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Amid speculation that the Minnesota Timberwolves could look to trade Karl-Anthony Towns or Rudy Gobert in the near future, guard Anthony Edwards stood behind his teammates recently.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Edwards was asked by a media member at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in the Philippines earlier this month if he would rather see the T-Wolves trade Towns or Gobert.
Fischer noted that while Edwards initially brushed off the question, he addressed it shortly thereafter and stood up for both of his teammates, saying: “Neither one, man. I like all my teammates. I love them. They my brothers. I wouldn’t trade neither one of them.”
Last offseason, Minnesota acquired Gobert in a blockbuster trade with the Utah Jazz that saw the Timberwolves part with multiple players and first-round picks.
Gobert arrived as a three-time All-Star and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, but he largely disappointed in his first season in Minnesota, as his 13.4 points per game were his lowest since 2015-16, his 11.6 rebounds per game were his lowest since 2017-18 and his 1.4 blocks per game were his lowest since his rookie year in 2013-14.
The Timberwolves’ hope was that Gobert and Towns would form the most dominant interior duo in the NBA, but Towns was limited to just 29 games due to injury. Even when healthy, Towns wasn’t his usual self, averaging a career-low 8.1 rebounds per game, and 20.8 points per game, which was the second-worst average of his career.
While neither Gobert nor Towns were named All-Stars, Edwards blossomed into a superstar in his own right.
The 2020 No. 1 overall draft pick averaged a career-high 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game en route to his first All-Star nod.
He was also the clear driving force behind the Timberwolves sneaking into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed before falling to the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the first round.
Edwards’ excellent play carried over to the FIBA World Cup, as he led Team USA with 18.9 points per game and helped them secure a fourth-place finish.
As of now, Minnesota is largely running back the same team it had last season, which could make it difficult to improve significantly.
If Edwards can continue to grow and the T-Wolves can get a full, healthy season of Towns and Gobert together, however, they do have a chance to surprise in the Western Conference.
Source link : https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10089574-wolves-anthony-edwards-i-wouldnt-trade-karl-anthony-towns-or-rudy-gobert
Author : Mike Chiari
Publish date : 2023-09-15 14:13:18
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