What contract would you offer Taurean Prince this offseason ?

[Clav]

Prince has been pretty good for the Wolves after a slow start his shooting has gotten better and his presence on the court as a defender - getting deflections, and running in transition, have really shined lately. He currently is on the last year of a 2/29M extension signed in 2019, so he will be UFA at the end of the year.

Do you keep him, if yes, what's he worth per year to keep on this team ?

MN current salary - $137M -
next year $119M on the books (not counting Prince or two expirings below)

Players contracts also expiring:
Okogie and Layman - $4M each


Reid's next year's contract is non-guaranteed, he may be offered an extension.

[winforlose]

Please add a sign and trade option. I liked the idea of Prince as a 3 and D when I heard the trade was made. But I also thought another move was coming for size. Look at what Clevland built, how their size just overwhelms teams. We are the opposite, we go for length rather than height and strength, and while the athletic gifts of V8 and MCD and to a degree Prince certainly help, we are dead last in defensive rebounding. Prince is just too small to play backup PF against big teams and we are set at SF. I would bank on Prince’s resurgence by offering a sign and trade to any team willing to offer decent value for him (his bird rights help with the acquisition.) We need a legit backup PF and C so that when our opponents go big we can match them instead of getting steamrolled.

[Dewey]

Too early knowing we have other issues specifically interior size/defense. Anyway, offer him Layman’s $4 million … 2 years with team option year 3.

[Klomp]

I saw someone (Dane?) suggest an oversized one or two-year deal, similar to what someone like Gallinari got in Atlanta. This keeps an important vet, but more importantly, keeps another large salary slot for future maneuvers.

[Mattya]

Too early knowing we have other issues specifically interior size/defense. Anyway, offer him Layman’s $4 million … 2 years with team option year 3.

He is going to get at least double that number imo. I’m guessing he is getting anywhere from 8-12 million a year. I’d absolutely bring him back and hope we can find a big as well. He really has come around for the past couple months, and has apparently been a big locker room guy and leader of the bench.

[wolves_89]

I think most of the options in the poll are unrealistic. I see no chance of any team offering the $17M/1 year, $18+M/1 year, $40M/2 year, $50M/3 year, or $60+M/3 year options.

I'm highly doubtful that Prince will get more than MLE level money as a free agent. I'm even a bit skeptical that he could get the full non-taxpayer MLE (starts at $10.3M). I think the most likely offer will be the taxpayer MLE (starts at $6.3M). A more useful poll might be based around the non-taxpayer MLE and taxpayer MLE with options based on the number of years.

[Neeva]

I wouldn’t mind him back but I also think using his money for a big would be better.

[Klomp]

I wouldn’t mind him back but I also think using his money for a big would be better.

I think they have the room for both.

[moss_is_1]

I wouldn’t mind him back but I also think using his money for a big would be better.

I think they have the room for both.

But do we have room in the rotation?

Dlo - Bev
Edwards - Beas
McDaniels
Vando
KAT - Naz

Already have 8 guys you know are going to be in the rotation going forward. I still think we need a real veteran big. Prince is just so similar to McDaniels and Vando in what they can do. I like him and think he's been good, but don't see how we can afford to bring him back at >$8m a year with how our roster is constructed.

[old school 34]

I wouldn’t mind him back but I also think using his money for a big would be better.

I think they have the room for both.

Yes, they have room for both & two, if you don't resign him...it's not like we just get to sign someone else per say? We're already over the cap...our add will be the mid-level guy....Prince comes back on bird rights...money that can't be spent on an additional FA. You can spend it potentially in a trade where we take more money back, but in a trade then we're dealing a piece or two, right....so again he could refill that? Bring him back at that 1 or 2 yr extension (similar to PB)....if there's no room for him in the rotation that's a good problem & you still have a very movable piece in another move when the right deal presents itself?

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[winforlose]

Don’t forget we have 3 2nds plus our first. We are definitely going to make a trade on draft night. Lea (apparently he doesn’t want to be called Leo,) eventually needs minutes to develop unless we move him as well. A sign and trade for Prince seems like the best way to expand our cap, move our seconds, fill our roster needs, and take care of Prince who will get more money and keep his bird rights alive.

