Trade Talk (Part Nine) (READ FIRST POST)

[Biff Cooper]

Not doing your due diligence on the trade market actually makes zero sense (which is why Minnesota will). It is worth doing your due diligence, in case an opportunity to improve the team presents itself.

It is easy to get high on a winning streak, but this is not a Championship contending roster, currently. Anything that can improve the longterm ceiling of the team should be considered.

I am the person who has continually explained to people why dumping Beasley for nothing would be silly. I get that the pendulum has swung completely in the other direction, but it actually doesn’t make sense to not be actively engaged, during this Trade Deadline.

Due diligence is fine. If there is a deal that likely makes us better both next year and into the future, and doesn't hamstring us cap-wise, then sure. It just doesn't make sense to force something when the team is still figuring out how to play winning basketball in the NBA with each other - and doesn't have NBA Championship asperations for this season.

I do want us to get a hold of a depth big somehow, but wouldn't need to be through a trade.

[jscott]

I’m not for standing pat. Of course you don’t make a trade for trade sake…but this is an opportunity to deal from a position of strength. Lots of winning teams make trades right before deadline over the years to give them a little more juice heading towards the playoffs. It’s time we strike a deal for a Barnes or Randle if the Simmons door is shut.

What position of strength do you speak of? It’s not like this is a buyers market. If anything, it’s looking to be a sellers market. I wouldn’t overpay in salary or assets to acquire a guy like Barnes or Randle.

Actually, I’d need assets to take on Randle tbh.

[winforlose]

I’m not for standing pat. Of course you don’t make a trade for trade sake…but this is an opportunity to deal from a position of strength. Lots of winning teams make trades right before deadline over the years to give them a little more juice heading towards the playoffs. It’s time we strike a deal for a Barnes or Randle if the Simmons door is shut.

What position of strength do you speak of? It’s not like this is a buyers market. If anything, it’s looking to be a sellers market. I wouldn’t overpay in salary or assets to acquire a guy like Barnes or Randle.

Actually, I’d need assets to take on Randle tbh.

Comments like that blow my mind. Julius Randle would be a massive upgrade over Malik Beasley. Beasley is essentially a double edged sword. Some games his shooting is so good he can keep you afloat, others his shooting is so bad he can sink you. But, consistently Beasley cannot do much else. Beasley will not double double often and his assists are not likely to get above 3 on any given night. Randle on the other hand averages 9.9 boards, double digit scoring and 5 assists per game. Lower his shooting volume, put him beside guys like KAT and Ant who draw defensive attention, and let Randle sit in the paint and play Gobert style and watch out.

Randle’s biggest problem is he is the best player on a bad team. He isn’t a first option or second option, or maybe even 3rd option. But, for low to mid 20s he is a steal. He fits our needs perfectly, and would be a great get.

Beasley, JO, Bolmaro and our 2022 first (protected or otherwise it will likely be around 21-23,) would be a game change.

Next you send Layman and a 2nd to Sacramento for no return. Sign both two ways to Naz style deals and sign the best available backup big.

Starters: Dlo, Ant, V8, Randle, KAT
2nd unit: Bev, Nowell, MCD, Prince, Naz
3rd unit JMAC, Wright, Knight, whatever big you can find.

[D1SGRUNTL3D]

I’m not for standing pat. Of course you don’t make a trade for trade sake…but this is an opportunity to deal from a position of strength. Lots of winning teams make trades right before deadline over the years to give them a little more juice heading towards the playoffs. It’s time we strike a deal for a Barnes or Randle if the Simmons door is shut.

What position of strength do you speak of? It’s not like this is a buyers market. If anything, it’s looking to be a sellers market. I wouldn’t overpay in salary or assets to acquire a guy like Barnes or Randle.

Actually, I’d need assets to take on Randle tbh.

Comments like that blow my mind. Julius Randle would be a massive upgrade over Malik Beasley. Beasley is essentially a double edged sword. Some games his shooting is so good he can keep you afloat, others his shooting is so bad he can sink you. But, consistently Beasley cannot do much else. Beasley will not double double often and his assists are not likely to get above 3 on any given night. Randle on the other hand averages 9.9 boards, double digit scoring and 5 assists per game. Lower his shooting volume, put him beside guys like KAT and Ant who draw defensive attention, and let Randle sit in the paint and play Gobert style and watch out.

Randle’s biggest problem is he is the best player on a bad team. He isn’t a first option or second option, or maybe even 3rd option. But, for low to mid 20s he is a steal. He fits our needs perfectly, and would be a great get.

