Keepers/Non-Keepers

[Lipoli390]

Thinking about next season, I've put together two lists. One is the list of current Wovles' players I'd like to see us keep into next season. The other is the list of current Wolves I'd let go or try to trade.

KEEPERS
1. KAT
2. Okogie
3. Covington
4. Tyus Jones
5. Derrick Rose
6. Taj Gibson
7. Luol Deng
8. Dario Saric
9. Bates-Diop

NON-KEEPERS
1. Teague
2. Wiggins
3. Gorgui
4. Tolliver
5. Bayless

Note I'd be open to trading anyone on the Keepers list except Towns or Okogie. And I wouldn't pay any price to keep Taj, Rose or Deng. Towns is our one star to build around and Okogie has already shown enough to suggest that he COULD become great. He's locked in on a very team-friendly rookie deal and it's about time we finally developed one of our own picks. I'd be very reluctant to trade Tyus as one of the few players on this roster who defends well and as the only PG on the roster who plays like a PG.

Note also that I wouldn't trade guys on my Non-Keeper list if it meant doing a bad deal. For example, I wouldn't give up any future 1st round picks as inducements to get a deal done involving Wiggins, Gorgui or Teague.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I don't disagree with much here. However I wouldn't want to go into next year with just Tyus and Rose as our PGs...either Teague or Bayless needs to be on the roster. Ideally some team will see the nice stats Teague has put up this season and make us a nice offer...Bayless has showed us that he can be a reliable 3rd PG. He will be a 31 year old UFA this offseason...maybe we could get him to come back on a friendlier contract.

[AbeVigodaLive]

KEEPERS:
KAT
Covington
Saric
Okogie
Bates-Diop
Jones
Gibson

MEH:
Teague
Wiggins
Tolliver
Bayless
Dieng
Rose
Deng

But I'm not married to any of this after KAT. Keep him... everybody else can be traded or moved or whatever for players to build around KAT.

As for PGs... I want a new option entirely... but I'm totally cool with Tyus Jones as a very solid backup.

[Lipoli390]

I don't disagree with much here. However I wouldn't want to go into next year with just Tyus and Rose as our PGs...either Teague or Bayless needs to be on the roster. Ideally some team will see the nice stats Teague has put up this season and make us a nice offer...Bayless has showed us that he can be a reliable 3rd PG. He will be a 31 year old UFA this offseason...maybe we could get him to come back on a friendlier contract.

There's no way I want Teague on this roster next season if we can avoid it. If he's still here next season that means he's getting paid $19 million or he's signed here to a long-term extension for something less per year. Either way, he's not worth it. Tyus or Rose should be our starting PG, preferably Tyus. Both are better that Teague as PGs for this team in my view. I wouldn't mind keeping Bayless as a 3rd PG on a very cheap contract. However, my list of non-keepers obviously contemplates a number of open roster spots that could be used to bring in a 3rd PG who can play the point.

[Duke13]

It's a huge mistake for this team to not try and trade, Taj, Rose, Tolliver, and Teague this year for future assets. This can be a quick turnaround.

I get as a fan we wanna make the playoffs but it's still very unlikely and at best we are playing to get destroyed in the 1st round. Rose is the only one that could possibly get a 1st from a desperate team trying to make a run. You have to make that trade if you're a smart front office. This team is so weak with wing depth and other positions. Some picks and flexibility going forward is huge!!

[Lipoli390]

It's a huge mistake for this team to not try and trade, Taj, Rose, Tolliver, and Teague this year for future assets. This can be a quick turnaround.

I get as a fan we wanna make the playoffs but it's still very unlikely and at best we are playing to get destroyed in the 1st round. Rose is the only one that could possibly get a 1st from a desperate team trying to make a run. You have to make that trade if you're a smart front office. This team is so weak with wing depth and other positions. Some picks and flexibility going forward is huge!!

Duke - I agree it would be a mistake not th TRY and trade Taj, Rose, Tolliver and Teague before the Feb. trade deadline. The last couple weeks before the deadline is when you can find desperate teams trying to make a run who will overpay for a good veteran or two to help them get better playoff position and possibly make a championship run. I'd shop Tolliver and Teague really hard, but I'm not sure we'd get much for either one. Tolliver isn't that valuable and Teague is overpriced. I'd be reluctant to trade Taj or Rose because of what they contribute to this team both on the court and in the lockerroom. They both have heart and this team needs all the heart it can get. I think Rose or Taj could bring a 1st round pick in return. Would I make that deal? Not sure. The pick would probably be in the mid-20s. I'm torn.

[thedoper]

Jones and Rose are great because of their contracts. We would have to resign both of them and are locked into a back up PG and a small SG with huge injury concerns. Horrible plan to get rid of Teague without a starting caliber PG back. Jones has developed nicely but is nowhere near a good option for a starting PG, and Rose is a 2 or a 6th man.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I know I value Teague more than most here, so I wouldn't be surprised if some team made us a decent offer before the deadline. On a team with other scorers like the Wolves, what I want from a PG is distribution, not turning the ball over, and defense. Jeff currently ranks 4th in PG assists per game (3rd if you don't consider Harden a PG) and first in assist/turnover among PGs averaging 30 MPG or more. That's very good, and some might even say elite if you are looking for a reliable distributor who protects the ball. Defense is another matter. Most of us here are not high on Jeff's defense. But it should be pointed out that he came to Minnesota with a decent defensive reputation, so I don't think his defense is going to dissuade anyone that has a need for a good distributor. And while we don't like his $19 million salary, it ranks 11th among NBA PGs, and the guys right behind him in salary are Dragic, Jackson, Schroeder, Bledsoe, Rubio, Knight, Lin and Clarkson. Almost all of these guys are either hurt or not contributing much. Shouldn't a guy with 8.2 assists per game and leading the league in A:TO be worth more than them?

I don't know if any team has a burning need for a PG, but it's worth a try...especially with the stats he is putting up.

[Monster]

We have plenty more games to go to see what we have on this list. Honestly if Bayless keeps looking solid I'd sign him for vet min next year.

I'm not interested in trading Rose for a 1st round pick unless you think he is gone after the year which I think there is a good chance he stays. It could be a mistake and we lose him like the Grizz did last year with Tyreke Evans but I think Rose could be here a while. I think I would have a hard time dealing Taj too mostly because if we are actually in a playoff hunt do you really trade guys like that? That's a bad look. Tolliver even though he isn't hitting his 3's has still played pretty solid out of position. There would be plenty of teams that would want him but the return is probably 2nd round picks. If an eastern conference team came calling with a decent 2nd rounder and we were somewhat healthy then sure I pull the trigger.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Jerryd Bayless had his best game as a Timberwolves player... vs. one of the worst defensive teams in the league. A team trying to lose games.

He shot 5 - 16.

Granted, the three pointers were nice (4 - 11) but he's a very limited stopgap at this point. Vet's minimum? Sure. But he should be an afterthought until the very end if nothing else.