Trade Talk (Part 16): Early Season Anxiety Edition

[ILC]

I agree with win4lose, it's impossible and not an improvement to get KD and then lose half of your rotation if that's what it takes to be below the 2nd apron. Losing Randle, Mike, Rob, Naz/Naw is literally what would've taken you to get KD at the deadline and they chose not to do it so I have to assume they think they can get him for way less in the summer. The only way.

New owners and Tim would have to be willing to eat the tax and the 2nd apron stuff for one more year, get KD, re-sign both Naz and NAW and get KD to agree to a significantly reduced extension that would get you below the 2nd apron in 26/27.

Also, you can go into the 2nd apron next season and then maybe trade Rudy during the season for a C who makes less in order to get below the 2nd apron before the season ends.

[winforlose]

Let old ass KD sign with the wolves (if he really wants to play with Ant) for his swan song in a few years, giving up young assets for him that are vital to compete during Ant’s prime will be absolutely asinine. The wolves are lacking assets as it stands, lets not make it worse , the wolves are not a aging Durant away from a title.

Couldn’t have said it better myself!

[winforlose]

What can wolves get for NAW in sign and trades? How about Knecht and a second or two?

I thought about that a while back and even posted it in the trade forum. I honestly was hesitant at the time of posting it and am more so now. TSJ and Clark have both emerged as potential end of rotation guys, Kneckt would clash with them. We need to untangle this mess of a roster balance by bringing in another PG and another C. I would suggest moving Minott for a 2nd, keeping NAW (if we can,) and trying to turn Randle into two reasonable contracts either before the season or before the deadline. Otherwise Randle should be the 6th man and Naz the starter.

[winforlose]

I agree with win4lose, it's impossible and not an improvement to get KD and then lose half of your rotation if that's what it takes to be below the 2nd apron. Losing Randle, Mike, Rob, Naz/Naw is literally what would've taken you to get KD at the deadline and they chose not to do it so I have to assume they think they can get him for way less in the summer. The only way.

New owners and Tim would have to be willing to eat the tax and the 2nd apron stuff for one more year, get KD, re-sign both Naz and NAW and get KD to agree to a significantly reduced extension that would get you below the 2nd apron in 26/27.

Also, you can go into the 2nd apron next season and then maybe trade Rudy during the season for a C who makes less in order to get below the 2nd apron before the season ends.

I just did a lengthy series of posts with numbers about why getting KD and keeping Naz and NAW is not really possible. We might be able to keep one (probably NAW,) but with the 2nd apron hard cap, the roster issues would magnify. The only way to acquire KD and stay under the hard cap without crippling the rotation is trading Rudy and Randle, and then you still end up losing one of NAW or Naz. Not to mention significantly downgrading both the C and big rotations overall. KD must come over in 26/27 as a free agent and at a steep discount. In the meantime I would turn your attention to the tax payer MLE as the way to improve this year absent another trade.

[ILC]

I agree with win4lose, it's impossible and not an improvement to get KD and then lose half of your rotation if that's what it takes to be below the 2nd apron. Losing Randle, Mike, Rob, Naz/Naw is literally what would've taken you to get KD at the deadline and they chose not to do it so I have to assume they think they can get him for way less in the summer. The only way.

New owners and Tim would have to be willing to eat the tax and the 2nd apron stuff for one more year, get KD, re-sign both Naz and NAW and get KD to agree to a significantly reduced extension that would get you below the 2nd apron in 26/27.

Also, you can go into the 2nd apron next season and then maybe trade Rudy during the season for a C who makes less in order to get below the 2nd apron before the season ends.

I just did a lengthy series of posts with numbers about why getting KD and keeping Naz and NAW is not really possible. We might be able to keep one (probably NAW,) but with the 2nd apron hard cap, the roster issues would magnify. The only way to acquire KD and stay under the hard cap without crippling the rotation is trading Rudy and Randle, and then you still end up losing one of NAW or Naz. Not to mention significantly downgrading both the C and big rotations overall. KD must come over in 26/27 as a free agent and at a steep discount. In the meantime I would turn your attention to the tax payer MLE as the way to improve this year absent another trade.

You did the math with the (correct?) assumption that they have to stay under the 2nd apron no matter what.

I am talking about the (slight) possibility that they decide to get him and stay above the 2nd apron and choosing to deal with it later down the road.