Beasley, JO, Bolmaro and our 2022 first (protected or otherwise it will likely be around 21-23,) would be a game change.

Next you send Layman and a 2nd to Sacramento for no return. Sign both two ways to Naz style deals and sign the best available backup big.

Starters: Dlo, Ant, V8, Randle, KAT
2nd unit: Bev, Nowell, MCD, Prince, Naz
3rd unit JMAC, Wright, Knight, whatever big you can find.

I still have PTSD from randles playoff performance last year. But you can die on that hill for all I care

Your offer would get hung up by NY in a heartbeat. I’d do it…No chance New York does. And I don’t gut my depth for someone like Julius randle.

[TaylorTag]

I agree. But, it isn’t lack of effort on the part of individual players. The scheme is fundamentally broken. It works until it doesn’t (like so many other NBA schemes.) We either need to adapt by throwing in different zones and risking more interior shots, or we need to get a big who can defend the paint and reduce the need for scramble and help D.

One way we can fortify our interior defense is by adding a perimeter defender who can take the pressure off Vando and McDaniels to always be defending the point of attack... Getting a player like Smart would allow our "big men" to match up with opposing bigs, rather than the scramble help D we have been doing.

Yes and no. First, Smart isn’t good enough on offense to replace Beverly, and our scheme is designed to scramble and switch so I am not sure how much help that would be. Second, Smart is 6’4, 220 lb. The weight can be useful but the height and the 6’8 wingspan limit his ability to switch off. I think it was Denver’s head coach who mentioned that our length is our strength. Smart is more like a better version of JO than he is an equivalent of Beverly. We are much better off with a legit big who can either handle switching onto smaller guards or scheme changing to stay home and guard the paint and let 1-3 guard the perimeter with KAT floating as needed.

Smart built his reputation on being able to take on bigs despite his lack of size. I can remember countless examples of those Celtics playoff runs when Smart was asked to guard opposing 4s and 5s.

Beverly and JO are free agents this offseason, and while there are signs we can bring Beverly back, he also has missed significant time in recent years and is only getting older..

I am not suggesting this trade because I think it will make us better this season. I want it to happen because given the Wolves roster construction after this season, the team can afford to sign a $15M-$20M player who might not be a defacto starter, but a solid 5th/6th man on a championship contender. Imagine this 11-man rotation into next season:

PG: D'Lo/Nowell/Prichard
SG: Pat Bev/Smart
SF: Ant/McDaniels
PF: Vando/Prince
C: KAT/Towns

That doesn't even take into account a rookie breaking into the lineup.. And with the Wizards 2nd round pick this year, we are going to get a good prospect even if we trade this year's first to make a move..

I really like Nowell as a contract extension candidate. He is a bucket getter a la the traditional 6th-man of the year contenders. Having a player like Smart and/or Pat Bev shore up our 2nd-unit defense would be big for us.

[Note30]

I'd trade Ant for Simmons and a pick at his point. I'm not sure what's going on with him but he needs to learn how to finish. he's playing off the fear of getting put on a poster of his rookie season.

Wait hold on let me get this straight. You want to trade Ant and a pick because Ant can't finish for a guy who's too scared to finish?

[winforlose]

One way we can fortify our interior defense is by adding a perimeter defender who can take the pressure off Vando and McDaniels to always be defending the point of attack... Getting a player like Smart would allow our "big men" to match up with opposing bigs, rather than the scramble help D we have been doing.

Yes and no. First, Smart isn’t good enough on offense to replace Beverly, and our scheme is designed to scramble and switch so I am not sure how much help that would be. Second, Smart is 6’4, 220 lb. The weight can be useful but the height and the 6’8 wingspan limit his ability to switch off. I think it was Denver’s head coach who mentioned that our length is our strength. Smart is more like a better version of JO than he is an equivalent of Beverly. We are much better off with a legit big who can either handle switching onto smaller guards or scheme changing to stay home and guard the paint and let 1-3 guard the perimeter with KAT floating as needed.

Smart built his reputation on being able to take on bigs despite his lack of size. I can remember countless examples of those Celtics playoff runs when Smart was asked to guard opposing 4s and 5s.

Beverly and JO are free agents this offseason, and while there are signs we can bring Beverly back, he also has missed significant time in recent years and is only getting older..

