Let’s Make a Deal — NBA Trade Edition

[Q-is-here]

Naz plays small. Harrell plays way bigger and stays inside. Hes smaller by measurement but he bangs.

Back it up beyond the eye test.....when you say he plays way bigger inside, how has that translated to results in terms of rebounding, defense, points scored against in the paint, etc.? I honestly haven't looked so I am open minded, but you seem to be convinced that he "plays big". Beyond the dunking, how does his playing bigger manifest itself in results?

[FNG]

Not sure where to put this so just gonna put it here.

McLaughlin in February: 4 games 77 minutes 30 assists, 0 turnovers, 14 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks and 64.7% FG. Is it time to sell high? :)

Thanks for that, monster...I've missed the last two games, but his box score has been astonishing. Last night he made all 5 of his shots and added 5 rebounds and 11 assists and no turnovers in only 19 minutes...and he was a plus 18! And Dane Moore tweeted last night that in the past 3.5 games, the Wolves were a +53 in the 65 minutes JMac was on the floor, and a -14 in the 103 minutes he was off! Obviously the resurgence of Prince and Beasley has helped JMac's numbers, but the kid has really picked up his game.

[FNG]

Naz plays small. Harrell plays way bigger and stays inside. Hes smaller by measurement but he bangs.

Back it up beyond the eye test.....when you say he plays way bigger inside, how has that translated to results in terms of rebounding, defense, points scored against in the paint, etc.? I honestly haven't looked so I am open minded, but you seem to be convinced that he "plays big". Beyond the dunking, how does his playing bigger manifest itself in results?

It's a fair question, Q, because I admit much of my appreciation for Harrell is eye test...I love watching him play. For starters, he has an enormous wingspan of 7'4", and when you combine that with relentless energy, you get a guy who just seems to "play big" (and I get that other than wingspan, that is opinion). He's an excellent rebounder, which is an indicator of playing big...his 10 rebounds per 36 is commensurate with KAT. As for defense, he's never been a great shot blocker, but he always seems to be disruptive around the basket with his length and motor. Defensive stats are unreliable, but you can find articles on the internet that he grades out as one of the more effective rim protectors. Of course one negative in the "big" narrative is one that we already have with KAT and Naz...even though he's longer than Jokic, his 240 pounds are 4o pounds lighter.

Probably still too much opinion in my answer...I just like the guy, especially as an upgrade over Naz.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Barnes is a 3/4, so I would presume his 25 minutes would be at the expense of Vando, Jaden, and Prince...

The following is what I would have in mind as far as minutes goes. Remember that Malik Beasley is most likely outgoing in that trade so his minutes are available as well.

1: D'Angelo Russell (22) / Patrick Beverley (26)
2: Anthony Edwards (36) / D'Angelo Russell (12)
3: Harrison Barnes (32) / Jaden McDaniels (16)
4: Jarred Vanderbilt (26) / Taurean Prince (22)
5: Karl-Anthony Towns (32) / Naz Reid (16)

Edwards: 36
Russell: 34
Towns: 32
Barnes: 32
Beverley: 26
Vanderbilt: 26
Prince: 22
McDaniels: 16
Reid: 16

That would be my nine-man rotation with some room for flexibility depending on who's got the hotter hand. For example, on any given night you might see Prince and McDaniels minute totals flip. You might see Edwards or Beverley's minutes decrease in favor of getting Jordan McLaughlin or Jaylen Nowell some deserved run. That's where Chris Finch's superb game management comes into play, but there's plenty of minutes available and we'd want them to be allocated to the best possible players. Barnes would immediately become Minnesota's fourth-best player as far as I'm concerned, and that's a good thing.

[FNG]

Harrison Barnes becomes a very attractive target if we have concerns about Vando's health We can't lose sight of Vando's history of injuries in high school and college, and while he has been very healthy in the pros, he plays hard and says he's currently fighting through pain. He's tough though. I can see a very good fit for Barnes with us if Vando's foot problems come back. That's a pretty expensive insurance policy though.

[thedoper]

Naz plays small. Harrell plays way bigger and stays inside. Hes smaller by measurement but he bangs.

Back it up beyond the eye test.....when you say he plays way bigger inside, how has that translated to results in terms of rebounding, defense, points scored against in the paint, etc.? I honestly haven't looked so I am open minded, but you seem to be convinced that he "plays big". Beyond the dunking, how does his playing bigger manifest itself in results?

This year over 90% of his shots are within 10 feet and he finishes at an elite percentage.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/harremo01/shooting/2022

Has a decent rebounding percentage and good aggregate total 10rebounds per 36. Seems to fit the profile of a player that plays big.

[FNG]

Barnes is a 3/4, so I would presume his 25 minutes would be at the expense of Vando, Jaden, and Prince...

The following is what I would have in mind as far as minutes goes. Remember that Malik Beasley is most likely outgoing in that trade so his minutes are available as well.