Mathematically it is possible that Randle opts in, he's traded with Mike, Rob and another small salary for KD, we keep Naz and NAW's bird rights and re-sign them both while getting above the 2nd apron, correct?

[Rookie-Mistake]

We just need to commit to building around ANT. Plain and simple. What is this? I have no idea...

Sent from my SM-G991B using RealGM mobile app

[winforlose]

I agree with win4lose, it's impossible and not an improvement to get KD and then lose half of your rotation if that's what it takes to be below the 2nd apron. Losing Randle, Mike, Rob, Naz/Naw is literally what would've taken you to get KD at the deadline and they chose not to do it so I have to assume they think they can get him for way less in the summer. The only way.

New owners and Tim would have to be willing to eat the tax and the 2nd apron stuff for one more year, get KD, re-sign both Naz and NAW and get KD to agree to a significantly reduced extension that would get you below the 2nd apron in 26/27.

Also, you can go into the 2nd apron next season and then maybe trade Rudy during the season for a C who makes less in order to get below the 2nd apron before the season ends.

I just did a lengthy series of posts with numbers about why getting KD and keeping Naz and NAW is not really possible. We might be able to keep one (probably NAW,) but with the 2nd apron hard cap, the roster issues would magnify. The only way to acquire KD and stay under the hard cap without crippling the rotation is trading Rudy and Randle, and then you still end up losing one of NAW or Naz. Not to mention significantly downgrading both the C and big rotations overall. KD must come over in 26/27 as a free agent and at a steep discount. In the meantime I would turn your attention to the tax payer MLE as the way to improve this year absent another trade.

You did the math with the (correct?) assumption that they have to stay under the 2nd apron no matter what.

I am talking about the (slight) possibility that they decide to get him and stay above the 2nd apron and choosing to deal with it later down the road.

Mathematically it is possible that Randle opts in, he's traded with Mike, Rob and another small salary for KD, we keep Naz and NAW's bird rights and re-sign them both while getting above the 2nd apron, correct?

Not a choice or an assumption. If we trade any 2 players or more for 1 that is aggregation. If you make any trade using aggregation you MUST by rule be below the 2nd apron all season (turns into a hard cap.) Any move to go over the 2nd apron becomes illegal and the league does not allow you to do so. There is literally no scenario where we trade for KD with two players and go over the apron.

[ILC]

I just did a lengthy series of posts with numbers about why getting KD and keeping Naz and NAW is not really possible. We might be able to keep one (probably NAW,) but with the 2nd apron hard cap, the roster issues would magnify. The only way to acquire KD and stay under the hard cap without crippling the rotation is trading Rudy and Randle, and then you still end up losing one of NAW or Naz. Not to mention significantly downgrading both the C and big rotations overall. KD must come over in 26/27 as a free agent and at a steep discount. In the meantime I would turn your attention to the tax payer MLE as the way to improve this year absent another trade.

You did the math with the (correct?) assumption that they have to stay under the 2nd apron no matter what.

I am talking about the (slight) possibility that they decide to get him and stay above the 2nd apron and choosing to deal with it later down the road.

Mathematically it is possible that Randle opts in, he's traded with Mike, Rob and another small salary for KD, we keep Naz and NAW's bird rights and re-sign them both while getting above the 2nd apron, correct?

Not a choice or an assumption. If we trade any 2 players or more for 1 that is aggregation. If you make any trade using aggregation you MUST by rule be below the 2nd apron all season (turns into a hard cap.) Any move to go over the 2nd apron becomes illegal and the league does not allow you to do so. There is literally no scenario where we trade for KD with two players and go over the apron.

I see, thank you. I thought it was different in the offseason compared to in-season.

That's it then, I'm against the KD trade. Love him to death but he at 37 is not worth depleting the whole team.

Re-sign NAW and Naz, keep below the 2nd apron, and run with the kids plus Mike and Rudy. Continue internal development.

[Norseman79]

If they are serious about building around Ant and being competitive in doing so, I have made this post several times, but I'm going to make one concession regarding Shannon Jr and his ability to play the 3, despite being undersized.

PG - ????, Rob
SG - Ant, Clark
SF - McDaniels, Shannon Jr
PF - Reid, ????
C - ????,????

