Timberwolves Trade Deadline Feb. 8

[thedoper]

I keep going back to Monte Morris. Upgrading our non-Conley minutes with a good shooting PG seems like a no brainer to me, especially as a contrast to NAW. Morris is just sitting there rotting on Detroit, maybe they get a better offer but a 2nd plus our fodder seems fair to me.

[60WinTim]

I keep going back to Monte Morris. Upgrading our non-Conley minutes with a good shooting PG seems like a no brainer to me, especially as a contrast to NAW. Morris is just sitting there rotting on Detroit, maybe they get a better offer but a 2nd plus our fodder seems fair to me.

I would choose Morris, too. But I have a hard time seeing what we have that Detroit would desire. Yeah, the 2nd rounder is nice, but I would think other teams could beat our offer. Shake is not enough on his own. And the only other non-rotation expiring contract we have is TBJ, who I would hate to give up consider the depth he provides.

[Q-is-here]

There are a lot of names floating out there:

Backup PG: Tyus, Monte, Delon

Shooters/Scorers: Bogdan, Kennard, Burks, Shamet, Bones

3 & D wing: O'Neale

I don't know who we end up with or may be it's something crazy no one has thought of, but I am 95% sure the front office is going to make a trade and not solely rely on the buyout market. I think TC is working the phones.

[Phenom]

There are a lot of names floating out there:

Backup PG: Tyus, Monte, Delon

Shooters/Scorers: Bogdan, Kennard, Burks, Shamet, Bones

3 & D wing: O'Neale

I don't know who we end up with or may be it's something crazy no one has thought of, but I am 95% sure the front office is going to make a trade and not solely rely on the buyout market. I think TC is working the phones.

Wolves are in an all-in window. The future has uncertainty due to the financials so take a shot now and go from there. I'm sure Connelly will make every effort to make a trade.

[Q-is-here]

There are a lot of names floating out there:

Backup PG: Tyus, Monte, Delon

Shooters/Scorers: Bogdan, Kennard, Burks, Shamet, Bones

3 & D wing: O'Neale

I don't know who we end up with or may be it's something crazy no one has thought of, but I am 95% sure the front office is going to make a trade and not solely rely on the buyout market. I think TC is working the phones.

Wolves are in an all-in window. The future has uncertainty due to the financials so take a shot now and go from there. I'm sure Connelly will make every effort to make a trade.

Exactly.

[Q-is-here]

Not sure there is any trade that can fix our problems in the clutch, but I think tonight was the final straw for the front office. No way are they standing still and crossing their fingers that somehow this current squad can muster enough offense in the playoffs.

[Lipoli390]

Not sure there is any trade that can fix our problems in the clutch, but I think tonight was the final straw for the front office. No way are they standing still and crossing their fingers that somehow this current squad can muster enough offense in the playoffs.

I agree that TC will seek to make a trade rather than rely on the buy-out market. But there’s a bit of a hitch. TC has a limited pool of assets to work with. We don’t have future picks to give. TC isn’t going to trade Ant, KAT, Rudy, Jaden, Conley or Naz (nor should he). Other than those six, the only players with any significant trade value are Slo Mo and maybe NAW. But those two have been key rotation contributors to the Wolves Conference-leading record thus far. So odds are that a deal involving either one ends up a wash. I suppose Miller might have some trade value. So maybe - maybe - TC can get Morris for Shake, Moore and Miller. But will that deal be a difference maker when it comes to making the NBA finals? I don’ think so.

I continue to believe this team’s main problem is its core. The team’s best player, Ant, isn’t ready to be the best player on a championship contender. KAT will never be that player. Jaden still isn’t the player he needs to be for this team to be a contender. Yes, we need more offensive fire power off the bench. Yes, we need a reliable backup PG. But even if we can somehow pull off a deal for both without losing a key rotation bench player like Slo Mo or NAW, we have a fundamentally flawed core that likely won’t be able to get this team past the 2nd round. Perhaps the single biggest flaw in the Rudy deal is that, based on his age, it was premised on the Rudy-KAT pairing. That was a huge mistake in my view. This team’s chances of being a championship contender have always depended on finding the right player to pair with Ant on Ant’s timeline.

