One of the biggest questions lurking in Minnesota’s future is their salary cap situation. With Anthony Edward and Jaden McDaniels’ contract extensions set to kick in, the Timberwolves’ payroll will soar in 2024-25. Right now, without making any moves, the Wolves are projected to push into the second apron of the NBA’s salary cap, costing them more in taxes.

Another area of importance is the team’s point guard future. While Mike Conley is under contract for two more seasons, he’s also set to turn 37 next season, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to play 76 out of 82 regular season games again. With both Conley’s future and the Timberwolves’ point guard outlook currently unknown, now some are wondering if Minnesota is plotting an even bigger move this summer.

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Could Minnesota Timberwolves pursue Darius Garland?

One name that’s become increasingly popular is Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star point guard Darius Garland. Recently eliminated from the playoffs, the Cavaliers are a strong bet to make some changes this offseason. That could even include parting with Garland, who reportedly wants to leave Cleveland if the team commits to a long-term extension with Donovan Mitchell.

“For Garland, a source shared with Right Down Euclid that a dark horse that could try to acquire him is the Minnesota Timberwolves. Since 2019, when Minnesota tried to trade up to select Garland in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Timberwolves have been fans of Garland’s game and need a succession plan for current starting veteran guard Mike Conley. Garland could fit that mold perfectly and could play in harmony next to Anthony Edwards as a pass-first, score-second option in a theoretical backcourt.

While it would take a lot financially for a trade since Garland currently owns the richest contract in Cleveland franchise history. But, if the desire is still there, then the Timberwolves could try and reignite the idea of Garland being their franchise guard and with his mammoth salary, could give the Cavaliers some interesting pieces to continue building around Mitchell.”

RDE’s Evan Dammarell on Darius Garland link to Timberwolves

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Timberwolves tried adding Garland before

As mentioned, Garland has been of interest to Minnesota’s front office in the past.

Back in 2019, the Timberwolves reportedly traded up to the sixth pick in the NBA Draft in an attempt to land Garland. But the Timberwolves never got their chance to add the score-first point guard, as Cleveland selected him fifth overall, just one pick ahead of Minnesota.

While Tim Connelly was not making decisions for the Timberwolves back then, current executive vice president Sachin Gupta was. If Connelly leaves this offseason, it’s possible Gupta gets a promotion, unless Minnesota is truly still targeting a reunion with Calvin Booth.

Either way, the Timberwolves do have a long-term need at point guard, and being that Garland is still just 24, he’d fit the competitive timeline when paired with Anthony Edwards. Clutch Points’ Brett Siegel agrees with the notion that the Wolves could chase after Garland.

“One team that could show interest in Garland is the Minnesota Timberwolves. Before the Cavs selected Garland fifth overall in 2018, the Timberwolves attempted to move up in the draft to grab him, sources said. Minnesota owned the sixth pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, and they ended up with Jarrett Culver, who currently plays in the G League. Mike Conley recently signed a two-year extension with the Timberwolves, but he is not their long-term franchise point guard. Conley and Mitchell remain close friends after sharing a backcourt with one another in Utah.”

ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel on Garland’s link to Timberwolves

However, while adding Garland’s 18 PPG and 6.5 APG to the Timberwolves’ lineup sounds enticing, wait until you see how much he makes.

While Conley is set to cost the Timberwolves just $9.9 million next season, Garland is on a max-level contract and is set to make $36.7 million next season. Not to mention, he also has a 15% trade bonus worked into his contract, meaning any team that trades for him will have to pay a 15% increase on his salary.

Oddly enough, Karl-Anthony Towns also has a 10% trade kicker attached to his maximum contract, but his estimated cap hit is much larger at $49.3 million.

In other words, the Timberwolves do have the matching salary to appease the NBA’s trade rules, and KAT would be an ideal pairing with Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen if the Cavaliers wanted to inject more scoring and floor spacing into their starting five. Yet, we still don’t necessarily know whether the Timberwolves are actually interested in a Garland trade.

