Kevin Love Free Agency/Trade Thread

[AQuintus]

Bayless would agree to do a 1 year S&T because he's looking at near league minimum contract offers this off-season. The Celtics could offer him $10M plus add in Vitor Faverani's $2M expiring to match the $12Mish that Budinger+Martin are due. No chance Bayless sniffs $10M as a FA. It's basically the Keith Bogans situation a year later: he's lucky enough that we have his bird rights and could make the salary match by drastically overpaying him on a 1 year deal.

The problem there is that Minnesota would NOT want to pay Bayless $10 mil, even for just 1 year.

[criteriado]

Anyone find it funny that the Cavs want to trade for Love without the 1 pick and Kyrie not available. Lulz. I think even the Knicks can top that.

[pfm]

Personally, I'd choose dumping Martin and/or Budinger over taking back the #17 pick and/or the 2015 Clippers 1st.

I would think that Boston might prefer that, too, since both Martin and Budinger would be quality depth for a playoff run.

I agree that this could be something that works out. Martin would probably fit better with what Boston would have, but the point remains. I refrained from calling this mutually beneficial because Boston obviously wouldn't love to commit multiple years to one of those guys, but I wouldn't call it a negative either because, as you said, those guys (especially Martin) could be useful on a playoff team. But yea, obviously if the Wolves took the Celtics package, they would be looking at some form of a rebuild, and in doing so would surely like to dump those longer term salaries that are committed to role guys.

[The Rondo Show]

Bayless would agree to do a 1 year S&T because he's looking at near league minimum contract offers this off-season. The Celtics could offer him $10M plus add in Vitor Faverani's $2M expiring to match the $12Mish that Budinger+Martin are due. No chance Bayless sniffs $10M as a FA. It's basically the Keith Bogans situation a year later: he's lucky enough that we have his bird rights and could make the salary match by drastically overpaying him on a 1 year deal.

The problem there is that Minnesota would NOT want to pay Bayless $10 mil, even for just 1 year.

Is it really any different than say paying Carlos Boozer $15M with Chicago taking back bad contracts? Not like it increases your teams salary, it's just to match Martin + Budinger and then next year you guys clear an amazing amount of cap space with Love/Martin/Budinger/Bass/J.Anthony/Bayless/Faverani off your cap.

I'd think the picks are more valuable to you guys than the cap space for Bogans or TPE this year in a season you would be rebuilding, if you went with Celtics offer. Meanwhile Bogans and the TPE are more important than pick(s) to the Celtics off-season, because it's their only chance to improve as a team over the cap.

[Merc_Porto]

An idea for the G.State deal is try to throw D.Lee for Sacramento. Dlee + D.Cousins i think is a great fit.

Sacramento would give us the 8th pick. + K.Thompson + H.Barnes + Filler (Sacramento) + 1st round pick 2015 from G.State.

[AQuintus]

Is it really any different than say paying Carlos Boozer $15M with Chicago taking back bad contracts?

No, but Minnesota wouldn't want to take back Boozer either.

Not like it increases your teams salary, it's just to match Martin + Budinger and then next year you guys clear an amazing amount of cap space with Love/Martin/Budinger/Bass/J.Anthony/Bayless/Faverani off your cap.

Fair enough. The problem is that, while "bad" contracts, Budinger and Martin are still productive, and could help a team win games (either Minnesota or someone else).

I'd think the picks are more valuable to you guys than the cap space for Bogans or TPE this year in a season you would be rebuilding, if you went with Celtics offer. Meanwhile Bogans and the TPE are more important than pick(s) to the Celtics off-season, because it's their only chance to improve as a team over the cap.

Now? Sure the picks might be more valuable than the cap space. In three years when Martin's pushing 33 and Budinger's pushing 30? ...

[criteriado]

An idea for the G.State deal is try to throw D.Lee for Sacramento. Dlee + D.Cousins i think is a great fit.

Sacramento would give us the 8th pick. + K.Thompson + H.Barnes + Filler + 1st round pick 2015 from G.State.