I only listed 10, and everyone not listed should be gone for maximum return. I didn't include Miller because given the blatant refusal to play him, it seems he is gone and has value. I kept young guys as depth because they have really been out playing people anyway. DD, Randle, NAW, Rudy, Mike gone. Ruthless gutting? Perhaps. However, the cap space and potential trade returns not only could solidify the future, but allow for better roster construction around Edwards. This whole allowing us to lockdown Naz and have a three of Ant, Naz, and Jaden, but also get the right pieces around them at PG and C. A defensive minded 3&D point guard that takes care of the ball, and a legit center that can rebound and stretch the floor. Get those things, and health provided, no reason why this team wouldn't be among the top in the West.

[shrink]

When Tim Connelly got to MIN and traded for Rudy Gobert, one of the complaints about the deal was that Gobert didn’t fit Ant’s timeline, which is true. However, Connelly believes that in order to develop superstar talent properly, teams need to put them in winning situations early in their career.

Gobert at $35 isn’t a bad contract for a walking top ten defense, who our Ant-timeline players have learned to play with defensively (especially Naz), and is a great defensive coach on the floor for our younger players. Rudy helps a player like Jaylen Clark play aggressive defensive, because if he gets beat, Rudy is still between his man and the basket,

[shrink]

I think for the sake of realism, we should look at two possible paths. One path that takes out payroll below the second apron ($207,825,000), and another path that takes us below the lux ($187,897,000).

For shorthand, I’m going to assume these guys stay: Ant ($45), Jaden ($25), Rudy ($35), DiVincenzo ($12), Conley ($11), Dillingham ($6.5), Shannon ($2.7), Miller ($2.2), DET 1st ($4.2, with 20% bonus) = $143.6 for nine players.

- Naz is loved here, and seems like a sure thing to stay. Let’s say he starts at Jaden money at $25.
- Tax-Payer MLE is $5.7. It gives access to a whole range of additional players, and is “use-it-or-lose-it”
- Clark. I’ll put down a min here ($2.2), but it may take more to keep him, especially is he starts a few more games.
- Randle (his opt-in is $31). It’s not an unreasonable number, but I’m not sure he wants to stay if not a guaranteed starter.
- NAW? He’s a fantastic defender, and inconsistent offensive player. The NBA historically doesn’t pay big salaries for these guys. I’ll say $7.5 would be enough to keep him, which I’d like to see us do.

That would be $71.4 more to bring this team back, 14 players for $215. That’s $9 mil over the second apron and $27 over the lux.

Ways to save money:

1. Let Randle walk for the whole $31. Getting a player back in a S&T requires being under the 1st apron. Picks and space? We’d need a new rotation level big.
2. Let NAW walk ($7.5?), or sign-and-trade him for future seconds (I like our current youth)
3. Don’t use the MLE ($5.7) and use the UTA 2nd as our 14th man.
4. Trade

[cmoss84]

I'm sure Ya"ll are sick of my 20 player trades, so I won't list specifics. But there are ways of trading Rudy and Randle for KD and a center. Like others have mentioned, would be tough to sign Naz (while assuming NAW signs elsewhere). Naz probably would cost us Mike/DD.
That being said, here is one (semi?) realistic outcome heading into next season, and one I would gamble on.
Alvarado and RD at the point.
Ant and Clark.
Jaden and TSJ.
KD and Miller.
Naz and Reed. Paul, not a Naz clone.
Yes...I get it. Undersized centers. But I'd try it and sign an additional vet defensive minded center.

[minimus]

1. Let Randle walk for the whole $31. Getting a player back in a S&T requires being under the 1st apron. Picks and space? We’d need a new rotation level big.
2. Let NAW walk ($7.5?), or sign-and-trade him for future seconds (I like our current youth)
3. Don’t use the MLE ($5.7) and use the UTA 2nd as our 14th man.
4. Trade

1. Let Randle walk.
2. Re-sign Reid, NAW and Clark. Keep young core together
3. Use DET FRP, UTA SRP (and MLE) to get a promising bigman and big wing. Guys like Larry Nance Jr., DayRon Sharpe, Isaiah Jackson, Santi Aldama are FAs, IDK if it is possible to get them though
4. I'd trade Minott and/or Miller if our FO dont plan to give them playing time

[Mattya]

1. Finch won’t even play Miller and Minott.

2. This roster lacks a true PG and a backup C.

3. Clark is showing his defense is legit, but his offense is not always there. TSJ stepping into NAW’s role without a proven 3 is tough. You are losing Mike, NAW, and Randle out right (3 of our current top 8,) and replacing them with KD, Clark, and TSJ. Give Naz 21 and you have $7,634,050.00 to sign Clark and 4 other players. Clark costs $2,296,274. This leaves $5,337,776 to sign 4 guys. The cheapest undrafted costs the same as the 2nd which is
$1,272,870 x4 =$5,091,480.00. So now we have 3 undrafted players, a high 2nd on a Hinkie, and Miller and Minott.

