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Not sure about this idea-but why not

Dallas goes full win-now with Edwards. If Irving can return by March, KI/Edwards/AD, with some depth, is clearly a contender

Minny takes a step back but still should be good. McDaniels/Flagg is an awesome pairing at forward going forward, and it would free up a ton of cash

Dallas includes Gafford/Klay-both of whom could be rerouted to 3rd teams (would GS take Klay back?, Lakers would love Gafford) for more assets

Minny does a minor rebuild with a future core of Dillingham/Shannon/McDaniels/Flagg/#17 (Sorber?). Still has DDV on the bench, and could bring back Reid as well.

Big gamble for both teams, but is it fair?

Minny isn't doing this. It would be quite surprising if Flagg ever becomes as good as Ant. The average #1 pick doesn't turn out that good.

I don't think Minny does this, but it's asinine to claim it'd be a surprise if Flagg turned out as good as Ant, he's a better prospect, and he's top 10 pospect since 2000, it wouldn't be a surprise if turned out to be a borderline top 10 player in the league.

The value of quality rookie contracts has never been higher.

However, teams rarely trade their “face” in the minds of the fan base. Obviously it has happened many times over the decades, but it’s big risk. Further, while Flagg is a great prospect, what are the odds he peaks higher than Ant? 50%? More? Less? I don’t know.

As a GM focused on pure accumulation of talent while also factoring in payroll, I’d do it if I were Minnesota. But that’s not how any GM is allowed to operate. Edwards sells tickets. Still, it looks like the incoming ownership group may be a bit on the cheap side — but does that mean focusing on season ticket sales (keep Ant!) or cutting payroll (take Flagg!)?

Value seems fair, Ant’s value is right about where I’d put the rights to Flagg, but also highly unlikely.

EDIT: I’ve pondered this same question with Cade instead of Ant. Not that Dallas should sell Flagg for a PG, just a hypothetical. I think it’s fair to say Flagg has more value, especially with the four cheaper years. But Detroit trading their PG and leader and best guy to come along in a long time would likely be disastrous for fan morale.

Cant-Man had Angel Reese numbers and went ghost vs OKC when it mattered most.

If I were GM he’d be on the first plane to Dallas.

I definitely wouldn't trade Flagg for Ant either. Ant is yet to make a big jump, and it's entirely possible that he is the next Devin Booker, rather than the next face of the league. Just talking about an impact standpoint, he is obviously super hyped and super popular. His playing style will definitely make him a bigger name than Booker, but as a player, I'm not sure if he's gonna be better. And of course I'm 100% sure that many would argue he is already better than Booker ever was, and it's because of his playing style and demeanor why people feel that way.
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What's funny is that Booker, who people criticized for having crap games in big playoff moments, is probably the better playoff performer so far, too. 28/5.1/5.3 on 60% TS vs. 26.9/6.6/5.5 on 58.7% TS. Ant is a very good player but I feel he hasn't made a big jump since his age 21 season, other than his three point shooting. How he reads the game, as well as his ball handling, does not scream top echelon superstar to me.
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I also definitely think Flagg has a higher ceiling due to his size and intangibles, and was/is the better rated prospect compared to Ant. This is the typical trade idea by the way that doesn't make sense to either team. Neither would obviously do it, you only trade Flagg for Wemby, Jokic or SGA, and that's not happening (also very obviously).

Knicks365247 wrote:Cant-Man had Angel Reese numbers and went ghost vs OKC when it mattered most.

If I were GM he’d be on the first plane to Dallas.

Whereas Flagg has done nothing whatever in the NBA yet.

I'd value Flagg over Edwards, but I think I'm in the minority there.

I have Flagg as the rare prospect that has a better than even chance of an extended run of being a top-10 player through his prime (one of only 5 since 2000). I'm also somewhat lower on Edwards than most - and not in a 'he had a bad last game so he's a bum' way. I generally feel that he's 100% flash, 75% substance. He brings a lot of value but not quite as much as the highlights and scoring would indicate.

However Minny would never consider this. Dallas might not either but Minny is saying no harder and faster.

For Dallas, I think Edwards/Ant could make the a true contender. If KI is healthy, that's a favorite, with Lively/Washington as awesome role players for the other 2 spots. Fill in the bench, and that's an awesome team

Gafford goes to the Lakers for MaxiK/Knecht and a few 2nds
Maybe Minny keeps Klay to have 2 shooters with DDV
Minny has lots of young pieces here to play with. Maybe Randle opts in-and they make him the 6th man
Next year they play lots of young guys and build for the future-still hoping to make the playoffs
Conley/NAW/Dillingham
DDV/Klay/NAW
McDaniels/Flagg/Shannon
Flagg/Randle/Reid
Gobert/Reid/#17 (best center available)

That could easily still be a playoff team, with a brighter (cheaper)

MAYBE they do the Gobert/Dillingham/#17 pick for Sabonis that we've talked about, to be better right now

FINALLY-a truly crazy idea is Edwards to Dallas, Flagg to SA, Harper, #14 and more picks to Minny

It’s the kind of thing neither team considers. Flaggs upside is too high to trade for Edwards. Edwards is to good to trade for a high variance guy. Flagg may never be as good as Ant, but he also might be way better .

