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The Minnesota Timberwolves were in on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors during the season, when it seemed the Milwaukee Bucks could deal their superstar.
Now that the offseason has arrived and the Antetokounmpo rumors have persisted, you'd think Minnesota would be involved again, right? Well, sort of.
It sounds like the asking price has gone up, and that may have deterred Minnesota.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported over the weekend that the Timberwolves did recently check on Giannis, but the cost didn't seem welcoming.
"Milwaukee is said to have asked for even more now than the teams discussed in the winter when Minnesota was at the forefront of the Giannis Trade Chase," Fischer writes.
The thought with Minnesota is that a trade would start with Jaden McDaniels but then need more assets, as well.
It's not clear what the actual asking price might be.
Minnesota also isn't an obvious spot that Giannis would sign a long-term deal.
He has just 2026-27 on his current contract (along with a player option for the next season that he'll almost certainly decline).
"There's not been any indication that Giannis doesn't want to be there long term," Sam Amick said recently on The Athletic NBA Daily, "but I don't get the sense that he's giving them the sign that he does want to be there." A report from ESPN on the weekend did name the Timberwolves along with the Heat and Celtics as potential destinations.
But the tea leaves at this point seem to have Minnesota a bit off the pace, and given the asking price and contract extension concerns, it's not clear this is a race they can catch up in.
MORE: Why Bucks trading Giannis before the draft makes sense.