No, it's an awful fit for them. David Lee is awful defensively and Cousins is just decent. Their perimeter defenders are terrible....If Sacramento trades the 8th pick for David Lee and I'm a Kings fan.....I ask for the firing of the GM right away. David Lee has negative value with that contract.

[AQuintus]

An idea for the G.State deal is try to throw D.Lee for Sacramento. Dlee + D.Cousins i think is a great fit.

On offense maybe (and even that's questionable with spacing), on D it's a disaster.

Sacramento would give us the 8th pick. + K.Thompson + H.Barnes + Filler (Sacramento) + 1st round pick 2015 from G.State.

Sacramento's made a lot of dumb, win-now moves over the last year, but I can't see them trading 8 for Lee unless that filler is some really nasty contracts.

Also, the 2015 1st (with Love and Curry on the roster) is pretty much worthless.

[pfm]

So then the question becomes: Would the Wolves rather dump a contract (Martin/Budinger) or get another pick?

[criteriado]

So then the question becomes: Would the Wolves rather dump a contract (Martin/Budinger) or get another pick?

I'd rather get a 1st than dump a contract. Are we really going to sniff the playoffs without Love? Remember the bench is still the same that was the worst bench on the league by a margin.

[Merc_Porto]

So then the question becomes: Would the Wolves rather dump a contract (Martin/Budinger) or get another pick?

I Prefer to get rid of Budinger. Always inured. And has a bad contract.

I think Martin coming from the bench would be great for us.

[The Rondo Show]

Is it really any different than say paying Carlos Boozer $15M with Chicago taking back bad contracts?

No, but Minnesota wouldn't want to take back Boozer either.

Not like it increases your teams salary, it's just to match Martin + Budinger and then next year you guys clear an amazing amount of cap space with Love/Martin/Budinger/Bass/J.Anthony/Bayless/Faverani off your cap.

Fair enough. The problem is that, while "bad" contracts, Budinger and Martin are still productive, and could help a team win games (either Minnesota or someone else).

I'd think the picks are more valuable to you guys than the cap space for Bogans or TPE this year in a season you would be rebuilding, if you went with Celtics offer. Meanwhile Bogans and the TPE are more important than pick(s) to the Celtics off-season, because it's their only chance to improve as a team over the cap.

Now? Sure the picks might be more valuable than the cap space. In three years when Martin's pushing 33 and Budinger's pushing 30? ...

I personally thought MIN wouldn't mind a useless player like Bayless instead of a guy like Martin (Budinger fairly close to useless like Bayless is) because if they do the Celtics deal, the focus turns more towards rebuilding than winning.

My plan in this scenario would be to suck for a year, get a very high pick, draft well at #6/#13/#17 this year, accumulate a couple other picks from BOS like one of the '15 1sts and the Nets '16 1st, get a solid cheap young player in Sullinger and clear a bunch of money off the '15-'16 cap.

[karch34]

So then the question becomes: Would the Wolves rather dump a contract (Martin/Budinger) or get another pick?

I Prefer to get rid of Budinger. Always inured. And has a bad contract.

I think Martin coming from the bench would be great for us.

I see that logic. That said I could see the extra picks in a Boston deal allowing us to move a contract like Budinger and an expiring (JJB or LRMM) for a better piece.

[AQuintus]

for a better piece.

Such as?

[Saltine]

I'd rather have a healthy Budinger over a useless player...

I can't see Flip taking back any crap in a deal, if it isn't obviously a good deal for us, he won't trade Love. They'll just hope we make the playoffs and Love decides to stay. I think the coastal media deciding Love must be traded before the draft is BS anyway. Flip can wait until January, which is more in line with our owners temperament as well.

There is no pressure on our old Billionaire to get a deal done.

[Mattya]

I'd rather let Bud expire than use assets to rid us of his contract.

[chabber]

What do you guys think about a trade with the Hornets for Love. I actually think he wouldn't mind coming to the weaker east and teaming up with his old buddy Big Al.