[60WinTim]

Not sure there is any trade that can fix our problems in the clutch, but I think tonight was the final straw for the front office. No way are they standing still and crossing their fingers that somehow this current squad can muster enough offense in the playoffs.

I agree that TC will seek to make a trade rather than rely on the buy-out market. But there’s a bit of a hitch. TC has a limited pool of assets to work with. We don’t have future picks to give. TC isn’t going to trade Ant, KAT, Rudy, Jaden, Conley or Naz (nor should he). Other than those six, the only players with any significant trade value are Slo Mo and maybe NAW. But those two have been key rotation contributors to the Wolves Conference-leading record thus far. So odds are that a deal involving either one ends up a wash. I suppose Miller might have some trade value. So maybe - maybe - TC can get Morris for Shake, Moore and Miller. But will that deal be a difference maker when it comes to making the NBA finals? I don’ think so.

I continue to believe this team’s main problem is its core. The team’s best player, Ant, isn’t ready to be the best player on a championship contender. KAT will never be that player. Jaden still isn’t the player he needs to be for this team to be a contender. Yes, we need more offensive fire power off the bench. Yes, we need a reliable backup PG. But even if we can somehow pull off a deal for both without losing a key rotation bench player like Slo Mo or NAW, we have a fundamentally flawed core that likely won’t be able to get this team past the 2nd round. Perhaps the single biggest flaw in the Rudy deal is that, based on his age, it was premised on the Rudy-KAT pairing. That was a huge mistake in my view. This team’s chances of being a championship contender have always depended on finding the right player to pair with Ant on Ant’s timeline.

Yes, the team's main problem is its core. But that was going to be this team's main problem for several years anyway, because that's what you get when your core is so damn young. But TC is doing his best to accelerate that young core's development by putting championship pieces around that young core now. Even if it doesn't lead to a championship or deep playoff run this year, I believe TC will have successfully shaved a year or two or more years off the young core's development timeline. So while we have a short Conley-Gobert championship window now, we hopefully have a longer ANT-Jaden championship window in the future, that starts sooner than it might normally have begun.

So you can lament the growing process our young core is going through. Or you can enjoy the process of developing them on an accelerated pace. Which happens to be working quite well, sitting atop the Western Conference well past the midway point of the season!

[Lipoli390]

Not sure there is any trade that can fix our problems in the clutch, but I think tonight was the final straw for the front office. No way are they standing still and crossing their fingers that somehow this current squad can muster enough offense in the playoffs.

I agree that TC will seek to make a trade rather than rely on the buy-out market. But there’s a bit of a hitch. TC has a limited pool of assets to work with. We don’t have future picks to give. TC isn’t going to trade Ant, KAT, Rudy, Jaden, Conley or Naz (nor should he). Other than those six, the only players with any significant trade value are Slo Mo and maybe NAW. But those two have been key rotation contributors to the Wolves Conference-leading record thus far. So odds are that a deal involving either one ends up a wash. I suppose Miller might have some trade value. So maybe - maybe - TC can get Morris for Shake, Moore and Miller. But will that deal be a difference maker when it comes to making the NBA finals? I don’ think so.

I continue to believe this team’s main problem is its core. The team’s best player, Ant, isn’t ready to be the best player on a championship contender. KAT will never be that player. Jaden still isn’t the player he needs to be for this team to be a contender. Yes, we need more offensive fire power off the bench. Yes, we need a reliable backup PG. But even if we can somehow pull off a deal for both without losing a key rotation bench player like Slo Mo or NAW, we have a fundamentally flawed core that likely won’t be able to get this team past the 2nd round. Perhaps the single biggest flaw in the Rudy deal is that, based on his age, it was premised on the Rudy-KAT pairing. That was a huge mistake in my view. This team’s chances of being a championship contender have always depended on finding the right player to pair with Ant on Ant’s timeline.