I am not suggesting this trade because I think it will make us better this season. I want it to happen because given the Wolves roster construction after this season, the team can afford to sign a $15M-$20M player who might not be a defacto starter, but a solid 5th/6th man on a championship contender. Imagine this 11-man rotation into next season:

PG: D'Lo/Nowell/Prichard
SG: Pat Bev/Smart
SF: Ant/McDaniels
PF: Vando/Prince
C: KAT/Towns

That doesn't even take into account a rookie breaking into the lineup.. And with the Wizards 2nd round pick this year, we are going to get a good prospect even if we trade this year's first to make a move..

I really like Nowell as a contract extension candidate. He is a bucket getter a la the traditional 6th-man of the year contenders. Having a player like Smart and/or Pat Bev shore up our 2nd-unit defense would be big for us.

Smart is too expensive to be 11th man. Smart doesn’t move the needle for us because he doesn’t solve our defensive rebounding, 3 point shooting, or interior defensive issues when KAT is guarding on the perimeter.

[TaylorTag]

I guess it comes to this... If you think that Vando is worthy of 25+ minutes a night, and we are already carving out 35 minutes a night for KAT, we really only have roughly 36 minutes to go towards a backup PF and C... And with guys like McDaniels and maybe even Prince if he resigns getting minutes at PF, all of a sudden we are talking about adding a big man that will play at most 20 minutes a night...

How many quality big men are out there would want that role on this team, being buried behind KAT on the depth chart? Yeah we can trade for a Richaun Holmes type who fills a need on this roster, but will he even be happy in that role?

The team is in a good spot because everyone has a defined role on this team that is fairly unique. You bring in someone like Holmes who may want a different role and all of a sudden that chemistry takes a hit.

It's hard to find a player on a $15M-$20M per year contract that can seamlessly plug in and fill a role on this team. With JO gone this offseason and Beverly potentially gone as well, finding a defensive-oriented guard is not the worst way to spend that money.

[winforlose]

What position of strength do you speak of? It’s not like this is a buyers market. If anything, it’s looking to be a sellers market. I wouldn’t overpay in salary or assets to acquire a guy like Barnes or Randle.

Actually, I’d need assets to take on Randle tbh.

Comments like that blow my mind. Julius Randle would be a massive upgrade over Malik Beasley. Beasley is essentially a double edged sword. Some games his shooting is so good he can keep you afloat, others his shooting is so bad he can sink you. But, consistently Beasley cannot do much else. Beasley will not double double often and his assists are not likely to get above 3 on any given night. Randle on the other hand averages 9.9 boards, double digit scoring and 5 assists per game. Lower his shooting volume, put him beside guys like KAT and Ant who draw defensive attention, and let Randle sit in the paint and play Gobert style and watch out.

Randle’s biggest problem is he is the best player on a bad team. He isn’t a first option or second option, or maybe even 3rd option. But, for low to mid 20s he is a steal. He fits our needs perfectly, and would be a great get.

Beasley, JO, Bolmaro and our 2022 first (protected or otherwise it will likely be around 21-23,) would be a game change.

Next you send Layman and a 2nd to Sacramento for no return. Sign both two ways to Naz style deals and sign the best available backup big.

Starters: Dlo, Ant, V8, Randle, KAT
2nd unit: Bev, Nowell, MCD, Prince, Naz
3rd unit JMAC, Wright, Knight, whatever big you can find.

I still have PTSD from randles playoff performance last year. But you can die on that hill for all I care

Your offer would get hung up by NY in a heartbeat. I’d do it…No chance New York does. And I don’t gut my depth for someone like Julius randle.

1, Randles role here is so different that you cannot say his past performance is dispositive. Again, he is not good enough to be a first or second option, but with us he doesn’t need to be.

2, Why would NY hang up? NY is not making the playoffs. They can either blow it up or try to regroup and make a push next season. Bolmaro and JO are exactly the players they are looking for. Young defensive wings who can anchor Thibs scheme. Bolmaro still has a ton of untapped potential and in NY would get significant time. Beasley will be moved as an expiring or kept and they move EF. Either way they
gain a bunch of young talent and assets, move on from a bad situation, and plug in Reddish and Toppin into the spot.

3. Out of curiosity what would you think NY would need to give us Randle?

[winforlose]

I guess it comes to this... If you think that Vando is worthy of 25+ minutes a night, and we are already carving out 35 minutes a night for KAT, we really only have roughly 36 minutes to go towards a backup PF and C... And with guys like McDaniels and maybe even Prince if he resigns getting minutes at PF, all of a sudden we are talking about adding a big man that will play at most 20 minutes a night...

How many quality big men are out there would want that role on this team, being buried behind KAT on the depth chart? Yeah we can trade for a Richaun Holmes type who fills a need on this roster, but will he even be happy in that role?