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Cavaliers enter 2023 among Eastern Conference’s best… 

The Cavaliers are one of the bigger surprises in the NBA this season, sitting over 10 games above .500 and just a handful of games out of the Eastern Conference No. 1 seed. The Cavs have been led this season by star guard Donovan Mitchell who in his first season with the franchise has averaged 28.8 points and 4.8 assists per game.  

The former Louisville standout was traded to the Cavs in September of Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, and Ochai Agbajia as well as a haul of draft picks. With the Cavs, Mitchell has had a career year, averaging the most points of his career. The strong first half of his season has seen the sixth-year pro go from a +6000 favorite to win the NBA MVP in the preseason to as high as a +3000 MVP to win it at the time of writing.  

The Cavaliers have also seen strong contributions from the fourth-year guard, Darius Garland who averaged 21.4 points per game this season, and power forward Evan Mobley, who contributed 14.2 points on a nightly basis. 

After being +1600 favorites to win the Eastern Conference entering the season, the Cavaliers are now as low as +700 on sportsbooks in Ohio. They also have +150 odds to win the Central Division and +1800 odds to win the NBA Finals this season. Ohio bettors can book on Ohio’s various sportsbooks using the promos and bonuses provided, here. 

Minnesota trying to find its groove in January… 

Minnesota, on the other hand, is led this season by guard Anthony Edwards, who’s averaging 23.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game this season. Center Kevin Anthony-Towns isn’t too far behind Edwards posting an average of 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game this season.

The Timberwolves, however, are getting contributions from up and down their bench with seven total players averaging 10 points or more this season. Despite those efforts, the Timberwolves have struggled to get or stay above .500 this season.

Since starting the season 4-2, the Timberwolves have never been more than one game above .500. In the meantime, they’ve also seen themselves fall as far as five games below .500 following a six-game losing streak in late December that dropped their record from 16-16 to 16-21.  

However, since the start of the new year, the Timberwolves have been playing some of their better basketball this season, winning four straight with wins over the Denver Nuggets, Portland Trailblazers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Houston Rockets.  

The rough first half of the season for the Timberwolves has seen them go from +175 to win the Northwestern Division to start the season all the way to +5000 in mid-January. 

How the two teams match up… 

This will be an interesting matchup as the two teams are quite opposite of each other. The Cavaliers this season have been one of the lower scoring teams in the league as well as one of the slowest teams. The Cavs are only averaging 95.5 possessions per game this season, the lowest in the NBA. Their 111.5 points per game are among the five lowest across the association as well.

To go along with their low-scoring but deliberate offensive game, the Cavaliers under head coach J.B. Bickerstaff have the league’s best defense, allowing just 106.6 points per game. The Timberwolves are middle of the pack both offensively and defensively, averaging 114.7 points per game offensively while allowing 115 points a night defensively.

Under head coach Chris Finch, the Timberwolves are one of the faster-paced teams in the league, averaging 101.3 possessions over 48 minutes. While the Timberwolves look to push the ball upcourt consistently and get quick looks, the fast-paced offense has hurt them on the defensive side of the court as well, giving them opponents valuable extra possessions off quick misses and turnovers.  

The two teams met earlier this season on November 13, a 129-124 win for the Timberwolves in Cleveland. In that game, the Timberwolves were able to hold onto a 20-point lead heading into the fourth quarter despite being outscored 40-25 in the final 12 minutes of the game. D’Angelo Russell led the Timberwolves that evening with 30 points while Cleveland’s Darius Garland had a career night, dropping 51 points in the losing effort.  

If their November clash is any sign of what’s to come later this week, it should be another exciting game, though it may not be as high scoring with both teams playing quality defensive basketball the last few weeks. Over the last five years, the Cavaliers are 4-6 against the Timberwolves and have split the last four matchups. Last season, the two teams split their season series at a game aside.  

Tip-off between the Cavaliers and Timberwolves on Saturday is set for 8:00 p.m. at the Target Center in Minneapolis.