Yes, the team's main problem is its core. But that was going to be this team's main problem for several years anyway, because that's what you get when your core is so damn young. But TC is doing his best to accelerate that young core's development by putting championship pieces around that young core now. Even if it doesn't lead to a championship or deep playoff run this year, I believe TC will have successfully shaved a year or two or more years off the young core's development timeline. So while we have a short Conley-Gobert championship window now, we hopefully have a longer ANT-Jaden championship window in the future, that starts sooner than it might normally have begun.

So you can lament the growing process our young core is going through. Or you can enjoy the process of developing them on an accelerated pace. Which happens to be working quite well, sitting atop the Western Conference well past the midway point of the season!

I’m definitely enjoying the season. I’m just pointing out why this team isn’t a true championship contender and will likely get bounced well before the NBA finals. My point is we’re not a tweak away.

I don’t buy this “accelerated growth” theory. Players grow together at their natural pace. Jordan, Pippen and Horace Grant grew together. So did Curry, Thompson and Green. So did Duncan, Parker and Manu. We see it happening now with the young group in OKC. Rudy’s presence has clearly elevated the team’s performance this season, but Ant won’t develop any faster or better as a result. Same for Jaden.

[60WinTim]

I agree that TC will seek to make a trade rather than rely on the buy-out market. But there’s a bit of a hitch. TC has a limited pool of assets to work with. We don’t have future picks to give. TC isn’t going to trade Ant, KAT, Rudy, Jaden, Conley or Naz (nor should he). Other than those six, the only players with any significant trade value are Slo Mo and maybe NAW. But those two have been key rotation contributors to the Wolves Conference-leading record thus far. So odds are that a deal involving either one ends up a wash. I suppose Miller might have some trade value. So maybe - maybe - TC can get Morris for Shake, Moore and Miller. But will that deal be a difference maker when it comes to making the NBA finals? I don’ think so.

I continue to believe this team’s main problem is its core. The team’s best player, Ant, isn’t ready to be the best player on a championship contender. KAT will never be that player. Jaden still isn’t the player he needs to be for this team to be a contender. Yes, we need more offensive fire power off the bench. Yes, we need a reliable backup PG. But even if we can somehow pull off a deal for both without losing a key rotation bench player like Slo Mo or NAW, we have a fundamentally flawed core that likely won’t be able to get this team past the 2nd round. Perhaps the single biggest flaw in the Rudy deal is that, based on his age, it was premised on the Rudy-KAT pairing. That was a huge mistake in my view. This team’s chances of being a championship contender have always depended on finding the right player to pair with Ant on Ant’s timeline.

Yes, the team's main problem is its core. But that was going to be this team's main problem for several years anyway, because that's what you get when your core is so damn young. But TC is doing his best to accelerate that young core's development by putting championship pieces around that young core now. Even if it doesn't lead to a championship or deep playoff run this year, I believe TC will have successfully shaved a year or two or more years off the young core's development timeline. So while we have a short Conley-Gobert championship window now, we hopefully have a longer ANT-Jaden championship window in the future, that starts sooner than it might normally have begun.

So you can lament the growing process our young core is going through. Or you can enjoy the process of developing them on an accelerated pace. Which happens to be working quite well, sitting atop the Western Conference well past the midway point of the season!

I’m definitely enjoying the season. I’m just pointing out why this team isn’t a true championship contender and will likely get bounced well before the NBA finals. My point is we’re not a tweak away.

I don’t buy this “accelerated growth” theory. Players grow together at their natural pace. Jordan, Pippen and Horace Grant grew together. So did Curry, Thompson and Green. So did Duncan, Parker and Manu. We see it happening now with the young group in OKC. Rudy’s presence has clearly elevated the team’s performance this season, but Ant won’t develop any faster or better as a result. Same for Jaden.

We'll have to agree to disagree. I can't help but think the success the Wolves have had thus far, coupled with the hard knocks of losing games they should have won, will only add to the learning process for ANT and Jaden (and others). My hope is these hard knocks now will help prepare them for what will happen in the playoffs. And any sort of playoff run will be proof of that.