4. What is the plan for injuries? You have put 6 guys on the roster Finch does not want to use. Are you hoping the other 8 players all 82 regular season games plus the playoffs? What happens when KD misses 20 games and Rudy misses 10? You are stripping out all the depth and leaving a broken roster with no PG, no backup C, and forcing Jaden to spend real minutes at PF without NAW to pick up the slack on POA defense. The roster just doesn’t work.

1. That is kind of the point? Why do we care about those players in the rotation? They are the ones who play when injuries come up. That is it.

2. This team played some of its best when DDV was starting. He averaged 4.1 assists with this offensive deplete roster compared to tru point guard Mike Conley’s 4.6 in. 4 less minutes. Not a significant difference.

3 and 4. See 1. Everything you are concerned with is currently the same issue with the current roster.

1. For a chunk of the season we played 8.5 deep. Usually it was the top 8 plus Minott or Dilly. When injuries happened we got to 9-11. You must expect injuries to happen, and who is in those later spots matters a lot. You would trade the relative depth of Clark, TSJ, and Dilly 9-11, for a high 2nd and two undrafted players. Or you are betting on Finch leaning on Miller and Minott, which is itself an unsafe bet. Either way, there is a quality slide here.

2. DDV also turns it over more than Mike, and is better at catching and shoot than running the offense. It is harder for the table setter than for the person having the table set for them. Mike is also smarter than DDV and better at organizing the offense in the key moments.

3. Let’s dive deeper here. Say DDV gets hurt, your next move is Point Ant. Then what? Who backs up Ant and runs the offense? Also remember Ant hates playing Point and is often blitzed to get the ball out of his hands. You really want a high 2nd or an undrafted in that position? Or do you just not believe PG play is important.

4. Say Rudy goes down, now you are starting Naz at the 5. Jaden goes down and TSJ is your starting 3. God help us if two or more guys have to miss a game. Clark is a SG, TSJ is a SF, and Naz is SF/PF. You can try and force guys to play out of position but without at least one competent backup behind them you make the whole rotation worse trying to fill in. At least now we have Mike, Dilly, and NAW who can play passable PG. Without that your stuck in ISO Durant, ISO Ant, and Jaden and Naz for themselves. KD is just not that much better than Naz to be worth trading this much talent and flexibility for. Especially with KD at 37.

1. And guess what the Wolves did this season without KD… they relied on unproven players. So sorry this is a ridiculous double standard you are holding against trading for KD.

2. He also is a better scorer and defender and would have his hands on the ball even less with KD here.

3. Cool sign a minimum point guard. Problem solved. We have seen in the past year multiple point guards going for the minimum that Wolves fans wanted badly, but apparently it is impossible despite the math being clear?

4. Okay so following your demands for what needs to happen, who is the non rookie, non minimum center you plan on signing in case Rudy goes down? This trade literally adds 2 million to our cap. If we are worried about the time our 3rds string center is playing in the games Gobert misses, then we are already screwed, or he is out long enough to grant in injured player exemption. Either way you look at it, you are worried about the difference between maybe getting Andre Drummond to rarely play, or getting vet minimum contracts.

4

[Klomp]

KD isn't wanted here.

Agreed. Many Minnesotans have an extreme dislike for talented athletes who can raise the profile for their franchise.

[winforlose]

1. That is kind of the point? Why do we care about those players in the rotation? They are the ones who play when injuries come up. That is it.

2. This team played some of its best when DDV was starting. He averaged 4.1 assists with this offensive deplete roster compared to tru point guard Mike Conley’s 4.6 in. 4 less minutes. Not a significant difference.

3 and 4. See 1. Everything you are concerned with is currently the same issue with the current roster.

