Trade Talk (Part 14): 2023-24 Edition

[Neeva]

I think coaches always have liked Kat more than nba fans and casuals. Butler was completely toxic to the Wolves franchise and how these casuals view it. Kat needs to finally play as well (or better than the regular season) in the playoffs though.

[Skybox]

I see Slo-Mo in the trade threads a lot…why?

And what do you guys need? I assume backup or young PG and some kind of financial relief.

[wolves_89]

I see Slo-Mo in the trade threads a lot…why?

And what do you guys need? I assume backup or young PG and some kind of financial relief.

There are a couple of reasons Kyle Anderson is potentially available. The first is that the team needs better floor spacing and Kyle hasn't been making (or even taking) wide open shots at an acceptable rate. The second reason is that he is the most expendable player making over $5M in salary. To trade for anybody making over $10M is going to require Anderson to be in the deal.

In terms of what the Wolves need, the top targets are going to be PGs or wings who can shoot at a high level. There is no need for financial relief, though any deal can't take back much salary over what is outgoing.

[winforlose]

I see Slo-Mo in the trade threads a lot…why?

And what do you guys need? I assume backup or young PG and some kind of financial relief.

There are a couple of reasons Kyle Anderson is potentially available. The first is that the team needs better floor spacing and Kyle hasn't been making (or even taking) wide open shots at an acceptable rate. The second reason is that he is the most expendable player making over $5M in salary. To trade for anybody making over $10M is going to require Anderson to be in the deal.

In terms of what the Wolves need, the top targets are going to be PGs or wings who can shoot at a high level. There is no need for financial relief, though any deal can't take back much salary over what is outgoing.

This, plus, our rotation 1-7 is as solid as possible. NAW’s offense is a little too inconsistent to be a starter, but is pretty good for a bench guy. When you consider that offense is paired with an elite defense that can guard 1-3, get through screens better than anyone, and with technique good enough to stay out of foul trouble when defending guys like SGA and Curry he is pretty much untouchable for us. Oh, and he is on a terrific contract. The other bench player is Naz and he is a 6th man of the year contender. He was sixth or seventh in bench scoring coming into last week. He slumped a bit this week, but is rounding back into form. He also is improving his shot blocking and is getting better at defending in space.

If you assume we don’t want to move 1-7 and we would prefer not to move Minott or Miller for upcoming salary reasons and because we think they will develop well, that leaves only 5 guys. Of the 5, Kyle has the most value, and the biggest contract. That is why any trade that brings back a significant asset has to consider him.

[life_saver]

Read on Twitter

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[moss_is_1]

I'm fine trading for Tyus if it's 2nds with Slomo and shake.
I do think Kyle and Tyus are pretty close in value, wouldn't mind trying ti snag Kispert in that deal as well.

[minimus]

Regarding Bones Hyland, Jaylen Nowell and other high energy, bench scorers. Dane Moore mentioned in his recent podcast that Gobert in starting lineup and Anderson in second unit make much more difficult to attack the rim and mid range, unless you are good at hit open players. For sure, I can see it work even with hypothetical Bones in 2nd unit if they trade Anderson, but I except our defense in 2nd unit to drop significantly if we trade him without getting forward in return.

[winforlose]

Could Luka Garza get us a second? If yes from who?

[Guest84]

I've seen talks of the wolves being linked to Bogdan from ATL as well. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

[winforlose]

Had kinda of a weird trade idea, I am not sure either team would do it, but thought I would post it anyway. Feedback is appreciated (don’t worry if it is negative.)

Wolves out: Naz, Kyle, Miller
Wolves in: Claxton, DFS, Cam Thomas

Why for the Nets: Naz is the best player in the deal. He is a legit starting C on a great contract. He allows them the floor space Claxton doesn’t and his shot blocking/rim protecting is improving. He fits their identity. Kyle helps replace the defense they lose in DFS and adds size. They should have the money to resign him. Miller is perhaps more raw than Cam Thomas but is bigger, and has more potential upside.

Why for the Wolves
Cam Thomas is more win now than Miller and fits a need for more bench shooting. Claxton can do a lot of what Rudy does when Rudy is on the bench, and Claxton could be resigned at the deadline and moved for value next year if he cannot adjust to our style of big ball. The biggest risk is if KAT goes down I don’t see Claxton next to Rudy. We could move Claxton in the initial trade (3 team,) but then we would need to use his money to replace Naz. Finally, DFS is a great Kyle replacement and exactly what we need to floor space.

