The Minnesota Timberwolves have an eye on their future, and their vision of a new team might not include veteran forward Corey Brewer.
That's because Matt Moore of CBS Sports reports that the Timberwolves have suffered heavy successive losses to both the New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks, giving up a total of 270 points in both games. As a result, Minnesota is looking for a fresh start with a Brewer trade, despite what he can offer on the court.
"Brewer's a compulsive gambler on defense, but can also make plays happen," Moore wrote. "He's a superb leak-out artist, not just a cherry-picker, but someone with incredible timing when it comes to getting out in transition."
Both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets have expressed interest in the Brewer trade. According to Moore, Brewer would probably be a better fit in Houston compared to Cleveland.
"The Rockets could use someone at the three to give minutes in an up-tempo offense, vs. the more cerebral Cavs offense," Moore wrote.
Marc Stein of ESPN reports that the Timberwolves are doing a Brewer trade in exchange for "future assets" to speed up the rebuilding process, especially since the team traded Kevin Love to the Cavaliers back in August. He also thinks that Cleveland and Houston have the resources to integrate him into their rosters.
"Both Cleveland and Houston possess a trade exception large enough to absorb Brewer's $4.7 million salary, meaning that both teams would likely be able to acquire Brewer by merely surrendering future draft compensation and without giving up any key players," Stein wrote.
If Brewer decides to head to Cleveland, he would be working together with Love as teammates once again alongside LeBron James. However, the Rockets want to make a play for him as well; according to Stein, Kevin McHale, who used to be the Timberwolves' general manager but now works as a Rockets coach, drafted Brewer in Minnesota in the 2007 draft.
Cory Smith of Bleacher Report notes that Brewer has played a reduced role in Minnesota this year, posting 12.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game last season. Smith also added that Brewer's minutes have gone down from 32.2 last season to 22.9 per game, and he's averaging only 9.8 points so far.
"If he does head to a contender like the Cavs or Rockets, Brewer would immediately add depth at the guard position," Smith wrote. "The veteran has also played in 19 playoff contests, so he would bring experience in the postseason."
The Cavaliers and Rockets may be the best teams to accept a Brewer trade, but other NBA teams want him on their roster too. According to Adam Fromal of Bleacher Report, the Chicago Bulls, Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Portland Trail Blazers could benefit from his presence too.
Out of the six teams that Fromal mentioned, the Blazers might get the most out of a Brewer trade. Even though Brewer might not be a "perfect fit" for Portland, he argued that he would be able to provide depth and upgrade their gameplay.
"Nonetheless, he's a fit simply because he's a workable body who would help provide that much-needed depth on the wings," Fromal wrote.
Wherever he ends up, at least Brewer can still say he's a champion; in addition to being part of two NCAA title teams at Florida, he was part of the Mavericks back in 2011 when they won their championship, according to Stein.