1. For a chunk of the season we played 8.5 deep. Usually it was the top 8 plus Minott or Dilly. When injuries happened we got to 9-11. You must expect injuries to happen, and who is in those later spots matters a lot. You would trade the relative depth of Clark, TSJ, and Dilly 9-11, for a high 2nd and two undrafted players. Or you are betting on Finch leaning on Miller and Minott, which is itself an unsafe bet. Either way, there is a quality slide here.

2. DDV also turns it over more than Mike, and is better at catching and shoot than running the offense. It is harder for the table setter than for the person having the table set for them. Mike is also smarter than DDV and better at organizing the offense in the key moments.

3. Let’s dive deeper here. Say DDV gets hurt, your next move is Point Ant. Then what? Who backs up Ant and runs the offense? Also remember Ant hates playing Point and is often blitzed to get the ball out of his hands. You really want a high 2nd or an undrafted in that position? Or do you just not believe PG play is important.

4. Say Rudy goes down, now you are starting Naz at the 5. Jaden goes down and TSJ is your starting 3. God help us if two or more guys have to miss a game. Clark is a SG, TSJ is a SF, and Naz is SF/PF. You can try and force guys to play out of position but without at least one competent backup behind them you make the whole rotation worse trying to fill in. At least now we have Mike, Dilly, and NAW who can play passable PG. Without that your stuck in ISO Durant, ISO Ant, and Jaden and Naz for themselves. KD is just not that much better than Naz to be worth trading this much talent and flexibility for. Especially with KD at 37.

1. And guess what the Wolves did this season without KD… they relied on unproven players. So sorry this is a ridiculous double standard you are holding against trading for KD.

2. He also is a better scorer and defender and would have his hands on the ball even less with KD here.

3. Cool sign a minimum point guard. Problem solved. We have seen in the past year multiple point guards going for the minimum that Wolves fans wanted badly, but apparently it is impossible despite the math being clear?

4. Okay so following your demands for what needs to happen, who is the non rookie, non minimum center you plan on signing in case Rudy goes down? This trade literally adds 2 million to our cap. If we are worried about the time our 3rds string center is playing in the games Gobert misses, then we are already screwed, or he is out long enough to grant in injured player exemption. Either way you look at it, you are worried about the difference between maybe getting Andre Drummond to rarely play, or getting vet minimum contracts.

4

Dude I don’t know how much clear I can make this, you either lose Naz or you cannot sign traditional minimums and stay under the hard cap. No players with any years of experience. That means 3 undrafted players and the Utah second. You keep forgetting that you are rolling multiple salaries into one while also adding a hard cap. You are the one who keeps saying we can keep Naz. Well if this true pick a number and run it using the math I gave you.

Using untested players is not what we did last year at all. Our top 8 was Mike (one of the oldest players in the league,) Ant (ascending superstar,) Jaden (Elite defender with 4 years of experience,) KAT (Multi time honors,) Rudy (multi time honors,) Naz (5 years vet and constantly improving,) NAW (series of solid performances last year including huge game in the play in,) and Kyle Anderson. Beyond them JMAC and Morris where not unknowns. TJ Warren was a project that we abandoned, and we traded away the other end of bench guys for Monte. You are talking about a top 8 with TSJ and Clark to guys who are both going to be sophomores with notable flaws in their game and very limited experience. Behind them you want guys Finch won’t play and undrafteds. This conversation is silly. Do the math realize what you are asking for and realize that this team has no depth and one serious injury ends the seasons. Plus KD at 37 and expiring is not a player likely to stay on a bad team and not likely to maintain his high level of play. This is the kind of move that kills basketball in Minnesota.

[Klomp]

Dude I don’t know how much clear I can make this, you either lose Naz or you cannot sign traditional minimums and stay under the hard cap. No players with any years of experience. That means 3 undrafted players and the Utah second. You keep forgetting that you are rolling multiple salaries into one while also adding a hard cap. You are the one who keeps saying we can keep Naz. Well if this true pick a number and run it using the math I gave you.

