No Controversy here: Prince re-signs for 2/$16m

[Klomp]

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[Wolves21]

Good resign by Connelly,at $8M basically on a one year deal to sure up our back SF spot is great.Really though Prince played well in part of the season and more so towards the end and in the playoffs.Again keep a vet like him as our 7th or 8th guy in your rotation at that price is a very nice move.Thought in the current market he could have made a little more money going elsewhere.

[winforlose]

No controversy? What in the name of all that is right and true is the FO thinking. Prince was so bad he was unplayable for almost half the year. Even when he turned it around he was inconsistent on offense and undersized on defense. Sign and trade makes sense for Prince, but with Moore coming in to eventually play backup 3 and with Ant or MCD playing starting 3 this puts Prince at PF. I feel like the guy at the party who sees someone piss in the punch bowl and then someone else offers me a glass. Sign and trade made some sense, this makes no sense.

[karch34]

Great signing! Well respected vet who is a nice 3/4 in the rotation.

[shangrila]

No controversy? What in the name of all that is right and true is the FO thinking. Prince was so bad he was unplayable for almost half the year. Even when he turned it around he was inconsistent on offense and undersized on defense. Sign and trade makes sense for Prince, but with Moore coming in to eventually play backup 3 and with Ant or MCD playing starting 3 this puts Prince at PF. I feel like the guy at the party who sees someone piss in the punch bowl and then someone else offers me a glass. Sign and trade made some sense, this makes no sense.

[karch34]

Also great thread title Klomp!

[Klomp]

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[MN7725]

He had a nightmare first 1/4 of the season but was 60%+ TS rest of year, wish he could rebound bit better

most important thing is Wolves filled rotation spot without MLE

[winforlose]

Good resign by Connelly,at $8M basically on a one year deal to sure up our back SF spot is great.Really though Prince played well in part of the season and more so towards the end and in the playoffs.Again keep a vet like him as our 7th or 8th guy in your rotation at that price is a very nice move.Thought in the current market he could have made a little more money going elsewhere.

You said it but for those who didn’t know from the tweet, the second year is not guaranteed.

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2022/06/taurean-prince-agrees-to-two-year-extension-with-timberwolves.html

[winforlose]

He had a nightmare first 1/4 of the season but was 60%+ TS rest of year, wish he could rebound bit better

most important thing is Wolves filled rotation spot without MLE

The problem is he is too small for PF and that is his only rotation spot. Assume the lineups are Bev, Dlo, Ant, V8, KAT and JMAC/Nowell, Beasley, MCD, Prince, and Reid. You can plug Kessler in either lineup and move someone to the bench, but no matter how it goes Prince is still going to force us to play small ball, or force MCD to the 4 which is not a good position for him. Also it chews up a roster spot. Lastly, with his bird rights and improved second half of the season we had decent sign and trade bait, now we cannot do anything with him for months, if at all.

[MN7725]

He had a nightmare first 1/4 of the season but was 60%+ TS rest of year, wish he could rebound bit better

most important thing is Wolves filled rotation spot without MLE

The problem is he is too small for PF and that is his only rotation spot. Assume the lineups are Bev, Dlo, Ant, V8, KAT and JMAC/Nowell, Beasley, MCD, Prince, and Reid. You can plug Kessler in either lineup and move someone to the bench, but no matter how it goes Prince is still going to force us to play small ball, or force MCD to the 4 which is not a good position for him. Also it chews up a roster spot. Lastly, with his bird rights and improved second half of the season we had decent sign and trade bait, now we cannot do anything with him for months, if at all.

Prince signed an extension at less than his previous salary, so he won't have trade restrictions

[winforlose]

He had a nightmare first 1/4 of the season but was 60%+ TS rest of year, wish he could rebound bit better

most important thing is Wolves filled rotation spot without MLE

The problem is he is too small for PF and that is his only rotation spot. Assume the lineups are Bev, Dlo, Ant, V8, KAT and JMAC/Nowell, Beasley, MCD, Prince, and Reid. You can plug Kessler in either lineup and move someone to the bench, but no matter how it goes Prince is still going to force us to play small ball, or force MCD to the 4 which is not a good position for him. Also it chews up a roster spot. Lastly, with his bird rights and improved second half of the season we had decent sign and trade bait, now we cannot do anything with him for months, if at all.

Prince signed an extension at less than his previous salary, so he won't have trade restrictions

Thank you, I didn’t know that . Slightly less offended by this.

[moss_is_1]

Good deal. Right around his value, maybe could've gotten the MLE by someone if he was patient, but he liked it here and we wanted him back. Good bench forward/spot starter, and good influence in the locker room.

[MN7725]

The problem is he is too small for PF and that is his only rotation spot. Assume the lineups are Bev, Dlo, Ant, V8, KAT and JMAC/Nowell, Beasley, MCD, Prince, and Reid. You can plug Kessler in either lineup and move someone to the bench, but no matter how it goes Prince is still going to force us to play small ball, or force MCD to the 4 which is not a good position for him. Also it chews up a roster spot. Lastly, with his bird rights and improved second half of the season we had decent sign and trade bait, now we cannot do anything with him for months, if at all.