Edwards has been the best offensive player on b2b WCF teams and best overall player this year. Lore and ARod are extremely unlikely to come in and make their first major move trading him for the hopes and dreams of Flagg. Just doesn't feel like something Minnesota considers.

IMO this is one of the more interesting concepts for each player in terms of trades you might consider.

Mavrelous wrote:I don't think Minny does this, but it's asinine to claim it'd be a surprise if Flagg turned out as good as Ant, he's a better prospect, and he's top 10 pospect since 2000, it wouldn't be a surprise if turned out to be a borderline top 10 player in the league.

I think hindsight might be creeping into the analysis here. Guys like Wiggins, Zion, and Simmons were all rated very highly coming out of the draft.

jbk1234 wrote:

Mavrelous wrote:I don't think Minny does this, but it's asinine to claim it'd be a surprise if Flagg turned out as good as Ant, he's a better prospect, and he's top 10 pospect since 2000, it wouldn't be a surprise if turned out to be a borderline top 10 player in the league.

I think hindsight might be creeping into the analysis here. Guys like Wiggins, Zion, and Simmons were all rated very highly coming out of the draft.

Zion I understand, he's way ahead of Wiggins and Simmons.
I'm not saying he'll definitely pan out, but being a top 10 player in his 5th year, and not MVP calibre player, isn't a level that constitutes a surprise for such player.

Mavrelous wrote:

jbk1234 wrote:

Mavrelous wrote:I don't think Minny does this, but it's asinine to claim it'd be a surprise if Flagg turned out as good as Ant, he's a better prospect, and he's top 10 pospect since 2000, it wouldn't be a surprise if turned out to be a borderline top 10 player in the league.

I think hindsight might be creeping into the analysis here. Guys like Wiggins, Zion, and Simmons were all rated very highly coming out of the draft.

Zion I understand, he's way ahead of Wiggins and Simmons.
I'm not saying he'll definitely pan out, but being a top 10 player in his 5th year, and not MVP calibre player, isn't a level that constitutes a surprise for such player.

I'm strictly talking about how players were rated when they came out, not where they ended up. None of SGA, Jokic, or Giannis even went top 10. Flagg is hands down the consensus No. 1 pick. The Mavs should take him and not look back, but the general consensus has missed before.

Mavrelous wrote:I don't think Minny does this, but it's asinine to claim it'd be a surprise if Flagg turned out as good as Ant, he's a better prospect, and he's top 10 pospect since 2000, it wouldn't be a surprise if turned out to be a borderline top 10 player in the league.

Heard the same thing about Zion, Wiggins, J Parker, Simmons……. The point is you never really know.

With that said, I wouldn’t be trading Flagg on a rookie contract for anyone given today’s NBA CBA

jbk1234 wrote:I'm strictly talking about how players were rated when they came out

Me too, Wiggins and Simmons weren't rated as high as Flagg.
Consensus I keep hearing about Flagg is he's either the worst generational prospect or the best non-generational prospect ever.
He's below the LeBrons, Duncans, KDs and Wembys, but above the guys you mention, closest comp is AD.

jbk1234 wrote:not where they ended up. None of SGA, Jokic, or Giannis even went top 10. Flagg is hands down the consensus No. 1 pick. The Mavs should take him and not look back, but the general consensus has missed before.

Yes, it can be missed, but it will be a surprise, just like it's a surprise now that Zion has 0 all NBA selections and 0 PO minutes, it wouldn't have been a surprise if Zion was top 10 player today.
That's the entire point.

Let’s talk about feelings.

One of the best reasons for keeping Ant in Minnesota is that Ant WANTS to be in Minnesota! And his desire to be there has been the cornerstone for other players wanting to stay, often on discounted contracts. Would Flagg want to stay in MIN? Would Ant want to stay in SAS?

Ant is 23. Sure, it’s possible Flagg doesn’t get where Ant is now, but the bigger question is whether he can get where Ant may be in five years? We are trying to guess the ceilings of two very young players that BOTH players have tremendous upside.

It’s better for both GM’s to ride the horse they came in on, rather than risk they become a historical punchline as the GM that traded away a future a face of the league, before they even knew!

Still, while the trade isn’t realistic, I would be curious where posters would rank their trade value. I imagine Flagg would win, because fans love Mystery Boxes.

I value Edwards higher. The guy is already maybe the 7th or 8th best player in the league at age 23. He is a 2-way player who continues to improve every year and he never gets hurt. I figure it's almost a sure thing that he will end up among the top 5 or 6 best players in the league for much of his prime.

It's pretty unlikely that the #1 overall pick ends up better than that. Of the last 25 #1 overall picks, only 5 have panned out to be top 7-ish players for a multi-year stretch of their career: Lebron, Dwight, Davis, Edwards (probably) and Wemby (probably).

I don’t think Flagg should be worth Edwards and I don’t think Minnesota should consider that step back.