed to make a move in order to improve their chances at securing and NBA Championship.
How they make a move, or who for, remains up in the air. As Giannis Antetokounmpo’s name is now fully on the trade block, the links between their Wisconsin neighbor continue to happen. Giannis may not be from the frigid north, but it sounds like he has no problem staying here.
MN Timberwolves a desired destination for Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Milwaukee Bucks drafted Giannis Antetokounmpo 15th overall in 2013. All 13 years of his NBA career have been spent there, and the two-time MVP has nearly 900 games under his belt. It appears he’s now going somewhere else, and Brian Windhorst (ESPN) is on it.
🚨 CONFIRMED: GIANNIS WANTS TO LAND IN MINNESOTA 🚨
And I don't want to put words in @WindhorstESPN's mouth… but it sure sounds like the Wolves are No. 1 on his list of preferred destinations.
"Shams mentioned the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is not mentioning that for no… https://t.co/EiJXK1cKgk pic.twitter.com/AfOMKj3kRn
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 29, 2026
“Shams [Charania] mentioned the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has not mentioned that for no reason. This is something, from what I understand, that Giannis [Antetokounmpo] has interest in. The Timberwolves don’t have draft picks and don’t have the young players. They’d have to center around veteran players, but that is something that we should keep an eye on as well.”
Brian Windhorst
It’s a positive that Giannis sees the MN Timberwolves as a desirable landing spot. At 31 years old, and already an NBA champion, he’s certainly not looking to play somewhere he doesn’t believe can win.
The dynamic big man is averaging 28 points per game on a career-best 64.5% from the field this season. He has however, played in just 30 of 45 games for Milwaukee this season, and is currently out with a calf injury.
If the Minnesota Timberwolves are able to get this move done, it would be right up there with the Karl-Anthony Towns or Kevin Garnett trades from a franchise-altering perspective.
What does Giannis cost MN Timberwolves?
As Windhorst mentioned, the Minnesota Timberwolves don’t have draft capital to entice anyone on the trade market. They certainly don’t have the ammunition to pull off a deal for a superstar without focusing on established assets. What exactly a package looks like remains to be seen, but this is a structure I proposed that could work.
Yay? Nay? pic.twitter.com/1QC0jnTkJj
— Ted (@tlschwerz) January 29, 2026
Of course the toughest player to lose in the minds of any MN Timberwolves fans is Jaden McDaniels. The 25-year-old impacts the game in a multitude of facets, and his 14.6 points per game are a new career-high. Unfortunately, to land a superstar like Giannis, it’s difficult to believe in a successful path where he isn’t included.
Plenty of smoke has bubbled up surrounding the potential for Randle to be moved. He seems content in Minnesota, and that would be unfortunate, but adding such a significant talent is not something that often falls into your lap.
For now, there’s substantiated reason to believe Giannis wants to play for the Timberwolves. Can Connelly find a way to get it done?
Mentioned in this article: Giannis Antetokounmpo More About: Minnesota Timberwolves
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