Prince signed an extension at less than his previous salary, so he won't have trade restrictions

Thank you, I didn’t know that . Slightly less offended by this.

we'll see how the roster shakes out

you are right, Prince is a mediocre rebounder and if he is the 2nd biggest Wolves player on the court most of his minutes, it will be the same issue as last season, especially at how poor the guards/wings (ANT as a SF is not good enough) are at rebounding, other than Beverly

again, we'll see what team looks like, seems to be different philosophy of team building by all indications than Rosas, who seemed to go out of his way to stay small and get as much floor spacing as possible, I'll be surprised if McDaniels and Prince don't have the clear "SF" roles when season starts, with V8 and MLE or traded player being clear "PFs"

[winforlose]

Prince signed an extension at less than his previous salary, so he won't have trade restrictions

Thank you, I didn’t know that . Slightly less offended by this.

we'll see how the roster shakes out

you are right, Prince is a mediocre rebounder and if he is the 2nd biggest Wolves player on the court most of his minutes, it will be the same issue as last season, especially at how poor the guards/wings (ANT as a SF is not good enough) are at rebounding, other than Beverly

again, we'll see what team looks like, seems to be different philosophy of team building by all indications than Rosas, who seemed to go out of his way to stay small and get as much floor spacing as possible, I'll be surprised if McDaniels and Prince don't have the clear "SF" roles when season starts, with V8 and MLE or traded player being clear "PFs"

Let’s say you are correct. So now the starters are Dlo, Ant, MCD, V8/???, KAT. Bev must be in your second line, and that pushes JMAC (coaches favorite) out of the rotation. At the SG we are either using Beasley or Nowell, the other of which will again be pushed out the rotation. Prince as backup SF is worlds better than Prince at backup PF, but it also ensures Moore stays on the bench. At this point I need to point out that losing Moose, JO, and Layman puts us at 12 players. We added 2 more in Kessler and Moore so we are at 14. At this moment we have one open spot and only V8 at the PF unless we move Naz and use Kessler at the 5.

The TLDR version of the above is Prince at SF puts Beverly on the 2nd unit and either Nowell or Beasley out of the rotation. It plugs a roster spot that could have been used to get bigger, and it pretty much ensures V8 doesn’t play the SF anytime soon.

[shangrila]

And if Prince doesn't play...do we care?

I don't get how this is in any way an issue. He's got a valuable skillset and was a positive lockerroom piece last season that we signed to essentially a 1 year deal that doesn't handcuff us this season. If he literally doesn't play a single minute it won't matter.

[minimus]

That was the first test for Connelly, who likes to overpay his FA. 16 / 2 with 2nd year non guaranteed is a fair deal. Also this deal fits perfectly timeline of our team. Good job!

[winforlose]

And if Prince doesn't play...do we care?

I don't get how this is in any way an issue. He's got a valuable skillset and was a positive lockerroom piece last season that we signed to essentially a 1 year deal that doesn't handcuff us this season. If he literally doesn't play a single minute it won't matter.

I apologize for not making it more clear. He is fine as a 3rd string or 11/12th man. But, there are two opportunity costs to this move.

1. The roster spot. We have a lot of guys who can play 1-3 but a shortage of true bigs. We need legit PFs not small ball ones.

2. The sign and trade with Prince was a decent asset. I have revised my position slightly because apparently he can be traded without the 3 month delay, but until a learn more about the trade rules in this situation I cannot eliminate the opportunity cost completely.

[minimus]

And if Prince doesn't play...do we care?

I don't get how this is in any way an issue. He's got a valuable skillset and was a positive lockerroom piece last season that we signed to essentially a 1 year deal that doesn't handcuff us this season. If he literally doesn't play a single minute it won't matter.

I apologize for not making it more clear. He is fine as a 3rd string or 11/12th man. But, there are two opportunity costs to this move.

1. The roster spot. We have a lot of guys who can play 1-3 but a shortage of true bigs. We need legit PFs not small ball ones.

2. The sign and trade with Prince was a decent asset. I have revised my position slightly because apparently he can be traded without the 3 month delay, but until a learn more about the trade rules in this situation I cannot eliminate the opportunity cost completely.

1. TP and MCD are the only 3&D wings in our roster. Moreover, he and Beverley are only players who can be considered veterans. While this is not a flashy signing he indeed fills the need. Lets view his 8 mil contract as replacement of Layman and Okogie contracts. The real key is non guaranteed 2nd year and the fact that we still have MLE and BAE. Connelly is not known as great contract negotiator, but here I believe we see Gupta's work in all his glory. This attention to numbers is what give me a lot of hope.

2. No, historically sign and trade is not a decent asset, especially for role player such as TP.

P.S. We drafted our backup big in Kessler, and FA/trade market for defensive minded bigs is not that big. Also TP is better, younger than almost any FA combo forward.

[Nick K]

No controversy? What in the name of all that is right and true is the FO thinking. Prince was so bad he was unplayable for almost half the year. Even when he turned it around he was inconsistent on offense and undersized on defense. Sign and trade makes sense for Prince, but with Moore coming in to eventually play backup 3 and with Ant or MCD playing starting 3 this puts Prince at PF. I feel like the guy at the party who sees someone piss in the punch bowl and then someone else offers me a glass. Sign and trade made some sense, this makes no sense.

For a change, I couldn't disagree more. Yes, Prince had a very slow start but after that he played great back-up 3/4. Shot 38% from 3 after a bad start! He was very solid with a veteran's game.

I just think this is such a smart resign for the front office at 8mil per.