Time to talk offseason.

[FNG]

Here is one that is a bit less dramatic, but I think could work for both teams. What about Washington doing a sign and trade of Tyus Jones for Naz Reid?

One of the problematic themes of last season was how often Finch had to rely on Mike Conley to help settle things down on offense and get us into a good action, especially in crunch time. Can we really expect him to play more than 65 games next season? I mean, he barely made it out of the playoffs this year with both legs still working so I'm skeptical about how much longer he can provide starter-caliber minutes to this squad. And while Ant is growing as a decision maker, it's clear that he's not on the same level as a James Harden or Luka Doncic when it comes to passing and problem-solving against a good half court defense. He is NOT ready to become "point Ant".

Tyus Jones has grown a lot since he was last here. He actually has a good 3-point shot now (of course he developed that only AFTER he left Minnesota, smh...). And he is still the super low-turnover, game manager type PG that is not too dissimilar from Mike Conley. He will have no problem setting up KAT and Ant, yet has enough juice in his game now where he can score to keep the defense honest.

That's an interesting deal, Q. I think it would definitely help the Wolves, and after winning 6MOY, Naz's stock is high currently. The problem is I don't believe the Wizards have any viable options at PG other than Tyus.

But after listening to Jon K on Barreiro yesterday, my sense is a Naz move is the most likely (if the Wolves make any move at all). Of course Jon is mostly reporting what the Wolves are feeding him, but a seasoned reporter has some instinct what is BS and what's not. First, he said he believed a deal with TC was imminent...he was correct. But then he said his sense was the Wolves had no interest in moving KAT. He said further that any deals the Wolves make will be because they think it will improve the team, not because of financial reasons. I think this is what we all want to hear. Breaking up a team that just made it to the conference finals would be heartbreaking. So according to Jon, the chance to be a real contender is driving the decision making process more than the fear of the second apron. All that said, he did entertain the idea of moving Naz for someone who could make us better. He didn't talk about any candidates, only that Naz's favorable contract plus his new-found notoriety around the league could lead to a very attractive package coming back. HOWEVER...he also pointed out how dangerous a Naz deal could be, given his popularity with the fans. Maybe bringing a home town boy could soften the blow for some of the Naz bobos.

[Coolbreeze44]

Here is one that is a bit less dramatic, but I think could work for both teams. What about Washington doing a sign and trade of Tyus Jones for Naz Reid?

One of the problematic themes of last season was how often Finch had to rely on Mike Conley to help settle things down on offense and get us into a good action, especially in crunch time. Can we really expect him to play more than 65 games next season? I mean, he barely made it out of the playoffs this year with both legs still working so I'm skeptical about how much longer he can provide starter-caliber minutes to this squad. And while Ant is growing as a decision maker, it's clear that he's not on the same level as a James Harden or Luka Doncic when it comes to passing and problem-solving against a good half court defense. He is NOT ready to become "point Ant".

Tyus Jones has grown a lot since he was last here. He actually has a good 3-point shot now (of course he developed that only AFTER he left Minnesota, smh...). And he is still the super low-turnover, game manager type PG that is not too dissimilar from Mike Conley. He will have no problem setting up KAT and Ant, yet has enough juice in his game now where he can score to keep the defense honest.

That's an interesting deal, Q. I think it would definitely help the Wolves, and after winning 6MOY, Naz's stock is high currently. The problem is I don't believe the Wizards have any viable options at PG other than Tyus.

But after listening to Jon K on Barreiro yesterday, my sense is a Naz move is the most likely (if the Wolves make any move at all). Of course Jon is mostly reporting what the Wolves are feeding him, but a seasoned reporter has some instinct what is BS and what's not. First, he said he believed a deal with TC was imminent...he was correct. But then he said his sense was the Wolves had no interest in moving KAT. He said further that any deals the Wolves make will be because they think it will improve the team, not because of financial reasons. I think this is what we all want to hear. Breaking up a team that just made it to the conference finals would be heartbreaking. So according to Jon, the chance to be a real contender is driving the decision making process more than the fear of the second apron. All that said, he did entertain the idea of moving Naz for someone who could make us better. He didn't talk about any candidates, only that Naz's favorable contract plus his new-found notoriety around the league could lead to a very attractive package coming back. HOWEVER...he also pointed out how dangerous a Naz deal could be, given his popularity with the fans. Maybe bringing a home town boy could soften the blow for some of the Naz bobos.