The team is in a good spot because everyone has a defined role on this team that is fairly unique. You bring in someone like Holmes who may want a different role and all of a sudden that chemistry takes a hit.

It's hard to find a player on a $15M-$20M per year contract that can seamlessly plug in and fill a role on this team. With JO gone this offseason and Beverly potentially gone as well, finding a defensive-oriented guard is not the worst way to spend that money.

V8 can play starting SF. Problem solved.

[TaylorTag]

I kind of look at this trade deadline through the lens of our trades this offseason and the rotations that Finch tried to use to start the season...

The Wolves didn't have a need for a primary ball handler with D'Lo healthy and Ant showing he can take on a high usage, so the biggest need on the team became a big man and 3-point shooting. Prince kind of checks both of those boxes, but after his last season in Cleveland, I think the main desire to bring Prince in was his shooting.

It demonstrated Rosas' creativity to building a roster. Rosas could have gone out and found a one-for-one trade where the Wolves were giving up Rubio in exchange for a guard who was more of a shooter as opposed to a playmaker; but instead he got a SF/PF who provided efficient 3-point shooting at volume.

Granted, the Wolves went out and got Beverly later to be Rubio's direct replacement, which I wouldn't doubt was the plan all along in retrospect..

Anyways, fast forward to the begin of the season, and Finch tried to roll with a 2-guard starting lineup (D'Lo and Ant), with 2 SF/PF hybrids in McDaniels and Okogie, later McDaniels and Vanderbilt.. It worked on the defensive end to be sure.. We had the best defense in the whole league for a legitimate stretch.

But then things started going downhill a bit, and there were a lot of people decrying our "broken roster" and lack of a true big next to KAT. How did Finch fix it? He went smaller. He inserted Pat Bev into the starting lineup, effectively making us a 3-guard starting unit with D'Lo, Bev and Ant, and all of a sudden we started becoming one of the most efficient teams in the league.

Finch solved our lack of size problem by adding Pat Bev. We should be doubling down on players like that.

Does Smart have the exact same skillsets as Pat Bev? No. He can't shoot beyond the arc. But he also brings something more to the table than a JO because Smart can actually handle the ball in traffic, something that JO never really proved he can do, which makes him a liability on offense when taking into account his own shooting woes.. Even better, I think you can split Smart's time with the starting and bench unit, so that you are asking him to do different things that contribute to winning.

Given our cap situation, we really can afford to pay a 6-man Smart's salary. The Wolves will have 7-8+ guys locked up next season with a lot of luxury tax space to sure. If we aren't going to get a third-max guy, then we have to start looking at a tier or two below. Then the question becomes whether we want to be paying a guard $15M+ to play 25-30 minutes a night or a big $15M to play 20-25 minutes a night.

[D1SGRUNTL3D]

Comments like that blow my mind. Julius Randle would be a massive upgrade over Malik Beasley. Beasley is essentially a double edged sword. Some games his shooting is so good he can keep you afloat, others his shooting is so bad he can sink you. But, consistently Beasley cannot do much else. Beasley will not double double often and his assists are not likely to get above 3 on any given night. Randle on the other hand averages 9.9 boards, double digit scoring and 5 assists per game. Lower his shooting volume, put him beside guys like KAT and Ant who draw defensive attention, and let Randle sit in the paint and play Gobert style and watch out.

Randle’s biggest problem is he is the best player on a bad team. He isn’t a first option or second option, or maybe even 3rd option. But, for low to mid 20s he is a steal. He fits our needs perfectly, and would be a great get.

Beasley, JO, Bolmaro and our 2022 first (protected or otherwise it will likely be around 21-23,) would be a game change.

Next you send Layman and a 2nd to Sacramento for no return. Sign both two ways to Naz style deals and sign the best available backup big.

Starters: Dlo, Ant, V8, Randle, KAT
2nd unit: Bev, Nowell, MCD, Prince, Naz
3rd unit JMAC, Wright, Knight, whatever big you can find.

I still have PTSD from randles playoff performance last year. But you can die on that hill for all I care

Your offer would get hung up by NY in a heartbeat. I’d do it…No chance New York does. And I don’t gut my depth for someone like Julius randle.

1, Randles role here is so different that you cannot say his past performance is dispositive. Again, he is not good enough to be a first or second option, but with us he doesn’t need to be.

