Anthony Edwards’ fourth-quarter exploits inspired the Minnesota Timberwolves to a comeback win. This could once again keep up Giannis Antetokounmpo’s apparent interest in joining the Wolves after the rumored Milwaukee Bucks exit. However, the talking point was not Ant-Man’s performance but his post-game answer about his injury.

Wolves star Anthony Edwards said he hopes the NBA All-Star Game is competitive this year but says he might not play. “Right now, I’m kind of banged up, so I might not be playing, but yeah, I hope it’s competitive.”

He scored a game-high 30 points from 11-23, and further contributed with eight rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block over 38 minutes. It was enough to secure the comeback Timberwolves’ 128-126 win over the Raptors on Wednesday. The 24-year-old struggled from beyond the arc, but his fourth-quarter efforts of 13 points were immense. While he continues to perform, the injury struggles have crept up this season.

Entering the 2025-26 campaign, he had compiled an impressive track record of availability, playing in 79 games in each of the prior three regular seasons and missing only a handful of contests overall. However, he has tied his highest total of missed games at 10, struggling with a hamstring issue earlier in the season, and now dealing with an ongoing toe re-infection that has flared up a number of times this month.

In fact, he was initially listed as questionable to play against the Raptors. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard went through his usual pregame routine and did not encounter any issues. Anthony Edwards would ultimately dropped 23rd 30-plus-point performance of the season. Fortunately, he played the entire game, but his cautious approach over the All-Star weekend might send some alarm bells.

Moreover, it was not the only thing that the Wolves’ 4x All-Star said that caught the attention. “Jaden McDaniels does what he does, man. Every night in, every night out, man. We depend on him a lot for our offense and defense,” Edwards said in his walk-off interview. “He’s a key piece for us.”

The endorsement of McDaniels comes at a time when he was rumored to be a key part of the Giannis trade. Now, the Timberwolves are already struggling to keep the offer together.

The plan to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo is not that simple

McDaniels is having a career-high season, averaging 15.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 51.9% from the field, 45.6% from three, and 85.1% from the charity stripe. At just 25, he has a bright future, which the Bucks want to bet on if they let Antetokounmpo leave before the deadline. Minnesota lacks draft capital, but they would likely build an offer around Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels and a few other prospects.

Meaning, the Wolves would require to part with two core pieces in Randle and McDaniels. Now, Minnesota has pushed hard to position itself in the sweepstakes, yet any deal would likely require a complicated four-team trade.

“The problem there is they don’t have draft assets,” Amick explained. “So they’re making the rounds around the league looking for help, third team…fourth team.”

Anthony Edwards doesn’t want McDaniels to leave, and the Wolves are scrambling for options to find the right draft capital. So, the Giannis trade saga will go to the wire and can even extend into the summer as the Bucks are under no obligation to rush. If the suitable package does not materialize, pushing the decision to the offseason remains a realistic outcome.