Meanwhile we try and get Monte Morris for TBJ, Shake, and Minott.

[shrink]

So far, this is pretty much what I thought our trade deadline would look like. We made our big moves last year, and Tim Connelly believes in keeping his teams together, so I expect a relatively quiet deadline. Mike Conley recently (finally?) missing games might encourage our GM to add a back up PG, particularly one that we can maybe hold onto next year. The two most likely trades are probably

Troy Brown Jr + Shake Milton + 2nd for Monte Morris

Kyle Anderson + Shake Milton + 2nd (and Kyle flipped to a third teams for another 2nd) for Tyus Jones

It’s no surprise none of these teams are rushing to get a deal done before the deadline. DET and WAS probably are hoping for stronger offers, and it’s very possible that at this price point that they just hang onto their guards to help run their offenses and help their youth develop. MIN probably wasn’t in a rush, waiting to see if Morris looked healthy.

Personally, I think the first trade is far more likely than the second. I suspect that Kyle Anderson’s value to the team extends far off the court. As a leader, SloMo is a loud ying to Mike Conley’s quiet yang. I imagine Mike isn’t telling Ant to “stop playing like a scrub!” and that’s probably something Ant needs to hear once in a while. I think Anderson is important to our defense, and worry that Tyus would get attacked in the playoffs. Kyle is also a very good passer himself, so we’d get a lot more ball-handling with Monte + SloMo than Tyus alone.

Last thought. I suspect we see Wendell Moore Jr traded away, and a guy that we could see back .. Austin Rivers. I know people won’t like it, but he’s a vet, he has playoff experience, he knows how to play with Finch and the team, and he’s an Ant-whisperer. I hope we have better options in the buy out market.

[winforlose]

So far, this is pretty much what I thought our trade deadline would look like. We made our big moves last year, and Tim Connelly believes in keeping his teams together, so I expect a relatively quiet deadline. Mike Conley recently (finally?) missing games might encourage our GM to add a back up PG, particularly one that we can maybe hold onto next year. The two most likely trades are probably

Troy Brown Jr + Shake Milton + 2nd for Monte Morris

Kyle Anderson + Shake Milton + 2nd (and Kyle flipped to a third teams for another 2nd) for Tyus Jones

It’s no surprise none of these teams are rushing to get a deal done before the deadline. DET and WAS probably are hoping for stronger offers, and it’s very possible that at this price point that they just hang onto their guards to help run their offenses and help their youth develop. MIN probably wasn’t in a rush, waiting to see if Morris looked healthy.

Personally, I think the first trade is far more likely than the second. I suspect that Kyle Anderson’s value to the team extends far off the court. As a leader, SloMo is a loud ying to Mike Conley’s quiet yang. I imagine Mike isn’t telling Ant to “stop playing like a scrub!” and that’s probably something Ant needs to hear once in a while. I think Anderson is important to our defense, and worry that Tyus would get attacked in the playoffs. Kyle is also a very good passer himself, so we’d get a lot more ball-handling with Monte + SloMo than Tyus alone.

Last thought. I suspect we see Wendell Moore Jr traded away, and a guy that we could see back .. Austin Rivers. I know people won’t like it, but he’s a vet, he has playoff experience, he knows how to play with Finch and the team, and he’s an Ant-whisperer. I hope we have better options in the buy out market.

Austin Rivers isn’t worth a roster spot. If you want him on the bench maybe Finch can get him assistant coaching job (not even sure if there is cap on those,) but on the bench any buyout or G league guy is far better.

[shrink]

Last thought. I suspect we see Wendell Moore Jr traded away, and a guy that we could see back .. Austin Rivers. I know people won’t like it, but he’s a vet, he has playoff experience, he knows how to play with Finch and the team, and he’s an Ant-whisperer. I hope we have better options in the buy out market.

Austin Rivers isn’t worth a roster spot. If you want him on the bench maybe Finch can get him assistant coaching job (not even sure if there is cap on those,) but on the bench any buyout or G league guy is far better.

