Jim Souhan: Timberwolves should make another bold move and acquire Kyrie Irving in bid for a title

Jim Souhan, The Minnesota Star Tribune on May 25, 2026

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MINNEAPOLIS — This promised to be a difficult, complicated and even painful offseason for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

They desperately need to find a co-star for Anthony Edwards.

They need to keep Edwards happy and believing in their ability to progress toward an NBA championship in a daunting conference.

They need to do so without stripping their roster of their most valuable secondary players, including Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid.

They want (or should want) to ditch Julius Randle, who has disappeared in their last two playoff series losses.

They have few trade assets in the near future because they spent so much of their draft capital on Rudy Gobert, Rob Dillingham and Ayo Dosunmu.

A trade for Milwaukee star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is highly unlikely and would be prohibitively expensive.

Wolves basketball boss Tim Connelly is known for shaking up his roster even in the midst of great success.

Knowing that the Wolves are going to do something dramatic in the next few months, what, under these restricting circumstances, should their big move be?

The answer is simple and could wind up paying homage to the Wild’s stunning acquisition of star defenseman Quinn Hughes this season.

The Wolves need to trade for Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving.

The Mavericks are rebuilding around Cooper Flagg. Irving is 34, missed this season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, and is under contract for one more season, with a player option for another. By the time Flagg and the Mavericks are ready to challenge the powerhouses of the Western Conference, Irving would likely be old and gone.

By trading for Irving, who helped Cleveland win the 2016 NBA title, the Wolves would satisfy several key factors:

Make Edwards happy

One of the themes running through the Wolves’ exit interviews was that Edwards becoming a primary ballhandler led to individual statistical success but damaged offensive flow, fatigued him enough that he wasn’t effective enough on defense, and led to moodiness from players who didn’t get the ball as often as they would like, or in positions that enabled them to succeed.

When healthy and happy, Irving is one of the most talented and creative combo guards in recent NBA history. He’s an incredible ballhandler who can create his own shot or set up teammates, and he’s a dynamic scorer. One of the reasons the Wolves traded for Randle was to give them two players — Edwards and Randle — who could create their own shot or collapse defenses. That’s what Wolves officials saw when the Mavericks used Irving and Luka Doncic to dominate a very good Wolves defense in the playoffs two years ago.

Acquiring Irving would improve the roster and the offense and allow Edwards to become an even more dominant two-way player.

The price is right

While trading for Giannis would destroy the roster, the Wolves could make an ideal deal with the Mavericks. They might be able to trade Dallas native Randle and one or two of their young players for Irving, especially if Irving lets the Mavericks know that he wants to win now. The Mavericks would not want an unhappy Irving hanging around Flagg. The Wolves could also sign Dosunmu as part of a sign-and-trade deal.

A big swing is needed

The Western Conference finals are frightening for the rest of the conference. Oklahoma City might be on its way to a second straight title. San Antonio is signaling that its rebuild is ahead of schedule and it will be a championship contender for as long as Victor Wembanyama is healthy and wearing black and silver.

Because of this level of competition, the Wolves need a major upgrade rather than a tweak.

This is no time to trade the core

I would recommend that the Wolves not include McDaniels or Reid in any deal. Reid mourned the loss of his murdered sister early in the season and dealt with injuries later. The Wolves would be trading him at low value and would have great difficulty replacing him. If the Wolves trade Randle, McDaniels could become a primary option in their offense and would likely continue to develop his repertoire.

The other price is right

Irving makes roughly $40 million per season. That’s a lot of money, but it’s not daunting by NBA standards for a star who might give you a chance to win a title.

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