Using untested players is not what we did last year at all. Our top 8 was Mike (one of the oldest players in the league,) Ant (ascending superstar,) Jaden (Elite defender with 4 years of experience,) KAT (Multi time honors,) Rudy (multi time honors,) Naz (5 years vet and constantly improving,) NAW (series of solid performances last year including huge game in the play in,) and Kyle Anderson. Beyond them JMAC and Morris where not unknowns. TJ Warren was a project that we abandoned, and we traded away the other end of bench guys for Monte. You are talking about a top 8 with TSJ and Clark to guys who are both going to be sophomores with notable flaws in their game and very limited experience. Behind them you want guys Finch won’t play and undrafteds. This conversation is silly. Do the math realize what you are asking for and realize that this team has no depth and one serious injury ends the seasons. Plus KD at 37 and expiring is not a player likely to stay on a bad team and not likely to maintain his high level of play. This is the kind of move that kills basketball in Minnesota.

If they are "guys Finch won't play" why spend extra money on them?

You are so worried about guys 11th through 15th on the roster that you're willing to sacrifice a Top 5 guy or not add another Top 3 guy to the team...

[winforlose]

Dude I don’t know how much clear I can make this, you either lose Naz or you cannot sign traditional minimums and stay under the hard cap. No players with any years of experience. That means 3 undrafted players and the Utah second. You keep forgetting that you are rolling multiple salaries into one while also adding a hard cap. You are the one who keeps saying we can keep Naz. Well if this true pick a number and run it using the math I gave you.

Using untested players is not what we did last year at all. Our top 8 was Mike (one of the oldest players in the league,) Ant (ascending superstar,) Jaden (Elite defender with 4 years of experience,) KAT (Multi time honors,) Rudy (multi time honors,) Naz (5 years vet and constantly improving,) NAW (series of solid performances last year including huge game in the play in,) and Kyle Anderson. Beyond them JMAC and Morris where not unknowns. TJ Warren was a project that we abandoned, and we traded away the other end of bench guys for Monte. You are talking about a top 8 with TSJ and Clark to guys who are both going to be sophomores with notable flaws in their game and very limited experience. Behind them you want guys Finch won’t play and undrafteds. This conversation is silly. Do the math realize what you are asking for and realize that this team has no depth and one serious injury ends the seasons. Plus KD at 37 and expiring is not a player likely to stay on a bad team and not likely to maintain his high level of play. This is the kind of move that kills basketball in Minnesota.

If they are "guys Finch won't play" why spend extra money on them?

You are so worried about guys 11th through 15th on the roster that you're willing to sacrifice a Top 5 guy or not add another Top 3 guy to the team...

KD at 37 is not a top 5 guy. He just is not. KD at 37 and 54 million might be better than Naz, but how much better? For that matter how much better is he than Naz as a starter and Randle as a backup? You go from 48 solid minutes at the PF to what 33-35?

You really don’t see a problem with a top 8 rotation of DDV/Ant/Jaden/KD/Rudy backups Clark/TSJ/Naz? You are talking about taking guys currently in the top 8 out. You are shrinking 8 to 6 and taking Mike and NAW who run the PG. This all even assumes you can keep Naz which I doubt. I would absolutely care about 8-14 more than trying to upgrade Randle into KD. One injury to any starter and the season is over just like that. Meanwhile the opportunity cost of not keeping and developing Dilly, not bringing in someone who can grow with Ant at backup 5, not letting the core play together more and grow, ect… is astronomical. I don’t get why you think KD is the unstoppable force, we swept his *** in the playoffs last year with a solid team behind him. The Suns problems were depth, lack of talented big, and lack of PG. You want to step in their shoes just for 1-2 years of KD?

[Klomp]

Dude I don’t know how much clear I can make this, you either lose Naz or you cannot sign traditional minimums and stay under the hard cap. No players with any years of experience. That means 3 undrafted players and the Utah second. You keep forgetting that you are rolling multiple salaries into one while also adding a hard cap. You are the one who keeps saying we can keep Naz. Well if this true pick a number and run it using the math I gave you.

Using untested players is not what we did last year at all. Our top 8 was Mike (one of the oldest players in the league,) Ant (ascending superstar,) Jaden (Elite defender with 4 years of experience,) KAT (Multi time honors,) Rudy (multi time honors,) Naz (5 years vet and constantly improving,) NAW (series of solid performances last year including huge game in the play in,) and Kyle Anderson. Beyond them JMAC and Morris where not unknowns. TJ Warren was a project that we abandoned, and we traded away the other end of bench guys for Monte. You are talking about a top 8 with TSJ and Clark to guys who are both going to be sophomores with notable flaws in their game and very limited experience. Behind them you want guys Finch won’t play and undrafteds. This conversation is silly. Do the math realize what you are asking for and realize that this team has no depth and one serious injury ends the seasons. Plus KD at 37 and expiring is not a player likely to stay on a bad team and not likely to maintain his high level of play. This is the kind of move that kills basketball in Minnesota.

