LAC/MIN

[shrink]

Since I know many posters here don't visit the general trade board, I occasionally try to bring over a few trades involving the wolves that have received some positive feedback from fans of both teams. Here's one from ecuhus:

Jaric and MIN 1st (#3) for Thomas, LAC 1st (#6) and future MIN pick returned.

The 6' 10" Thomas is a year less than Jaric, and fits into that same "useful, but over-priced" category. I don't know how much use we'd have for TT .. Gomes plays a similar role playing with guts at 6' 7," but shedding the salary would be nice. Many LAC fans have said how much they like Jaric, and to be honest, with Livingston still a question mark, they make good points about he being a good, flexibile fit. He certainly knows how to get the ball inside to a dominant big man (KG/Al/..Brand?). The key for us is getting the pick back, and our ambiguous roster could find a helpful player at #6 .. maybe even Lopez.

[deeney0]

Wolves can probably turn around and send Thomas and perhaps a little extra (Boston pick?) for an expiring.

[Krapinsky]

No need to get rid of Jaric yet. We wouldn't have anything to do with the money anyway. We should wait a year until 1) the rest of the team is ready to push for a playoff spot, and 2) Jaric will be easier to dump with less years left.

At this time a trade like this would be hyprocritical with "let's build it" and would alienate the casual fans who would think Taylor's screwing us just to save $.

[Klomp]

At this time a trade like this would be hyprocritical with "let's build it" and would alienate the casual fans who would think Taylor's screwing us just to save $.

Don't we need money to build it?

[Krapinsky]

-= original quote snipped =-



Don't we need money to build it?

Down the road we will, but not until we're done buying out Griffin/Howard/Hud. Right now we just need the best players we can get. The only reason to entertain trading down would be if we were sure the guy we wanted at 3 would be there at 6.

[MN Die Hard]

At this time a trade like this would be hyprocritical with "let's build it" and would alienate the casual fans who would think Taylor's screwing us just to save $.

I'm not sure I understand this thinking. Saving money by shaving off a year is never a bad thing, and its not like we'd be trading a critical player just to save money.

Moving from #3 to #6 isnt a big deal. After Rose and Beasley, the next half-dozen or so guys could go anywhere from #3 to #9, depending on how the teams like them. The guy we like at #3 could very well be there at #6. Either way we get a good player at #6.

To be honest I'd do the pick swap just to exchange Jaric for Thomas. Getting our future pick back makes it an absolute steal for MN IMO.

[deeney0]

Getting our pick back is a necessity for me.

[Krapinsky]

whoa- I didn't notice that you had our pick coming back in the trade. If there's no difference between 3-6 why would the Clippers do this deal? My guess is there happy to take whoever falls to them from Gordon/Mayo/Bayless.

[shrink]

My guess is that some LAC think the local OJ Mayo is going to be a star.

[casey]

-= original quote snipped =-



Down the road we will, but not until we're done buying out Griffin/Howard/Hud.

Griffin's already done, and Howard and Hudson will be after next year. Jaric is almost impossible to trade, so a deal like this would be great, unless there's somebody they just love at #3 (or wherever we end up picking). Then, like deeney0 said, ship Thomas off with a little something extra for an expiring contract. So this trade would basically be moving down 3 spots and putting an extra $14Mil in GT's pockets and freeing up an extra $7Mil to spend on a big time free agent next summer.

[TrentTuckerForever]

Clips posters were in favor of this? Seems lopsided towards the Wolves to me... Jaric is a better fit for the Clips, but giving up an additional pick (potentially in the lotto) to move up three spots in this draft? Where the talent differential btwn. 3-6 is almost negligible?

Great deal for the Wolves. I'm just surprised there are any takers on the LA side.

[john2jer]

I love the deal, as like someone pointed out, we're looking for any number of things in the draft, and the prospects from 3-6 all depends on which team is drafting. There's no clear picks after the top 2, in the top 10.

Here's our mock for Wolves needs...

3. Mayo
4. Lopez
5. Randolph
6. Gallinari
7a. Jordan
7b. Bayless

I would assume that the Cippers take local college star, OJ Mayo.

Draft order if the lottery ends up based on record:
1. Heat - Beasely
2. Sonics - Rose
3. Clippers - Mayo
4. Grizzlies - Lopez
5. Knicks - Bayless/Gordon
6. Wolves - Jordan/Randolph/Gallinari/Speights(???)

Might be too high for Speights, but at the 6th slot, we're likely looking for the best big available, as whoever doesn't get picked by the Knicks (Gordon/Bayless), doesn't make the trade worth it. Gordon is a smaller version of McCants, and Bayless is a smaller version of Foye.

I don't see Gallinari as a pick that makes sense. He causes problems with Gomes, Brewer, and Snyder(not that he's a concern).

Assuming that Miami turns it around even a little bit and gets out of the top ten next year, we're looking at 3 first round picks next year. Miami, Boston, and our own. Our own is contingent on us staying in the top 10 picks, or us making a trade with the Clippers to get the pick back. Not counting draft picks, and any extensions to Gomes, Smith, Richard, and/or Telfair, we're sitting at around 43.1 mil, so plus draft picks and extensions, likely to Gomes and Smith, we're right at the luxury tax in the summer of 2009.

With that in mind, and Taylor's interest in saving money, oh and throw in that McHale will likely make a dumb signing by then, a trade in which we increase draft picks, and decrease salary is a good thing. We'll never really be in the market for a big free agent due to our salary situation, so those draft picks and younger players would be needed to bring in talent in a trade. Or hopefully a couple of them are hits and not misses.

Long story short, I make the trade.

That turns the original trade into:
Sam Cassell + 2008(#3) for Tim Thomas + 2008 (#6).

Sounds a lot better than the original deal.

[karch34]

I'd do it, but can't see why the Clippers would.

[shrink]

There's still a lot of love for this deal on the boards from both LAC and MIN fans:

#3 + Jaric for #6 + Tim Thomas + MIN prot future 1st.

I suggested we spin Tim Thomas to WAS for Etan Thomas and their heavily-protected MEM 1st from the Navarro deal, and it seems to be looked upon favorably. All three of these players are a little over-priced, but Tim Thomas would be more helpful to the Wiz than to us, and they seem to really want to move Etan. All three would be more useful in their new homes.

Yes, the #3 is the best pick, and Jaric is arguably the best player of the three (what a sad debate that would be). However, this seems like a treasure trove for the Wolves.

Etan would help Al aas an energetic center that would try to play defense. Even if he failed, his contract is a year shorter than Jaric's.

It would be hard to pass up on Mayo at #3, but I'd do it for a shot at Lopez, if we also got back two protected future 1sts for going down three spots.

(MEM pick: top 16 protected in 2009, top 14 protected in 2010, top 12 protected in 2013, else second round pick & cash)