Souhan: Is Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards the new Randy Moss? Nope. That title fits Lakers’ Luka Doncic.

Anthony Edwards is an astonishing young athlete who regularly reminds us of his immaturity.

Randy Moss was an astonishing young athlete who regularly reminded us of his immaturity.

So, of course, the notion has been presented locally that Edwards is the next Randy Moss.

That’s clever, but wrong.

If you want to identify the current professional athlete who deserves to be compared to Moss, all you have to do is watch the Lakers and Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.

Edwards isn’t the new Moss.

Luka Doncic is.

Edwards complains too much to referees, too often failing to get back on defense while doing so, and was once recorded uttering anti-gay sentiments.

Moss once squirted a water bottle from the sideline at an official, bumped a cop with a car, screamed anti-gay slurs at reporters, walked off the field during a game, and admitted that he didn’t always play hard.

There’s almost enough there to justify a comparison, if you have low standards.

Here’s why Doncic is more like Moss than Edwards is:

Edwards plays hard, when not engaged in conversation with officials. The Wolves have made him their cornerstone player and have given no indication that his role with the team will change. He’s highly coachable, and makes an effort in every interview to praise his teammates.

The Vikings traded Moss, perhaps the second-best receiver in NFL history, during his prime, for little value, because they believed they couldn’t function as an organization with him in their building.

The Dallas Mavericks traded Doncic, one of the five best players in the NBA, in his prime, for relatively little value, because they believed they couldn’t function as an organization with him in their building.

Moss eventually became the best receiver on a Patriots team that came within minutes of becoming the first undefeated Super Bowl champion since the 1972 Dolphins. What did the Vikings get for him? The seventh pick in the 2005 draft and linebacker Napoleon Harris. They used the pick to select South Carolina receiver Troy Williamson, who was a bust.

The Mavericks’ trade of Doncic might be even worse, because a single NBA star is more impactful than a single NFL receiver.

The Mavericks traded Doncic, at age 26, the season after he took them to the NBA Finals. They received Anthony Davis from the Lakers. Davis is an excellent player but is a 32-year-old big man who has not proven durable.

It’s a terrible deal, made for the same reasons the Vikings traded Moss. The Mavericks couldn’t stand having Doncic around. They have leaked their internal view of Doncic — that he was frequently out of shape and had poor work and practice habits and they didn’t expect him to remain healthy and productive.

The problem with trading a superstar is that the trade is likely to motivate the superstar.

Moss had one solid season with Oakland, and one poor season, then went to the Patriots, where he was spectacular. The Vikings ended up getting nothing of lasting value for him.

Doncic now plays in front of celebrities for a franchise that craves star power as much as it does championships. The new setting doesn’t guarantee Doncic will become more dedicated, but he’s a passionate player whose reputation has been sullied. He has every reason to want to make a career out of proving the Mavericks wrong, while auditioning for the Lakers’ pantheon.

Doncic should be highly motivated in this series, but then he didn’t have any trouble getting motivated during last year’s playoffs, although his penchant for lackadaisical defense was frequently on display in the NBA Finals.

Facing Doncic provides Edwards with another chance to take down a great player. Last year, Edwards was the best player on a team that defeated the Suns and Kevin Durant and the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic.

Now Edwards gets to take on LeBron James, Doncic and the Lakers, the latest powerhouse to benefit from another team’s mistake.