The Timberwolves pulled off a seemingly minor trade on Wednesday when they agreed to send Brian Cardinal to the Knicks in exchange for Darko Milicic.

Milicic has been buried on New York's bench for most of the season and hasn't played in a game since November.

"All of us are intrigued by him," Minnesota general manager David Kahn, "and we're not sure what to expect. He's a legitimate 7-footer who was drafted second in the league one year [2003]. At times, he has had flashes of real strong play. At times, he has had flashes of real poor play. He's a little bit of an enigma.

"We thought it was worthwhile to take a look for these last 20-some games and see what he could do."

The Timberwolves are hoping Milicic will be available to play Friday against the Bucks. Kahn plans to meet with the European forward in New York City on Thursday.

"I do think it's important to sit down and explain what we seen the situation being for him," Kahn said. "It has been a tough year for him. Frankly, it has been a tough career for him."