I know there are other deals that you'd prefer involving either higher picks or better players. Are any of the pieces below intriguing or would you just say, "no thanks" and hang up the phone as the GM?

Available from Charlotte:

Picks: #9, #24, #45, future picks
Players: Zeller, Biyombo, Neal, Henderson, Haywood (his contract balloons into a $10.5M "dust chip" after next season)

Also I just wanted to add that I hope you guys can work something out and he actually stays in Minnesota. I enjoy watching your team play on league pass.

[AQuintus]

I posted this in the trade board, but I thought it would be useful and interesting here, too.

All info from here: http://www.nbawowy.com (side not: I just found this site, and it's really cool).

Wolves w/ Rubio, Love, and Pek = 109.138 Points per 100 possession (found by dividing total points by total possession times 100)

Wolves w/ Rubio and Pek but w/o Love = 105.397 Points per 100 possession

Wolves w/ Rubio but w/o Love or Pek = 111.279 Points per 100 possession

Wolves w/ Love and Pek but w/o Rubio = 101.522 Points per 100 possession

Clearly Rubio's lack of shooting DOES NOT hurt the Wolves (at least not as much as has been stated here), and everything else Rubio does helps the Wolves offense a lot.

Obviously the sample size without Love (and especially without Love or Pekovic) is very small, but these numbers suggest that trading Love (and Pekovic) and building the team around Rubio might not be as painful going forward as one might expect.

Edit:

Also, the team without Barea was 112 Points per 100 Possessions. Barea was awful.

Team without Cunningham = 110 points per 100 possessions

Team w/ Rubio on the court without Barea or Cunningham = 113 points per 100 possessions

Edit 2:

Rubio w/o Love or Pekovic = 112 points on 84 FGA (most of anyone w/o Love or Pek) (1.33 PTs/FGA), 53.1 TS%. Again, the sample is really small, but it shows that with fewer scoring options, Rubio was willing to step up and actually did a decent job.

However, Rubio w/o Love, Pek, or Martin = 91 points on 73 FGA (again the most on the team) (1.246 PTs/FGA), 49.5 TS%.

Team (w/ Rubio but w/o Love, Pek, or Martin) = 112 Points per 100 Possessions.

[Feilong]

I think CLE will offer that #1 pick because it doesn't guarantee them a playoff spot at all.
Imagine what will happen if they can't be a playoff team in extremely weak East with 3 #1 picks in 4 years + Thompson + Waiters. Love is the safe route for them.

I am in minority but for me Vonleh is the best PF in this draft. He is a 2-way player, raw of course, but has the higher ceiling and the tools to do it.
Randle is 1-D, uses only left hand/side and a bad 15+ft shooter.
Gordon is super athletic, good defender but he is a twiner, terrible FT shooter 40% and rarely shoots 3p.

I like more Vonleh too.

But if we get the 1st pick of the draft I'd have a really hard time passing on Embiid, really hard. He's the best prospect by a mile for me.

If we can get 3&10 for the one and select Jabari or Wiggins and then Gordon (as a 3).I'd like that. And then at the 13, Tyler Ennis to be the backup. Dreaming way too much here.

If we can't get Gordon, I'd like Anderson at the 13, too. Let's see what happens.

Maybe i wasn't clear. Embiid, Wiggins, Parker are top 3.
What i wanted to say is between PFs Randle, Gordon, Vonleh (e.g #6 pick) i prefer Vonleh.
We could draft Wiggins with #1 or Embiid. If it is Embiid we could then shop Pek (e.g BOS for #17 + Sullinger + something).
Embiid is a freak. Something between Hakeem and a 7ft Ibaka.

[criteriado]

Also, the team without Barea was 112 Points per 100 Possessions. Barea was awful.

Team without Cunningham = 110 points per 100 possessions

Team w/ Rubio on the court without Barea or Cunningham = 113 points per 100 possessions

I find it kind of funny that people (general people) will put the blame of this Wolves season on Ricky Rubio when he had the highest +- on the team and the 15th highest on the league.