NBA Trade Deadline 2020: One trade every team should make

Minnesota Timberwolves: Gorgui Dieng for the Toronto Raptors’ Norman Powell, Stanley Johnson and own unprotected 2020 second-rounder

Reason for Minnesota: Minnesota has never been in love with Gorgui Dieng, which is weird, because he’s a good player. He can play either big position, and he can shoot and protect the rim. He has put up monster numbers since Karl-Anthony Towns has gone down with a knee sprain, averaging a double-double with more than a steal and a block per game while shooting over 40 percent from deep. The Timberwolves don’t love his contract, and if they want to get off his deal, they could trade up for a wing who has quietly dominated this season. Norman Powell is shooting well from the field and lights out from deep. He has the potential to become much more if he adds better decision-making and a smoother in-between game. The Timberwolves need more players who have the potential to grow. Powell offers that.

Reason for Toronto: The Raptors are missing a big in the rotation, even though Chris Boucher and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson have played admirably trying to fill that last spot. When the team is totally healthy, Dieng would take their minutes and probably play between 20-25 minutes a game. He would help towards solving Toronto’s rebounding problem. He’s a good defender, and furthermore, he would give Toronto another shooter at either big spot. He would offer the Raptors more consistency on the offensive end in several ways. Furthermore, his deal is only two years vs. Powell’s three, so Toronto would add more cap space to its 2021-22 hoard. Getting off of Stanley Johnson’s player option for the 2020-21 season would be another bonus for the Raptors. Losing Powell would probably be an eventual necessity if Toronto wants to keep VanVleet this offseason and compete in the Giannis sweepstakes of 2021-22. The Raptors would upgrade, slightly, in the short-term while adding more flexibility in the long-term.