There seems to be so many reasons to keep NAZ, his improvement, contract, likability among them. I've always liked Tyus and think he could do well here again. I'm just not sure he moves the needle as much as NAZ does. I'd be more than okay with bringing back the whole cast and doing what is necessary to draft Scheierman. Maybe we have to use some 2nd round picks to move up to ensure it.

[rapsuperstar31]

Are there any journeyman that hasn't found his niche in the league looking at a minimum contact we might be able to find? Someone similar to Derrick Jones JR that signed for the min in Dallas, became the starter, and is a big part of what they are doing playing defense and hitting his open 3's. Or maybe someone that signs for cheap looking to up their value around the league like Lonnnie Walker did last summer?

[WildWolf2813]

Here is one that is a bit less dramatic, but I think could work for both teams. What about Washington doing a sign and trade of Tyus Jones for Naz Reid?

One of the problematic themes of last season was how often Finch had to rely on Mike Conley to help settle things down on offense and get us into a good action, especially in crunch time. Can we really expect him to play more than 65 games next season? I mean, he barely made it out of the playoffs this year with both legs still working so I'm skeptical about how much longer he can provide starter-caliber minutes to this squad. And while Ant is growing as a decision maker, it's clear that he's not on the same level as a James Harden or Luka Doncic when it comes to passing and problem-solving against a good half court defense. He is NOT ready to become "point Ant".

Tyus Jones has grown a lot since he was last here. He actually has a good 3-point shot now (of course he developed that only AFTER he left Minnesota, smh...). And he is still the super low-turnover, game manager type PG that is not too dissimilar from Mike Conley. He will have no problem setting up KAT and Ant, yet has enough juice in his game now where he can score to keep the defense honest.

As a 2nd apron team we can't do sign & trades.

[Q-is-here]

Here is one that is a bit less dramatic, but I think could work for both teams. What about Washington doing a sign and trade of Tyus Jones for Naz Reid?

One of the problematic themes of last season was how often Finch had to rely on Mike Conley to help settle things down on offense and get us into a good action, especially in crunch time. Can we really expect him to play more than 65 games next season? I mean, he barely made it out of the playoffs this year with both legs still working so I'm skeptical about how much longer he can provide starter-caliber minutes to this squad. And while Ant is growing as a decision maker, it's clear that he's not on the same level as a James Harden or Luka Doncic when it comes to passing and problem-solving against a good half court defense. He is NOT ready to become "point Ant".

Tyus Jones has grown a lot since he was last here. He actually has a good 3-point shot now (of course he developed that only AFTER he left Minnesota, smh...). And he is still the super low-turnover, game manager type PG that is not too dissimilar from Mike Conley. He will have no problem setting up KAT and Ant, yet has enough juice in his game now where he can score to keep the defense honest.

As a 2nd apron team we can't do sign & trades.

You sure about that? Keep in mind that in this case it's Washington doing the signing and then trading Tyus for Naz. Naz is signed with us.

[Lipoli390]

Here is one that is a bit less dramatic, but I think could work for both teams. What about Washington doing a sign and trade of Tyus Jones for Naz Reid?

One of the problematic themes of last season was how often Finch had to rely on Mike Conley to help settle things down on offense and get us into a good action, especially in crunch time. Can we really expect him to play more than 65 games next season? I mean, he barely made it out of the playoffs this year with both legs still working so I'm skeptical about how much longer he can provide starter-caliber minutes to this squad. And while Ant is growing as a decision maker, it's clear that he's not on the same level as a James Harden or Luka Doncic when it comes to passing and problem-solving against a good half court defense. He is NOT ready to become "point Ant".

Tyus Jones has grown a lot since he was last here. He actually has a good 3-point shot now (of course he developed that only AFTER he left Minnesota, smh...). And he is still the super low-turnover, game manager type PG that is not too dissimilar from Mike Conley. He will have no problem setting up KAT and Ant, yet has enough juice in his game now where he can score to keep the defense honest.

As a 2nd apron team we can't do sign & trades.

You sure about that? Keep in mind that in this case it's Washington doing the signing and then trading Tyus for Naz. Naz is signed with us.

