Plans of Timberwolves Trading Michael Beasley Fail as Deadline Passes

News broke earlier today that there was a three-team deal in the works to send Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley to the LA Lakers, point guard Luke Ridnour to Portland, and bring shooting guard Jamal Crawford in from the Trailblazers before the trade deadline Thursday afternoon. That deadline passed with no action from the Timberwolves front office.

The sticking point that kept the trade from happening is the recently-injured Ricky Rubio, placing Luke Ridnour in a replacement role for the remainder of the season. When it came time to pull the trigger on the trade, the Wolves organization hesitated and the deadline to make the move passed them by.

The Wolves are currently have a 22-21 record and stand a game and a half behind Houston, who currently owns the 8th spot in the Western Conference playoff race. They continue a road series at the 20-22 Utah Jazz tonight as Minnesota looks to gain ground in their playoff run.