Jaden McDaniels can breathe a sigh of relief.
The versatile forward heard his name mentioned in plenty of rumors as the Minnesota Timberwolves explored the idea of adding a star player before the trade deadline.
However, Giannis Antetokounmpo stayed put with the Milwaukee Bucks and McDaniels stayed put in Minneapolis, where the Timberwolves will play the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
“It’s hard to block out,” McDaniels said before Thursday’s trade deadline. “It’s everywhere you go on your phone, you see something. I try. I’ve been through six deadlines, and I just keep it the same way every time.”
This time, McDaniels and the Timberwolves will welcome a new teammate.
Minnesota and several other teams failed to land the NBA’s biggest prize in Antetokounmpo, but the Timberwolves added much-needed talent and depth when they acquired Ayo Dosunmu from the Chicago Bulls before the deadline. In exchange, Minnesota parted with lightly used Rob Dillingham and Leonard Miller along with four second-round picks.
Dosunmu, 26, averaged a career-high 15.0 points along with 3.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 45 games for the Bulls this season. The fifth-year pro shoots 51.4% from the field and a career-best 45.1% from 3-point range.
It is not certain whether Dosunmu will join his new team in time for Friday’s game.
Whenever he arrives, he figures to come off the bench and play a prominent role in the Timberwolves’ rotation. He averaged 26.4 minutes primarily in a reserve role with Chicago this season, compared with 9.3 minutes per game for Dillingham with the Timberwolves.
As the Timberwolves prepare to welcome reinforcements, the Pelicans head to Minnesota without a trusted veteran. New Orleans traded Jose Alvarado, 27, to the New York Knicks on Thursday in exchange for Dalen Terry, two second-round picks and cash considerations.
Alvarado averaged 7.9 points and 3.1 assists in 41 games this season and provided dependable defense. Terry averaged 3.5 points and 1.3 assists in 34 games for the Bulls.
New Orleans rests near the bottom of the Western Conference standings and plots how more losing might benefit its future. The Pelicans have lost three games in a row, including a 141-137 overtime loss Wednesday at Milwaukee.
Pelicans interim coach James Borrego praised Trey Murphy III for his career-high 44-point performance, but said his team needed to do more on the other end of the court to stop the skid. The Bucks hit 60.9% from the field, which featured 21 of 47 shooting (44.7%) from 3-point range.
“It was our defense,” Borrego said. “Not enough resistance. (Our) point-of-attack defense was too weak, too soft. We’ve got to be better (defensively).”
The Timberwolves are coming off a 128-126 road win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. Minnesota has won five of its past six games.
Anthony Edwards will look to stay hot after scoring 30 points on 11-for-23 shooting against the Raptors. He added eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
This is the third of four meetings between the Timberwolves and Pelicans this season.
Minnesota won the first two games as it held on for a 149-142 overtime win on Dec. 2 in New Orleans, then won the rematch two days later with a 125-116 verdict in New Orleans.
–Field Level Media
