lipoli390 wrote:Great thread, Cam.
I wouldn't pursue Jerami Grant. I don't like his stats the past couple seasons and he's never been a particularly good rebounder.
I can understand the hesitation with Grant because there are some question marks -- specifically, his next contract, his role moving forward, and whether or not he's willing to play basketball in Minnesota where there's not prominent black leadership in place, which was reportedly
part of his decision to sign with Detroit in the first place.
In terms of his ability on the basketball court, I think he'd be an awesome fit for the Wolves. He's long, he's rangy, he's a dynamic athlete, he's versatile, and he's produced on a winner before. I think his play in Detroit allowed him to showcase his offensive game, but we shouldn't forget about his contributions in Oklahoma City and Denver as a super role player. I think if you insert Grant between Anthony Edwards and Jarred Vanderbilt at the three then you'd force teams to adjust how they currently play the Wolves, which is by leaving their smallest defender on Patrick Beverley and then leaving a roamer on Vanderbilt. Most of us here were in love with the idea of Jaden McDaniels start at the three this year with this idea in mind, but he hasn't been a consistently productive player. The idea still remains, though. Shrink the court defensively with length, athleticism, and activity -- space the floor offensively with shooters and shot-creators.
lipoli390 wrote:Harrison Barnes would be a great acquisition. He's be a fit for this team and he'd improve our bench be essentially bumping Beverley back to a 6th man role leading our second unit. But I wouldn't give up all of the assets you suggested in your hypothetical trade, so I don't think I'd be willing to give up enough to get him. I'd substitute Naz Reid for McDaniels and I'd make the 2022 pick lottery protected and eventually converting to two 2nd round picks in 2025.
I agree with bumping Patrick Beverley back to the second unit, which is what a trade for Harrison Barnes or Jerami Grant definitely does. Neither of those guys are coming off the bench at this time in their career and adding Beverley to the bench theoretically increases their output as a unit, especially with Jaylen Nowell's emergence. I think we see eye-to-eye here.
I think you have to be willing to give up quality assets for quality players, and right now I'm not sure Naz Reid is highly-valued around the league. I think center-needy teams could covet him, like Charlotte for instance, but I don't think he has much trade value in general. Minnesota would probably be better off keeping him for right now. I also think the Wolves should be comfortable trading this year's first-round pick because it's likely to be outside the lottery, especially if they acquire a significant piece before the deadline. Both Barnes and Grant are worthy of that pick, in my opinion, as it's unlikely they'll be able to draft someone there that can impact the game immediately like they currently do.
lipoli390 wrote:I love your second trade scenario -- essentially Prince and a couple 2nd-round picks for Covington. I also like your third scenario deal for Robin Lopez.
The Wolves would be well positioned to make the playoffs if they could simply pull off the Covington and Lopez deals you suggested.
We agree here as well. These low-risk, medium-reward trades should be a realistic expectation as fans. Sachin Gupta and the front office cannot miss out on deals like this because they have tunnel vision on bigger targets, which is what I believe happened this past summer. I think Portland is hoping they'll get a first-round pick for an expiring Robert Covington, but I just can't see that happening with the inconsistency he's had as a Blazer. For what it's worth, if Minnesota brought Covington back I could see big-time fan support for the move and even a new contract for him this off-season. He's easily still worth the mid-level exception.
