The Minnesota Timberwolves have been off to a solid start this season and they potentially are looking like a playoff team and with all that in mind, the franchise could look to make some trades to upgrade the roster and reports have Derrick Williams being at the top of that list and the Sacramento Kings, who have Jimmer Fredette on the trading block, could be interested in him.
Williams has been mentioned in trade rumors since last year and over this past summer and while Flip Saunders and the team have held onto him, it is likely that he will be dealt this season and now reports have the Kings interested. Sacramento has a new general manager, coach and owner and with DeMarcus Cousins and some other players in the fold, the team may be looking to add more young talent to build around and that means a player like Williams. A trade between these two teams would be similar to when Thomas Robinson got traded, as one team identified a very talented, high draft pick that did not fit with their team and made a move.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Williams is getting interest from the Sacramento Kings and the report came from a chat with ESPN Insider Chad Ford about the league and possible moves. Ford wrote that the Timberwolves and Saunders want to move Williams, but they also don't want to just give him away, meaning the team would like some more value in the deal and Ford proposed that either Jason Thompson or Chuck Hayes being involved could make it better, as the team could use some veteran help on the bench. Ford says the Kings have "a lot of interest" in Williams and that means a deal could be going down around deadline time.
Williams is averaging just five points and two rebounds per game this season, but he has been moved around quite a bit so far and that has put a hit on his stats. Williams is immensely talented and was taken with the second overall pick in 2011 and last season he was solid in 56 starts, averaging 13.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 0.6 steals and now he could end up on the move down the line. The Kings have spoken about trading Jimmer Fredette last summer and John Salmons also could move and PBT says that any deal with the Kings would need more than the veterans to get done. The Kings declined to pick up the option on Fredette's contract and that has fueled speculation that the team will be trading the former 10th overall pick and he could be moved later on in the season along with Williams.
There were already reports this season that the Timberwolves have Williams and Alexey Shved on the trading block to try and build the team up to convince Kevin Love NOT to opt out in 2015 and that means deals could be coming at the deadline. The original report from Yahoo Sports has the Knicks trying hard to get Love once he is available, but the Timberwolves are hoping to keep that at bay as long as they can and they hope to convince Love to stay long term.