Minnesota Timberwolves: C+
It’s a bit disappointing to see the Timberwolves stand pat considering their promising start to the season. They’re in a different situation compared to Memphis, as their young core is going to have to get re-signed relatively soon. Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell expire after the 2023-24 and 2022-23 seasons, respectively.
Sure, Anthony Edwards is living up to the hype and will be under team control for the next seven seasons, but Minnesota could’ve certainly used a win-now move. Rumblings of a Marcus Smart deal would have helped the team’s defense and ball-handling considerably, but no trade was done. With Patrick Beverley set to hit free agency after the season, it would have been nice for the T-Wolves to look for a replacement.
New Orleans Pelicans: B
Adding CJ McCollum to a potential trio of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson (when healthy), is intriguing, to say the least. They parted with a package including Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and a first-round pick to acquire the all-star caliber talent. Sure, it’s fair to say that McCollum is overpaid at age 30, and his contract doesn’t get any better, but his potential offensive fit next to Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas is a risk worth taking.
He’ll likely play point guard for the Pels, running the offense better than anyone else on the roster could. This deal is mainly for next year, hopefully when Williamson can get back on the court. This Pelicans core has the potential to be scary in 2023 and beyond.