Timberwolves stay silent at NBA trade deadline as team climbs in standings

CHICAGO — Sachin Gupta said last month the Timberwolves were likely to be "buyers" at the NBA trade deadline.

But the team's executive vice president added a caveat — he wouldn't make a move unless it would improve the Wolves this season and in future seasons.

There was no deal Gupta liked to fit that mold, and Thursday's trade deadline ended without the Wolves making any moves. They opted to keep together a roster that has climbed to the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference and has gone 13-7 since the calendar changed to 2022.

The Wolves were potentially looking for help in their frontcourt because they have the worst defensive rebounding percentage in the league. But they did not want to sacrifice future assets to improve marginally this season, even if it meant a greater chance of moving up into the top six seeds and avoiding the play-in tournament at the end of the season.

The Wolves have their full complement of first-round picks going forward along with three second-round picks in this year's draft.

Throughout the last week, reports had the Wolves linked to potentially acquiring Celtics guard Marcus Smart, but a deal wasn't close to being made, sources said.

Gupta also did not feel pressure to make a move for the sake of asserting his influence over the roster while he's in charge. Gupta became the day-to-day head of basketball operations while retaining his executive vice president title after Gersson Rosas was fired in September, but Gupta has not been permanently named to the post.

"For me, I'm not just looking to make a trade for the sake of it or to make a splash to put my name on it," Gupta said last month. "I feel really good about this team, and at this point I think we're on track to achieve the goals that we set out."

That's because the Wolves have improved over the course of the season. The emergence of forward Jarred Vanderbilt as an important piece in the starting lineup lessened the need for the Wolves to go out and find a power forward or other center who could play alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. Their bench has come around in recent weeks, too.

Players such as guard Jaylen Nowell and forward Taurean Prince have gone from riding the bench to key contributors in the second half of the season. Guard Malik Beasley has been inconsistent, but has found his shooting touch more of late.

The Wolves also decided not to move on from the expiring contract of veteran guard Patrick Beverley because of the leadership he brings and defensive acumen he has when on the floor. Beverley, 33, is eligible for an extension and has said he would like to stay in Minnesota beyond this year.

The Wolves had interest in potentially acquiring guard Ben Simmons, but as it became clear James Harden wanted out of Brooklyn and the 76ers were going to pursue him, the Wolves fell out of any Simmons sweepstakes. The 76ers and Nets came to an agreement on a Simmons-for-Harden trade package shortly before the deadline Thursday.

The Wolves have an open roster spot and could still add someone in the buyout market, but that is unlikely to immediately happen. The Wolves have little room below the luxury tax and Gupta does not want to put them into the tax. They also have to see how contract incentives might play out the rest of the season for Prince and how that affects their overall cap number.

Coach Chris Finch had said in recent days that the Wolves were not looking to make significant moves, that the organization liked the chemistry of this roster and how it was playing better as the season went along.

"We're really, really happy with our guys right now, not just with their production but with their overall mood. It's really strong," Finch said Wednesday. "... We're just focused on these guys and we're not necessarily looking to do anything significant."

They ended up doing nothing at all.