1: D'Angelo Russell (22) / Patrick Beverley (26)
2: Anthony Edwards (36) / D'Angelo Russell (12)
3: Harrison Barnes (32) / Jaden McDaniels (16)
4: Jarred Vanderbilt (26) / Taurean Prince (22)
5: Karl-Anthony Towns (32) / Naz Reid (16)

Edwards: 36
Russell: 34
Towns: 32
Barnes: 32
Beverley: 26
Vanderbilt: 26
Prince: 22
McDaniels: 16
Reid: 16

That would be my nine-man rotation with some room for flexibility depending on who's got the hotter hand. For example, on any given night you might see Prince and McDaniels minute totals flip. You might see Edwards or Beverley's minutes decrease in favor of getting Jordan McLaughlin or Jaylen Nowell some deserved run. That's where Chris Finch's superb game management comes into play, but there's plenty of minutes available and we'd want them to be allocated to the best possible players. Barnes would immediately become Minnesota's fourth-best player as far as I'm concerned, and that's a good thing.

Not bad. My biggest issue I guess is moving Beverley out of the starting lineup. I keep reading how our starting lineup is the most effective in the league...is it the right time to mess with that? That's why I'm more of an advocate for an effective 6th man than bringing in a starter. I guess we'll know in the next 24 hours.

[Monster]

Not sure where to put this so just gonna put it here.

McLaughlin in February: 4 games 77 minutes 30 assists, 0 turnovers, 14 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks and 64.7% FG. Is it time to sell high? :)

It's just crazy that we've basically seen nearly the entire bench do a complete 180 from earlier in the year. It started with Nowell a few weeks ago during the Covid outbreak (who has since trailed off a bit), but lately we have multiple other guys on absolute fire in their roles. McLaughlin makes me want to break off the long-distance relationships I've been having with Ricky Rubio and Tyus Jones (granted, it's purely platonic...and largely one-way, as they rarely return my correspondence with them and when they do, it's usually through a "representative").

I kept saying it was a matter of time time some guys turned it around and started to play better. McLaughlin has gone from being a guy some team may not have wanted in a salary match because he is guaranteed his cheap salary next year to looking like a nice bench depth PG he was signed to be (or at least in terms of his contract value). Nowell helped the team get through a time when they needed a spark. Prince has been shooting the ball well since December and obviously will cool off from what he has been doing the last few games. Beasley is showing some signs of being the hot scorer that can actually help a team. Naz is showing some life now too. If he joins the party that's gonna be a nice boast.

Naz isn't the same type of player (or as good) but I can see Naz playing well doing his thing as a helpful player despite his flaws in kinda the way Taj Gibson was as a Wolf. Taj wasn't THE answer for problems the team had (rebounding and defense) but he was effective at what he did and therefore did help the team. He of course was really consistent at what he could do. Naz isn't there yet. I saw video of that dunk he had on Alex Len last night (and McLaughlin added some thievery) which was all pretty fun.

Edit: Surprised Rubio isn't returning your calls these days since he probably has more time but then again he just got traded so he probably has some stuff to work out. I'm sure he will get back to you soon.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Not bad. My biggest issue I guess is moving Beverley out of the starting lineup. I keep reading how our starting lineup is the most effective in the league...is it the right time to mess with that? That's why I'm more of an advocate for an effective 6th man than bringing in a starter. I guess we'll know in the next 24 hours.

Well, moving Patrick Beverley back to the bench would be the most logical move given those circumstances because he's almost 34-years old and has missed 17 of Minnesota's 54 games to this point due to his health -- not including the suspension for the first game of the year.

Is it the right time to mess with the starting lineup? Well, due to how often Beverley's been banged up the Wolves have already experimented with the idea that I'm laying out here. The key difference is that it's been with Jaden McDaniels in the starting lineup instead of Harrison Barnes. One of those players is significantly better than the other.

Not to mention, that five-man unit we've enjoyed so much this year could still be their closing lineup. Or with situational tweaks where Barnes replaces Vanderbilt at the four to provide more offensive firepower. Again, there are many attractive possibilities that come with an acquisition like that.

[Q-is-here]

Naz plays small. Harrell plays way bigger and stays inside. Hes smaller by measurement but he bangs.

Back it up beyond the eye test.....when you say he plays way bigger inside, how has that translated to results in terms of rebounding, defense, points scored against in the paint, etc.? I honestly haven't looked so I am open minded, but you seem to be convinced that he "plays big". Beyond the dunking, how does his playing bigger manifest itself in results?

This year over 90% of his shots are within 10 feet and he finishes at an elite percentage.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/harremo01/shooting/2022

Has a decent rebounding percentage and good aggregate total 10rebounds per 36. Seems to fit the profile of a player that plays big.

Based on your feedback and what I've since looked up...

1) he is an absolute monster in the paint offensively - elite finisher - which we all knew.
2) he is a better team and defensive rebounder than Naz THIS year. Their career numbers are more similar than dissimilar, so hard for me to state definitively that he's the better rebounder.
3) Naz gets more blocks, but also fouls more
4) Naz has the better defensive estimated +/-, but not by much.

My conclusion is that yes, he would be an upgrade to Naz because he is super elite at one thing which can help an overall offense (pressuring the rim). I question how much he'd help us on defense, as Naz is the better shot blocker and has the better overall defensive plus/minus.

Bottom line - I wouldn't mind having Harrell on the team, but it's not because I think he's going to help us slow down Joval, Embiid, Jokic, Nurkic, etc, etc.