Written by Nicolas Hallett
Be honest with yourself, if anyone is going to screw this up, it’s a Minnesota sports team, right?
Everyone in Minnesota is fawning over the idea that its basketball franchise has flipped a sulky stat monster in Kevin Love, who was going to leave for nothing after this season if he stayed, for the ripe and motivated 2014 No. 1 overall pick in Andrew Wiggins, along with throw-ins Anthony Bennett (the 2013 No. 1 overall pick) and a 2015 first-rounder from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Yahoo Sports Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that the deal is, in fact, done. Yet, NBA rookies cannot be traded for 30 days after signing their first pro contract so the move cannot be made official until Aug. 23.
Wiggins is being thrown away unabashedly by the Cavs like an unwanted sofa to the curb. And he knows it, just look at this video interview.
"I just want to play for a team that wants me," Wiggins said. "So, whichever team wants me, I'll play for."
This is the same Wiggins who was labeled “the next LeBron James” coming out of high school. Then he was as the country’s top recruit and eventually committed to powerhouse Kansas. One NBA scout at the time said Wiggins would have been the No. 1 pick in 2013, too, straight from high school. The same scout said, if they were all in the same draft class, Wiggins would have gone ahead of Derek Rose, Blake Griffin and current Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving, one of Cleveland’s presumed new “Big Three,” which also includes LeBron James and Love.
The move would be a massive win for Minnesota, which would now have a potential superstar piece to build its team around instead of losing its best player with no severance. Fantastic job, Mr. Flip Saunders. Truly outstanding.
But not so fast. The public nature in which this affair is being handle has everything feeling a bit jinxed.
“The Cavs and Wolves, knowing that league officials are monitoring this transaction closely, have been careful not to make any public acknowledgments that trade details have already been agreed to,” according to ESPN.
“In addition, under NBA rules, such an agreement would be illegal, and, if proven, it potentially could be grounds for the league to block this trade and dole out punishment to both teams.”
Apparently it’s been awhile since some of the major stakeholders in this trade have read the rulebook.
About a week ago, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor all but confirmed the deal to the Pioneer Press, saying that a deal was “likely” by either Aug. 23 or Aug. 24, around the time Wiggins is eligible to be traded.
Oddly, LeBron James publicly acknowledged how “very excited” he would be to have Love on board in an interview on Saturday. In other words, he nearly admitted the trade agreement and inadvertently threw Wiggins under the bus.
James returned to his hometown to recover his tarnished image after bolting to Miami. Being the villain instead of the super hero drained on him. So why is he once again creating enemies and at the same time etching the lore for Wiggins to possibly one day build on and epically surpass him?
The saga has basketball neutrals everywhere cheering not only for Wiggins’ future success, but for the Timberwolves too.
That’s if the trade is allowed.
All this talk will likely be investigated by the league and could be viewed as tampering, allowing for the NBA commissioner Adam Silver to veto the trade. His predecessor David Stern vetoed a similar blockbuster deal in 2011 when Chris Paul, then of the New Orleans Hornets and refusing to sign a contract extension, was blocked from becoming a Los Angeles Laker. (Also, look back at the trade. The Hornets, thought to be getting the short end of that deal at the time, actually would have come out quite fine, if not spectacular.)
Most pointedly, the Timberwolves could screw this up because, well, they’ve done it before as pointed out by ESPN.
“The Wolves were infamously sanctioned heavily in 2000 after it was discovered the club had promised a lucrative future contract — in writing — to Joe Smith, incurring a fine of $3.5 million and the loss of four first-round picks, as well as suspensions for owner Glen Taylor and then-GM Kevin McHale.”
Just when the Timberwolves appeared to have miraculously scored a victory too. Isn’t that just Minnesota sports.
| Nicolas Hallett is a staff writer for 105 The Ticket. He recently graduated from the University of Minnesota and has written for the Murphy News Service, the Minnesota Daily and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Follow him on Twitter @NicolasHallett |