[Slim Tubby]

My first thought was 2/$20M as the offer.


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[Mattya]

Don’t forget we have 3 2nds plus our first. We are definitely going to make a trade on draft night. Lea (apparently he doesn’t want to be called Leo,) eventually needs minutes to develop unless we move him as well. A sign and trade for Prince seems like the best way to expand our cap, move our seconds, fill our roster needs, and take care of Prince who will get more money and keep his bird rights alive.

How much space do we have without any moves?

[Mattya]

Unless there is a big win now trade I don’t know why you would shake the roster up too much. I think the most likely options are to decide if Beasley and Nowell are redundant and worth what you would have to pay both. If not then consolidate some picks and assets with one of those players and hope you can get a starter to move Beverly to the bench with whoever is left between Beasley and Nowell. Then go out and sign a big who can be physical to take some of the toll of KAT.

[winforlose]

Don’t forget we have 3 2nds plus our first. We are definitely going to make a trade on draft night. Lea (apparently he doesn’t want to be called Leo,) eventually needs minutes to develop unless we move him as well. A sign and trade for Prince seems like the best way to expand our cap, move our seconds, fill our roster needs, and take care of Prince who will get more money and keep his bird rights alive.

How much space do we have without any moves?

Bev, JMAC
Dlo, Beasley
Ant, MCD, Leandro Bolmaro (Lea going forward,)
V8
KAT

Nowell and Naz are both option contracts, if we pick them up we get one cheap year from both. If we decline them they become RFAs and we can keep them long term or let them go.

Layman, Prince expiring and JO is an RFA with a QO of around 6 mil.

[Mattya]

Don’t forget we have 3 2nds plus our first. We are definitely going to make a trade on draft night. Lea (apparently he doesn’t want to be called Leo,) eventually needs minutes to develop unless we move him as well. A sign and trade for Prince seems like the best way to expand our cap, move our seconds, fill our roster needs, and take care of Prince who will get more money and keep his bird rights alive.

How much space do we have without any moves?

Bev, JMAC
Dlo, Beasley
Ant, MCD, Leandro Bolmaro (Lea going forward,)
V8
KAT

Nowell and Naz are both option contracts, if we pick them up we get one cheap year from both. If we decline them they become RFAs and we can keep them long term or let them go.

Layman, Prince expiring and JO is an RFA with a QO of around 6 mil.

So what cap space do we have if we decline the options on Naz and Nowell, withdraw offers to Okogie, and keep Princes cap hold? Do we have an MLE?

[winforlose]

How much space do we have without any moves?

Bev, JMAC
Dlo, Beasley
Ant, MCD, Leandro Bolmaro (Lea going forward,)
V8
KAT

Nowell and Naz are both option contracts, if we pick them up we get one cheap year from both. If we decline them they become RFAs and we can keep them long term or let them go.

Layman, Prince expiring and JO is an RFA with a QO of around 6 mil.

So what cap space do we have if we decline the options on Naz and Nowell, withdraw offers to Okogie, and keep Princes cap hold? Do we have an MLE?

I am going off of memory so please understand this a rough answer not a precise one.

So we need 14 players on the roster for the majority of the season. Can go down to 13 in deals but the requirement is to get back to 14.

Picking up the Naz and Nowell options is like having them on minimum deals around 2 mil each. As I said above JO’s RFA QO is 6 mil, we can relinquish our rights on him and save the 6 but then he is an UFRA. Hoopshype has us at 119.5 with JO so about 113.5 without. That would have us at 11 players and with our full exemption.

[Mattya]

Bev, JMAC
Dlo, Beasley
Ant, MCD, Leandro Bolmaro (Lea going forward,)
V8
KAT

Nowell and Naz are both option contracts, if we pick them up we get one cheap year from both. If we decline them they become RFAs and we can keep them long term or let them go.

Layman, Prince expiring and JO is an RFA with a QO of around 6 mil.

