It never hurts to ask about the other team’s star player.
That’s a general truth in the NBA. There are only so many game-changers available, and it’s worth checking in on all of them, even if there’s a 0.0007 percent chance of hearing the answer you desire.
But when Dallas general manager Nico Harrison asked Minnesota about Anthony Edwards in mid-January, starting a casual conversation about the prospect of a star-for-star swap that quickly ended when the Timberwolves showed no interest, it was met with some confusion, because there was only one logical way for the Mavericks do that sort of deal: by giving up their franchise centerpiece, Luka Dončić. Advertisement A few weeks later, when Dallas decided to send the five-time All-Star to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick shocked the basketball world, Timberwolves officials weren’t nearly as surprised as the rest of us, because those bread crumbs had been dropped on their doorstep weeks before. But there was another takeaway from that exchange that I first reported on in late February, one that’s worth revisiting now that Minnesota is one win away from eliminating Dončić’s Lakers in their first-round series that resumes with Wednesday’s Game 5.
The fact that the Timberwolves gave almost zero thought to the prospect of swapping the 23-year-old Edwards for the (then) 25-year-old Dončić speaks volumes about their level of belief in the player Edwards will become. And that strategy, headed by president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and backed by new owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, is looking more and more sound by the day. Edwards, whose candidacy in the “future face of the league” sweepstakes is thriving whether he likes it or not, has been nothing short of spectacular so far in these playoffs. His 43-point, nine-rebound, six-assist outing in Game 4 against the Lakers was a masterpiece.
And in stark contrast to the 2024 West Finals, when Dončić (and Kyrie Irving) ran roughshod over the Wolves en route to their NBA Finals matchup with Boston, Edwards is getting the better of this matchup this time around. To wit … Edwards Stats: 29.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.5 turnovers per game, with a team-high plus-28 mark. Shooting splits: 45.2 percent overall on 23.3 shots per game; 43.2 percent from 3-point range on 9.3 attempts per game; 82.6 percent on 5.8 free throws per game. Dončić Stats: 30.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 4.5 turnovers per game, with a minus-19 mark Shooting splits: 46.5 percent overall on 21.5 shots per game; 36.8 percent from 3-point range on 9.5 attempts per game; 93.5 percent on 7.8 free throws per game. Beyond the numbers, though, it has been Edwards by a mile when it comes to the intangibles, too. His defense is elite, while Dončić’s is … The entertainment factor — which matters a great deal when it comes to connecting with the masses — is off the charts because of Edwards’ elite athleticism and competitiveness. And after all the discussion last summer about whether the choice to trade Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks would set Minnesota back, with newcomers Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo taking some time to find their way, Edwards helped the Wolves evolve into a team that looks capable of making another deep run. Even Edwards’ worst moment of this postseason, that R-rated comment he made to a Lakers fan during Game 1 that led to a $50,000 fine from the NBA, had a nuanced subtext that was seen as a positive in some Timberwolves circles.
The impetus for his ire had everything to do with Minnesota big man Rudy Gobert, who was being chastised by the fan when Edwards decided to step in and take over the exchange. His style was distasteful and inappropriate, to be sure, but the choice to protect a teammate who is so routinely mocked by fans and opposing players alike (see below) was noticed and appreciated within the Timberwolves’ locker room. So, yes, if it somehow wasn’t clear just yet, the Timberwolves are still feeling quite bullish about Edwards being the face of their franchise — and perhaps even the league — for a long time to come. No matter who might call with other ideas. Is defense impossible to play today’s spread-out NBA? Not to the Thunder. They’ve found the secret to putting the clamps on their opponents. A tale of two Warriors prospects To see Brandin Podziemski play a massive part in Golden State’s Game 4 win over Houston on Monday night — while doing so against the backdrop of Jonathan Kuminga’s latest removal from coach Steve Kerr’s rotation — was to be reminded that the path to success in this league is often complex. And for all the focus on raw talent, skill and the like, having a feel for the game is often the difference-maker for young players who are looking to survive and thrive. Ever since the 22-year-old Podziemski was drafted 19th out of Santa Clara in 2023, the 6-foot-4 guard has found a way to click with the greats who make the Warriors machine go — most notably Steph Curry, Draymond Green and, in these past three months, Jimmy Butler. He can be a playmaker. He can be a scorer. He can defend well enough to avoid being yanked off the floor. More importantly, he tends to impact the game on the edges, while not usurping any of the superpowers from any of his aforementioned teammates. Brandin Podziemski had become a reliable option for the Warriors. (Kelley L Cox / Imagn Images) Kuminga, meanwhile, is widely seen as the player with higher upside who may well go on to bigger and better things elsewhere. With the Warriors, though, the 