Wolves deadline trade would be minor at most: Kahn

So don't expect the Timberwolves to make any more than a minor move before the Feb. 18 cutoff for making deals, until the swapping and signing of players can begin again in July.

That means point guards Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions, perimeter players Corey Brewer and Ryan Gomes and power forwards Al Jefferson and Kevin Love have the rest of the season to prove their worth and their fit with coach Kurt Rambis's triangle scheme. First-round draft pick Ricky Rubio is part of that process too, a world away in Spain, but Kahn again ruled out a trade this year.

After a season-high four straight wins, the Wolves still are last in the Western Conference at 13-38. In a question-and-answer session with reporters at Target Center on Monday, Kahn said he sees the team as two years away from playoff contention.

One major question to be answered is whether Jefferson, the leading scorer and centerpiece of the franchise-altering Kevin Garnett trade of three years ago, will be part of the progress.

Kahn said he took a call from another team about that very subject Monday morning.

That doesn't mean the Wolves won't be open to it or even aggressive about it this summer, when they'll have around US$13 million or US$14 million in salary cap space. They need to add a true center, among other players, to go with Jefferson and/or Love.

Jefferson and Love essentially play the same position, though that also doesn't guarantee either one of them will be traded. The Wolves likely will have a top-five draft pick and possibly two later first-rounders from other teams, too.

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