So what cap space do we have if we decline the options on Naz and Nowell, withdraw offers to Okogie, and keep Princes cap hold? Do we have an MLE?

I am going off of memory so please understand this a rough answer not a precise one.

So we need 14 players on the roster for the majority of the season. Can go down to 13 in deals but the requirement is to get back to 14.

Picking up the Naz and Nowell options is like having them on minimum deals around 2 mil each. As I said above JO’s RFA QO is 6 mil, we can relinquish our rights on him and save the 6 but then he is an UFRA. Hoopshype has us at 119.5 with JO so about 113.5 without. That would have us at 11 players and with our full exemption.

I think it would be a waste of assets to let Nowell and Naz become UFAs. Especially since in my mind one if the main targets in the offseason should be a big who can defend. So we could let both these guys go to restricted free agency and hopefully work on sign and trades to get something to help now. But who knows maybe they have more value to teams who need low salary pieces short term.

If we have our MLE I’m using that on a big like Hartenstein. Make moves with Naz and one of Nowell or Beasley in packages for a starter, then bringing back Prince.

[winforlose]

So what cap space do we have if we decline the options on Naz and Nowell, withdraw offers to Okogie, and keep Princes cap hold? Do we have an MLE?

I am going off of memory so please understand this a rough answer not a precise one.

So we need 14 players on the roster for the majority of the season. Can go down to 13 in deals but the requirement is to get back to 14.

Picking up the Naz and Nowell options is like having them on minimum deals around 2 mil each. As I said above JO’s RFA QO is 6 mil, we can relinquish our rights on him and save the 6 but then he is an UFRA. Hoopshype has us at 119.5 with JO so about 113.5 without. That would have us at 11 players and with our full exemption.

I think it would be a waste of assets to let Nowell and Naz become UFAs. Especially since in my mind one if the main targets in the offseason should be a big who can defend. So we could let both these guys go to restricted free agency and hopefully work on sign and trades to get something to help now. But who knows maybe they have more value to teams who need low salary pieces short term.

If we have our MLE I’m using that on a big like Hartenstein. Make moves with Naz and one of Nowell or Beasley in packages for a starter, then bringing back Prince.

I guess we see things very differently. I don’t like small ball. I have never liked small ball, and I feel validated in that position when we are the worst defensive rebounding team in the league who has given up 26 offensive rebounds in one game. V8 should be a 3 in our system. In drop he can play the 4, but in high wall V8 is terrible fit at the 4 because he is not big enough or strong enough to defend the paint alone. With V8 at the 3 you need a shooter at the 4 or 5 to pair with KAT. On the second line if you want to keep JMAC you need to have legit size at both PF and C. Switching is all well and good, but defensive rebounding is too important to sacrifice for a little extra mobility on a run out. My personal basketball philosophy is that a run out is not proper defense on a 3 point shooter. Having a legit PF and C means we do more man defense without needing to collapse in the paint and thus less open corner 3s for our opponents.

Prince is a small ball 4 and Reid is a small ball 5. When everything is going right our bench can score in bunches. But that scoring comes at the expense of defense and rebounding, especially on the defensive end.

[shrink]

I’ve been giving more thought to Taurean Prince’s next contract, and I think we might give him a big 1-year contract.

The Timberwolves are in a similar situation to the Hawks a couple years back. Our total salaries only come up to the salary cap, well below the lux, and a team payroll of $121 mil would have less talent than one closer to $147. We are not a free agent destination, so even the MLE (which I expect we will try to use on a big) might not bring much talent. When ATL was in this position, they decided to give Gallinari a big, one year contract (actually two - the second season was partially guaranteed). They had the money, they could reward him for his service and keep him there, and they maintained a salary-matching piece for a future trade.

And while it might sound crazy, I could see MIN overpaying their ninth man a big number, even up to $15 mil. This lets them maintain his talent and offcourt leadership on the young Wolves, while giving him incentive to refuse a multi-year deal elsewhere. Since they have his Early Bird rights, they don’t have to use their exceptions, and a big expiring keeps them under the lux now, but gives them flexibility down the road.