2, Why would NY hang up? NY is not making the playoffs. They can either blow it up or try to regroup and make a push next season. Bolmaro and JO are exactly the players they are looking for. Young defensive wings who can anchor Thibs scheme. Bolmaro still has a ton of untapped potential and in NY would get significant time. Beasley will be moved as an expiring or kept and they move EF. Either way they
gain a bunch of young talent and assets, move on from a bad situation, and plug in Reddish and Toppin into the spot.

3. Out of curiosity what would you think NY would need to give us Randle?

NY is in rut like we were before KAT. They don’t have a young franchise talent to build on…and us giving them a couple bench pieces and first would be GM suicide. They’re “best” players are over the hill. They haven’t gotten lotto luck so it’s not a good place to be

Like I said, I’d do it..I think they’d hold on to JR for the sake of saving careers in the front office.

[TaylorTag]

I guess it comes to this... If you think that Vando is worthy of 25+ minutes a night, and we are already carving out 35 minutes a night for KAT, we really only have roughly 36 minutes to go towards a backup PF and C... And with guys like McDaniels and maybe even Prince if he resigns getting minutes at PF, all of a sudden we are talking about adding a big man that will play at most 20 minutes a night...

How many quality big men are out there would want that role on this team, being buried behind KAT on the depth chart? Yeah we can trade for a Richaun Holmes type who fills a need on this roster, but will he even be happy in that role?

The team is in a good spot because everyone has a defined role on this team that is fairly unique. You bring in someone like Holmes who may want a different role and all of a sudden that chemistry takes a hit.

It's hard to find a player on a $15M-$20M per year contract that can seamlessly plug in and fill a role on this team. With JO gone this offseason and Beverly potentially gone as well, finding a defensive-oriented guard is not the worst way to spend that money.

V8 can play starting SF. Problem solved.

If V8 is at SF, are we bringing in a big that can solve our defensive rebounding, 3-point shooting, and rim protecting problems?

Who do you have in mind tor that?

[winforlose]

I guess it comes to this... If you think that Vando is worthy of 25+ minutes a night, and we are already carving out 35 minutes a night for KAT, we really only have roughly 36 minutes to go towards a backup PF and C... And with guys like McDaniels and maybe even Prince if he resigns getting minutes at PF, all of a sudden we are talking about adding a big man that will play at most 20 minutes a night...

How many quality big men are out there would want that role on this team, being buried behind KAT on the depth chart? Yeah we can trade for a Richaun Holmes type who fills a need on this roster, but will he even be happy in that role?

The team is in a good spot because everyone has a defined role on this team that is fairly unique. You bring in someone like Holmes who may want a different role and all of a sudden that chemistry takes a hit.

It's hard to find a player on a $15M-$20M per year contract that can seamlessly plug in and fill a role on this team. With JO gone this offseason and Beverly potentially gone as well, finding a defensive-oriented guard is not the worst way to spend that money.

V8 can play starting SF. Problem solved.

If V8 is at SF, are we bringing in a big that can solve our defensive rebounding, 3-point shooting, and rim protecting problems?

Who do you have in mind tor that?

Criteria

1. Must be able to shoot at least 30% from 3 preferably closer to 33%. This forces a big to defend at the perimeter and opens up the lane for Ant and Dlo. Also you need at least this level of shooting to play alongside V8.

2. Must average a minimum of 8 rebounds per game.

3. Must be able to create your own shot.

My pick is Julius Randle. He doesn’t need to be that good here to be a great fit. He is relatively cheap given his current averages. He would thrive as the third or fourth best player whose primary responsibilities are rim protection and defensive rebounding. He will still get his touches and maybe his scoring falls to 10-12 ppg. I see him as the Wiggins to our GSW. We don’t need him to be a star, just a solid role player.

[Baseline81]

Criteria

1. Must be able to shoot at least 30% from 3 preferably closer to 33%. This forces a big to defend at the perimeter and opens up the lane for Ant and Dlo. Also you need at least this level of shooting to play alongside V8.

2. Must average a minimum of 8 rebounds per game.

3. Must be able to create your own shot.

My pick is Julius Randle. He doesn’t need to be that good here to be a great fit. He is relatively cheap given his current averages. He would thrive as the third or fourth best player whose primary responsibilities are rim protection and defensive rebounding. He will still get his touches and maybe his scoring falls to 10-12 ppg. I see him as the Wiggins to our GSW. We don’t need him to be a star, just a solid role player.

Even on Canis Hoopus, little to no one agrees with you on Randle.

Do us a favor and stop pushing the matter.