In the playoffs, our rotation is going to shrink to eight or nine players. What the #14 or #15 guy can do on the floor is unlikely to matter. Their biggest impact will probably be helping to get more out of the stars in the rotation, and I think AR will do that. He’s also a Connelly guy, who was willing to take a lesser role and mentor Ant last year. I think Tim considers bringing him back.

[winforlose]

Last thought. I suspect we see Wendell Moore Jr traded away, and a guy that we could see back .. Austin Rivers. I know people won’t like it, but he’s a vet, he has playoff experience, he knows how to play with Finch and the team, and he’s an Ant-whisperer. I hope we have better options in the buy out market.

Austin Rivers isn’t worth a roster spot. If you want him on the bench maybe Finch can get him assistant coaching job (not even sure if there is cap on those,) but on the bench any buyout or G league guy is far better.

In the playoffs, our rotation is going to shrink to eight or nine players. What the #14 or #15 guy can do on the floor is unlikely to matter. Their biggest impact will probably be helping to get more out of the stars in the rotation, and I think AR will do that.

Money matters. We cannot have 15. We have Minott and Miller not producing. That leaves 11 guys if WMJ is traded away. We would be better off using those remaining spots to either develop a young player waived in the trade aftermath or signing a buyout waived player that helps us now. Rivers is out of the league for a reason, and is not gonna get Ant’s attention if he cannot get on the floor.

[moss_is_1]

Shake and Brown for Morris
Slowmo for Royce O'Neal

I'd consider that a good deadline. Massively upgrade shooting, keep the bigger wing defense, and keep the playmaking slomo offers while better taking care of the ball.

[wolves_89]

One thing I've wondered about is what trade value Kyle Anderson would have on the trade market. I could see a number of teams being highly interested in him for his ability to defend big wings. Come playoff time that is going to be an extremely valuable skill when going against players like Giannis, Butler, Kawhi, George, Durrant, and LeBron. Could Kyle return 2-3 2nds? Would Kyle+2nd get a late 1st?

[Klomp]

Regarding Bones Hyland, Jaylen Nowell and other high energy, bench scorers. Dane Moore mentioned in his recent podcast that Gobert in starting lineup and Anderson in second unit make much more difficult to attack the rim and mid range, unless you are good at hit open players. For sure, I can see it work even with hypothetical Bones in 2nd unit if they trade Anderson, but I except our defense in 2nd unit to drop significantly if we trade him without getting forward in return.

If I'm trading for Hyland, it's not about this season.

[Klomp]

Shake and Brown for Morris
Slowmo for Royce O'Neal

I'd consider that a good deadline. Massively upgrade shooting, keep the bigger wing defense, and keep the playmaking slomo offers while better taking care of the ball.

This is kinda where I'm at. I said yesterday I see us adding two rotational players, and this exactly the kind of thing I envision. Add in a "Moore for Hyland" for good measure (Clippers shave money off their projected 2024-25 tax bill).

[Danimals]

Shake and Brown for Morris
Slowmo for Royce O'Neal

I'd consider that a good deadline. Massively upgrade shooting, keep the bigger wing defense, and keep the playmaking slomo offers while better taking care of the ball.

This is kinda where I'm at. I said yesterday I see us adding two rotational players, and this exactly the kind of thing I envision. Add in a "Moore for Hyland" for good measure (Clippers shave money off their projected 2024-25 tax bill).

We should not want anything to do with Hyland’s guaranteed salary next year. It’s debatable if he’s worth the salary, but he is definitely not worth that salary and the additional 2nd apron taxes it will cost us next year.

[Klomp]

Shake and Brown for Morris
Slowmo for Royce O'Neal

I'd consider that a good deadline. Massively upgrade shooting, keep the bigger wing defense, and keep the playmaking slomo offers while better taking care of the ball.

This is kinda where I'm at. I said yesterday I see us adding two rotational players, and this exactly the kind of thing I envision. Add in a "Moore for Hyland" for good measure (Clippers shave money off their projected 2024-25 tax bill).

We should not want anything to do with Hyland’s guaranteed salary next year. It’s debatable if he’s worth the salary, but he is definitely not worth that salary and the additional 2nd apron taxes it will cost us next year.

We already have Moore's guaranteed money on the books...and really, no matter what the roster construction, it's not going to be "we're paying X in taxes for the 10th man", but rather "we're paying X in taxes to run back the same core group at the top"