New MN Timberwolves Trade Target Revealed
Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly, seems to have a finger in everything right now, which is no big surprise.
Connelly always has his finger on the pulse of what’s happening around him in the NBA world. He always has another one on his trade gun trigger too. That’s especially true this offseason, where there is zero question the Wolves want to do something big.
Will they get that opportunity, though? That part is yet to be determined. Plus, what constitutes a major move? That brings us to Friday morning, where NBA insider Sam Amick (The Athletic) brought a new name to the Timberwolves mix of reported trade targets.
Minnesota Timberwolves showing “strong interest” in Celtics guard
While Minnesota has cooled on its pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Boston has not. And as Greek Freak trade talks between Celtics and Bucks continue to heat up, the Wolves are rising from the fray with “strong interest” in 31-year-old (32 y/o next month) Celtics guard, Derrick White.
The Blazers have been among the suitors for Antetokounmpo since the February trade deadline but appear to be on the outside looking in at the moment. Similarly, league sources say the Minnesota Timberwolves — whose Antetokounmpo pursuit also appears to have cooled — have strong interest in the Celtics’ Derrick White.
Sam Amick – The Athletic
If the MN Timberwolves do indeed reel in Derrick White, it’s very plausible the they’d do so as part of a multi-team blockbuster that sends Giannis to Boston, or running parallel, as a way to help make that deal easier to get done.
Pros of Derrick White’s game
There’s no doubt, White would fix a lot of Minnesota’s problems, especially defensively. Derrick is coming off his first 1st Team All-Defense nod last season, a step up from the two 2nd team All-Defense trophies he already has on his trophy case — right next to his NBA Championship ring from 2023-24.
Offensively, the former 29th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft has gotten better with age, pushing his points per game average up to 16.5 last season — a career-high — along with 4.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists (also a career high).
DERRICK WHITE IS EVERYWHERE —
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 2, 2026
Lob assist & immediately gets the block. 🔥👏 pic.twitter.com/0OLZkvA9ZU
Related: Timberwolves Trying to Flip KAT Trade for New Co-Star
In past seasons, the Colorado native gained a reputation as someone who will step up and outperform expectations during the postseason. In three playoff appearances from 2018-2025, White averaged 15.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, shooting a whopping .413 from deep on 7.5 three-pointers per game.
Last postseason, he hit his playoff peak, averaging 18.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per playoff game — in just two more minutes (37.7 MPG) of playing time. When he’s playing well, it’s tough to lose games when Derrick White is running the show.
DERRICK WHITE IS COOKING
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 3, 2026
16 PTS — 5/8 FGM — 3/5 3PM
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Pu7PZb3HSk
Cons to Derrick White’s game…
However, White has played less point guard recently, which he’d have to play a lot in Minnesota, next to Anthony Edwards. His three point shooting fell off a cliff last season too. After shooting .396 in 2023-24 (career high) and .384 in 2024-25, his percentage dropped to a ghastly .327.
And during the 2026 postseason, he fell off a playoff cliff. In 7 games this spring, Derrick White averaged just 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game on just .273 from three-point land (35.9 MPG).
Related: Timberwolves “Competing” for Move Out East
So… are the cracks in his game from last season and postseason the beginning of a late-career slide. Or… could the Minnesota Timberwolves get the steal of the NBA offseason by moving on a veteran combo guard like White who’s almost sure to be undervalued on the market?
Those are questions Tim Connelly must try to answer, before getting serious about a deal.
Derrick White has two seasons remaining on his current contract, at just over $30 million per season, which is rather affordable for a all-defensive player. For context, White will count $30.3 million against the cap in 2026-27. That’s over six million dollars less than Rudy Gobert ($36.5M).
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