Frederick: Zion Williamson is a risk. For the Timberwolves, it may be worth taking.

wcc

May 26, 2026 - 13:19

0 0

Frederick: Zion Williamson is a risk. For the Timberwolves, it may be worth taking.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the biggest name on the trade market by a wide margin heading into what’s expected to be another explosive NBA offseason.

Minnesota has been heavily linked to the Greek forward dating back to the trade deadline, and those murmurs don’t figure to subside in the next month-plus. Especially not now, with Minnesota fresh off another playoff exit in which it was thoroughly out-played by one of the West’s elite.

Wolves basketball boss Tim Connelly acknowledged at his end-of-season availability that Minnesota needs to get better, and he is willing to take a risk to do so.

That could very likely entail a strong play for Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee superstar is one of the best players in the NBA. He’d provide Anthony Edwards with a legitimate, championship-caliber running mate while also supplying the size necessary to pose problems to the current class of the conference, San Antonio and Oklahoma City.

But there are road blocks to such an acquisition, which was not remotely close to occurring in February. Antetokounmpo figures to have multiple teams in pursuit of his talents this summer, many of which will have far more draft assets in the cupboard to offer in a trade than Minnesota. Meaning any feasible trade for Antetokounmpo — who will make nearly $60 million next season on his current contract and is set to demand nearly $70 million annually on his next — could require the Timberwolves to gut their current core and create a top-heavy roster, the likes of which have not fared well in the league’s recent history.

That’s not to nix the idea altogether, but alternative plans need to be explored on the not-so-off chance Minnesota ultimately falls out of the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes.

Few other avenues provide the necessary jolt to make up the miles-wide gap between Minnesota and the Thunder and Spurs. A floor general would certainly help, and the Wolves could upgrade their surrounding pieces fit-wise around Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid.

But the change required to move Minnesota out of the “puncher’s chance” club and into the legitimate championship conversation is something of seismic proportions. Few names reach those heights.

Does Zion Williamson’s?

The physical phenom came into the NBA as a prospective league changer in 2019, and he has flashed that potential on numerous occasions. True stardom has been short circuited by durability and surrounding roster struggles in New Orleans.

Yet the intriguing physical dominance persists for the soon-to-be 26 year old.

While a more well-rounded offensive game would be preferred — 95% of Williamson’s shot attempts this season came from within 10 feet — the forward routinely makes minced meat out of the league’s best shot blockers.

He embarrasses Minnesota in matchups – Williamson is 6-1 in his last seven games against the Wolves – and twice this season took it to Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs.

Wembanyama went 19-1 in 20 regular season home games after the calendar flipped to 2026. The lone loss came to the Pelicans on a night when Williamson went 10 for 15 in the paint on non-tip-in shot attempts.

There is a physicality and intention to his offensive approach that Minnesota routinely lacks. And, as this season further proved, plenty of tact.

Williamson is at his best and most dominant with the ball in his hands, which allows him to get downhill — something no one in the NBA can prevent him from doing — and score or collapse the defense.

While he played only 30 games in the 2024-25 season, the forward tallied nine-plus assists on five of those occasions. Minnesota has a desire to get Edwards off the ball more next season to create more of the easy catch-and-shoot looks the superstar routinely drills.

Doing so without having to slot in a point guard for heavy minutes who could detract from the team’s big, physical, athletic identity would be the ultimate win.

Williamson is capable of carrying a larger ball-handling load and directing an offense when needed.

But he didn’t this season. Inexplicably, the Pelicans frequently took the ball out of Williamson’s hands. And while that didn’t lead to wins, it did show a different side of his offensive game.

Williamson proved adept at cutting, playing off the catch and serving as the roll man in pick-and-roll actions. He sees the game in a way that allows him to adapt and prosper from any spot on the floor.

Such versatility could make him a strong candidate to be the first ever teammate to establish a true “two-man game” with Edwards.

Williamson could be both an outlet for Edwards and an orchestrator for the offense as a whole. He’s the caliber of talent to which Edwards would be willing to defer when required.

No opponent is double-teaming Edwards to willingly play 3-on-4 defense against a Williamson-led attack on the back end of a play.

At his best, Williamson would fit the bill of a true, consistent No. 2 option in Minnesota who could climb the final rung of that ladder whenever required. And it shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg to acquire him.

Last month, Pelicans basketball boss Joe Dumars said New Orleans has “no intention” of dealing Williamson this offseason. But those words aren’t matched by logic. The Pelicans just played a season with their current core and won 26 games, putting them miles away from even sniffing postseason play. Moving forward with the same, non-competitive formula would meet the definition of insanity.

Last June, New Orleans staked its future on a draft night trade for young big man Derik Queen. The 21 year old figures to have an expanded role moving forward. From a basketball perspective, he does not fit next to Williamson in the frontcourt.

Joan Beringer, however, does. The French teenager, frankly, is a perfect long-term fit alongside Queen. Beringer and Julius Randle could serve as the base of a package that would likely cause Dumars and Co. to strongly consider taking the off ramp on a Williamson tenure that has probably run its course.

Which would kick-off a Williamson-Edwards era in Minnesota that, if all went well, could have the Timberwolves encroaching on the presumed Spurs-Thunder annual West Finals date sooner than expected.

And, if it didn’t, it wouldn’t necessarily set the Timberwolves back for years to come.

Big reward, not all that much risk? Given the Wolves’ current situation, it’s a swing worth exploring.