If they are "guys Finch won't play" why spend extra money on them?

You are so worried about guys 11th through 15th on the roster that you're willing to sacrifice a Top 5 guy or not add another Top 3 guy to the team...

KD at 37 is not a top 5 guy. He just is not. KD at 37 and 54 million might be better than Naz, but how much better? For that matter how much better is he than Naz as a starter and Randle as a backup? You go from 48 solid minutes at the PF to what 33-35?

You really don’t see a problem with a top 8 rotation of DDV/Ant/Jaden/KD/Rudy backups Clark/TSJ/Naz? You are talking about taking guys currently in the top 8 out. You are shrinking 8 to 6 and taking Mike and NAW who run the PG. This all even assumes you can keep Naz which I doubt. I would absolutely care about 8-14 more than trying to upgrade Randle into KD. One injury to any starter and the season is over just like that. Meanwhile the opportunity cost of not keeping and developing Dilly, not bringing in someone who can grow with Ant at backup 5, not letting the core play together more and grow, ect… is astronomical. I don’t get why you think KD is the unstoppable force, we swept his *** in the playoffs last year with a solid team behind him. The Suns problems were depth, lack of talented big, and lack of PG. You want to step in their shoes just for 1-2 years of KD?

Which 5 guys from that list are better than Durant?
Ant? Of course.
Gobert? Maybe.
Naz? Possible.
Jaden? Doubt it.
DiVincenzo? Probably not.
Clark? Of course not.
Shannon? Of course not.

[winforlose]

If they are "guys Finch won't play" why spend extra money on them?

You are so worried about guys 11th through 15th on the roster that you're willing to sacrifice a Top 5 guy or not add another Top 3 guy to the team...

KD at 37 is not a top 5 guy. He just is not. KD at 37 and 54 million might be better than Naz, but how much better? For that matter how much better is he than Naz as a starter and Randle as a backup? You go from 48 solid minutes at the PF to what 33-35?

You really don’t see a problem with a top 8 rotation of DDV/Ant/Jaden/KD/Rudy backups Clark/TSJ/Naz? You are talking about taking guys currently in the top 8 out. You are shrinking 8 to 6 and taking Mike and NAW who run the PG. This all even assumes you can keep Naz which I doubt. I would absolutely care about 8-14 more than trying to upgrade Randle into KD. One injury to any starter and the season is over just like that. Meanwhile the opportunity cost of not keeping and developing Dilly, not bringing in someone who can grow with Ant at backup 5, not letting the core play together more and grow, ect… is astronomical. I don’t get why you think KD is the unstoppable force, we swept his *** in the playoffs last year with a solid team behind him. The Suns problems were depth, lack of talented big, and lack of PG. You want to step in their shoes just for 1-2 years of KD?

Which 5 guys from that list are better than Durant?
Ant? Of course.
Gobert? Maybe.
Naz? Possible.
Jaden? Doubt it.
DiVincenzo? Probably not.
Clark? Of course not.
Shannon? Of course not.

My apologizes. I thought you meant top 5 in the league. Now that I understand what you are saying I can respond appropriately.

KD is an ISO heavy scorer who is averaging 27.3/6/2. Julius Randle is averaging 18.9/7.2/4.5. This isn’t even mentioning Naz and who should start, it just looks at the current picture. It is also worth noting Randle has played in 48 games so far and KD in 41. To make that upgrade you would sacrifice Mike Conley (call him our 8th man,) NAW (call him our 7th,) Dilly (call him our 9th,) a first in a very deep draft, and further strip our cupboard of other draft assets, just to get that extra bit of production that KD provides over Randle. That forces the promotion of Clark into a top 8 player when his offense is far from proven, and TSJ into a top 8 player when his 3 point shooting is far from proven. Putting aside the depth argument you gutting key positions with no proper means of replacing the talent lost. KD is not the missing piece. Oh, and I remember you telling me age didn’t matter when it came to Mike in the preseason, care to revise that? What if KD loses some of his game, now your so called upgrade isn’t even as valuable as I described above.