22-year-old who was taken seventh in 2021 out of the (now-defunct) G League Ignite has struggled mightily to develop those traits and now finds himself at a low point in his early NBA tenure as a result. He has only played in two of the four games in this series and underwhelmed in those two appearances. Kuminga’s looming restricted free-agency situation this summer, which was indisputably impacted by Butler’s arrival, has been well-chronicled. Just days after the Butler deal went down, Warriors owner Joe Lacob told our Anthony Slater that he was still committed to keeping Kuminga. That much remains to be seen, but the Brooklyn Nets are widely known to be pondering the notion of wooing him away if they decide that he’s a future star. Ironically, Podziemski’s latest outing was a rare star turn. He finished with 26 points (9 of 18 shooting; 6 of 11 from 3), five rebounds and five assists, while sharing the marquee with Butler (27 points, five rebounds, six assists). The Rockets held Curry to his first quiet night of the series (17 points, three assists and four turnovers), meaning Podziemski’s production was all the more vital. But the Warriors were more than happy with what Podziemski was providing even before Game 4, as he has quietly been one of their most productive players for some time. From Jan. 23 (when he returned from a 12-game absence after a right abdominal injury) to the end of the regular season, he averaged 14.9 points (46.9 percent shooting overall; 41.2 percent from 3 on six attempts per game), 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists. His plus-minus during that time was a team-best 6.7 (plus-227 overall, with Green second at 193). “Brandin is big-time,” Kerr said after Game 4. “Second-year player, but plays like a 10th-year guy. Got so much poise and confidence. He was obviously a key to everything.” As Kerr detailed, the Butler trade elevated Podziemski’s value within their ranks. “The thing with Brandin, we know he’s at his best when he’s a secondary play-maker, playing off the weak side (and) running through the catch, creating shots in the paint for himself and others,” Kerr explained. “Once we got Jimmy, we were running a lot of offense through Jimmy, and that allowed Brandin to play on the other side. I think he’s at his best when he can do that.” Don’t blame our poll for Haliburton ‘haters’ In the wake of Rick Carlisle eviscerating The Athletic’s anonymous player poll recently, I have only this to say to the Indiana Pacers coach, who couldn’t believe that Tyrese Haliburton had been voted as the league’s “most overrated” player: don’t kill the messenger. Like it or not, the fact is that Haliburton received more votes than any other player from the 90 players who took part in that question (13 votes). Gobert (10 votes) was second. And for the record, more players answered this question this time than in any of the previous three polls we’ve published. This question is always a fascinating one because it reveals truths about how some players in the league actually see some of the more high-profile players. Yet because the answers are always quite varied — 33 players in all received at least one vote — the “winner” has a relatively small number of votes. That was the case in 2019, when our first poll was published and the Warriors’ Green was the top selection (17 percent of 47 votes), in 2023 when Atlanta’s Trae Young won it (14.8 percent of 54 votes) and last year when Gobert took the top spot (13.6 percent of 81 votes). Now just look at that list, and try to tell me there’s not a common thread between those particular names. For a variety of reasons, all four of those players — Green, Young, Gobert and Haliburton — routinely rub their opponents the wrong way. Lord knows Haliburton was getting under Damian Lillard’s skin in Game 1 of the Pacers-Milwaukee Bucks first-round series, for example (before Lillard’s devastating Achilles tendon tear in Game 4, of course). Watch this Game 1 video until the end and pay close to attention to just how bothered all of the Bucks were by Haliburton’s presence. Play: Video Haliburton is no stranger to the “haters,” as the kids say. As he and I discussed earlier this season, he has become much more adept at blocking out that kind of negative noise. As for Carlisle’s claim that the results aren’t reflective of reality because not every player chose to take part in that particular question, that’s odd logic to levy. If anything, the choice to answer the question speaks to the sincerity of the answer. And again, a record 90 players out of the 158 answered. Haliburton, who has heard “overrated” chants from the Bucks crowd ever since Carlisle’s rant, appears to have used this unwelcome distinction as the latest fuel for his fire. A badge of honor, if you will. His Pacers, who made that Eastern Conference finals run a year ago and look capable of doing something similar again, are up 3-1 with Game 5 in Indiana on Tuesday. The fifth-year pro is averaging 12.3 assists in the series and just 2.5 turnovers. His assist percentage, which reflects the number of buckets he facilitated during his time on the court, is tops for all playoff performers to this point (47.1 percent). Haliburton’s scoring (15.5 points per game) and efficiency have been down through four games, as he’s shooting just 40.7 percent overall and 29 percent from 3 at high volume (7.8 attempts per game). But the Pacers are still on the verge of ending the Bucks’ season for the second consecutive playoffs and moving on to a showdown against the Cleveland Cavaliers. That’s the sort of stuff that leads to the last laugh this time of year.