[life_saver]

Randle isn't good..he has low BBall IQ..he is an inefficient scorer, not a good 3 pt shooter and not a good defender either. On top of it, he is vastly overpaid and has 3 more years remaining on contract. There is no way Wolves are trading for him. Even Knicks fans know how much of a bad contract Randle is atm

[D1SGRUNTL3D]

V8 can play starting SF. Problem solved.

If V8 is at SF, are we bringing in a big that can solve our defensive rebounding, 3-point shooting, and rim protecting problems?

Who do you have in mind tor that?

Criteria

1. Must be able to shoot at least 30% from 3 preferably closer to 33%. This forces a big to defend at the perimeter and opens up the lane for Ant and Dlo. Also you need at least this level of shooting to play alongside V8.

2. Must average a minimum of 8 rebounds per game.

3. Must be able to create your own shot.

My pick is Julius Randle. He doesn’t need to be that good here to be a great fit. He is relatively cheap given his current averages. He would thrive as the third or fourth best player whose primary responsibilities are rim protection and defensive rebounding. He will still get his touches and maybe his scoring falls to 10-12 ppg. I see him as the Wiggins to our GSW. We don’t need him to be a star, just a solid role player.

Oh yea. JR would love being told he’s going to have a limited role , get less shots and touches on the wolves. That’ll be the first time any nba player would accept that and be happy with it.

Seriously someone above said it best…every player on this team has a role. There isn’t any scuddle in the locker room whining about something. Finch has worked with players who have approached them and rewarded with playing time if they do What finch wants them to do.

Entertaining the thought of blowing that up for Julius randle is insane

[winforlose]

Criteria

1. Must be able to shoot at least 30% from 3 preferably closer to 33%. This forces a big to defend at the perimeter and opens up the lane for Ant and Dlo. Also you need at least this level of shooting to play alongside V8.

2. Must average a minimum of 8 rebounds per game.

3. Must be able to create your own shot.

My pick is Julius Randle. He doesn’t need to be that good here to be a great fit. He is relatively cheap given his current averages. He would thrive as the third or fourth best player whose primary responsibilities are rim protection and defensive rebounding. He will still get his touches and maybe his scoring falls to 10-12 ppg. I see him as the Wiggins to our GSW. We don’t need him to be a star, just a solid role player.

Even on Canis Hoopus, little to no one agrees with you on Randle.

Do us a favor and stop pushing the matter.

When people stop saying the only way to bring in a big is to move V8 to the bench then I don’t need to talk about it. Other guys could fit as well like Turner, Wood, to an extent Grant, it just depends on cost, fit, ect…

You are correct that people on Canis dislike it as well. But it is a 1000 times better than a Marcus Smart overpay or a Ben Simmons move.

[wolves_89]

I was wondering if anyone knows what happened to Willie Cauley-Stein? He basically disappeared for a long time before Dallas waived him. Is he coming back this season?

[winforlose]

If V8 is at SF, are we bringing in a big that can solve our defensive rebounding, 3-point shooting, and rim protecting problems?

Who do you have in mind tor that?

Criteria

1. Must be able to shoot at least 30% from 3 preferably closer to 33%. This forces a big to defend at the perimeter and opens up the lane for Ant and Dlo. Also you need at least this level of shooting to play alongside V8.

2. Must average a minimum of 8 rebounds per game.

3. Must be able to create your own shot.

My pick is Julius Randle. He doesn’t need to be that good here to be a great fit. He is relatively cheap given his current averages. He would thrive as the third or fourth best player whose primary responsibilities are rim protection and defensive rebounding. He will still get his touches and maybe his scoring falls to 10-12 ppg. I see him as the Wiggins to our GSW. We don’t need him to be a star, just a solid role player.

Oh yea. JR would love being told he’s going to have a limited role , get less shots and touches on the wolves. That’ll be the first time any nba player would accept that and be happy with it.

Seriously someone above said it best…every player on this team has a role. There isn’t any scuddle in the locker room whining about something. Finch has worked with players who have approached them and rewarded with playing time if they do What finch wants them to do.

Entertaining the thought of blowing that up for Julius randle is insane

Wiggins is a good example of a player accepting less pressure. JR would have a role here as well. You assume JR would hate it here, but you fail to the ask questions “how much is winning worth.” Can a player be happy with good numbers, good money, fan support, team support and love, coach support, and winning. Maybe Randle wants to be the best player on a bad team. Getting booed by fans, picked apart by pundits, and being put in positions to fail. Pick a team any team that would trade for Randle. On that team Randle will be a 2nd option at best, probably a 3rd.