The Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz swung a small but interesting trade over the weekend, with Cody Williams heading to Minnesota and Josh Green landing in Salt Lake City.
This is the kind of move that gets undersold in an offseason full of Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbusters, but it is a real trade with real implications for both franchises. Let’s grade it.
For Minnesota, this is a swing on upside. Cody Williams was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He is 21 years old, has legit two-way tools, and has drawn attention for a mix of confidence and inconsistency in his first two seasons in Utah. He is also famous for some cocky comments about playing against LeBron James as a rookie, which fits right in with the personality profile Timberwolves fans love in a young player.
Williams is not a finished product. He needs to hit outside shots more consistently, needs to add strength, and needs to figure out how to play a role on a good team. But the Timberwolves were reportedly looking to move Green anyway, so getting a lottery pick with real upside back is a solid return.
Minnesota grade: B+.
For Utah, this is about veteran competence and shot creation. Green is 25, is a legitimate three-point shooter, and has been a productive rotation piece in every stop of his NBA career. He shot the ball well from deep in Minnesota, played smart defense, and gives the Jazz a much more polished wing to plug into their rotation while the young roster develops.
The Jazz have to make a decision this year about which direction the franchise is going. They have been in a soft rebuild for a while, but they also have real young talent that needs to see meaningful minutes with functional veterans around them. Green fits that spot.
Utah also gets to move on from a lottery pick who was drawing frustration internally. There were reports throughout Williams’s tenure that the Jazz were not fully sold on him as a long-term building block. Better to convert that into a veteran who can help now than to keep waiting for a jump that might not come.
Utah grade: B.
The bigger picture question is what this means for the Timberwolves rotation heading into training camp. Anthony Edwards is the alpha. Julius Randle is on the roster. Rudy Gobert anchors the defense. Adding Williams gives head coach Chris Finch another young wing to develop, and it fits into whatever Kuminga situation may or may not develop.
Minnesota has been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Kuminga in a sign-and-trade. If that happens, Williams becomes even more important as an insurance body on the wing. If Kuminga stays in Golden State, Williams gets a real chance to earn rotation minutes in year three.
For the Jazz, this is another chip in a slow rebuild that is going to take another year to shake out. The team has good young players, functional veterans, and a front office that has been patient. Adding Green helps them win a few more games while they figure out the long-term picture.
Neither team is going to look back at this deal as the move that decided their season. But it is a smart, targeted swap between two front offices trying to solve real problems.
Move on to the next one.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