We could do this deal. The 2nd apron limit would prevent us from signing-and-trading one of our players. But we can deal a player under contract to get another team’s sign-and-trade player. All that said, regarding the substance of the deal, I’m in Cool’s camp. I wouldn’t do the deal. While I like Tyus, I see Naz having more value to the Wolves, both short term and especially long term, than Tyus would in my view.

[Q-is-here]

As a 2nd apron team we can't do sign & trades.

You sure about that? Keep in mind that in this case it's Washington doing the signing and then trading Tyus for Naz. Naz is signed with us.

We could do this deal. The 2nd apron limit would prevent us from signing-and-trading one of our players. But we can deal a player under contract to get another team’s sign-and-trade player. All that said, regarding the substance of the deal, I’m in Cool’s camp. I wouldn’t do the deal. While I like Tyus, I see Naz having more value to the Wolves, both short term and especially long term, than Tyus would in my view.

To me Tyus is somewhat of an insurance policy. We are really skating on thin ice with Mike Conley from here on out. So to me Tyus is both downside protection and a guy that can take over as our starting PG eventually.

Naz may be more easily replaced than you guys think. As much as I rail on his defense, Leonard Miller is offensively quite gifted and like Naz, is probably best suited as a bigger 4 versus playing Center, which I think helps offset some of his defensive deficiencies.

And finally, one of the main reasons we weren't a top half offense last year was because of our turnovers. We were top 10 when it came to shot efficiency and getting to the line. But turnovers often sabotaged our offense. Tyus Jones happens to be one of the most ball-secure PGs to ever play.

[Lipoli390]

You sure about that? Keep in mind that in this case it's Washington doing the signing and then trading Tyus for Naz. Naz is signed with us.

We could do this deal. The 2nd apron limit would prevent us from signing-and-trading one of our players. But we can deal a player under contract to get another team’s sign-and-trade player. All that said, regarding the substance of the deal, I’m in Cool’s camp. I wouldn’t do the deal. While I like Tyus, I see Naz having more value to the Wolves, both short term and especially long term, than Tyus would in my view.

To me Tyus is somewhat of an insurance policy. We are really skating on thin ice with Mike Conley from here on out. So to me Tyus is both downside protection and a guy that can take over as our starting PG eventually.

Naz may be more easily replaced than you guys think. As much as I rail on his defense, Leonard Miller is offensively quite gifted and like Naz, is probably best suited as a bigger 4 versus playing Center, which I think helps offset some of his defensive deficiencies.

And finally, one of the main reasons we weren't a top half offense last year was because of our turnovers. We were top 10 when it came to shot efficiency and getting to the line. But turnovers often sabotaged our offense. Tyus Jones happens to be one of the most ball-secure PGs to ever play.

Q - I think you’ve made the case for Tyus over Naz as well as it can be made. But I’m not persuaded. You especially lost me with your reference to Miller. Naz is a remarkably gifted ball-handler with moves and instincts that are entirely absent from Miller’s game. Naz has also always been a serious, competitive guy since arriving here - qualities I haven’t seen at all in Miller. I get the case for Tyus, but the notion of Miller filling any part of the void from the losing Naz does nothing for me.

Beyond that, Naz is a special talent. I think it was Jim Peterson who referred to him as a big with guard skills. He has an extraordinary blend of quickness, agility, ball-handling, ability to finish with both hands, and 3-point shooting acumen that you rarely see in a guy his size and at his age. He’s still also only 24 years old and a late bloomer. So I’d need some first round picks in addition to Tyus to consider giving up Naz.

[rapsuperstar31]

Speaking of Naz, I saw on realgm there was a discussion of Naz's value around the league in case we cant sign him beyond next season. Most posters said they wouldn't give up too much for a one year rental of Naz, but the best suggestion by a Detroit fan was the 5th pick straight up for Naz. Now it's a a terrible draft, and you have to love someone there to even consider it. If you could get a good player at 5 that is at least on par with Reid it would help with the cap situation on a cheaper cost controlled player.

[60WinTim]

I am late to the party... A lot of great discussion here. I'll be adding a few comments, starting with this:

Running It Back

The Wolves made it to the final four, and arguably could have beat Dallas to make it to the finals if not for a perfect storm of factors that prevented it, including:

• heading into game 1 coming off the emotional win against Denver in game 7

• KAT fighting through a bum knee he tweaked late in the Denver series

• ANT hitting a wall playing deep into the playoffs

• A bad call late in game 2 where Zarba was not allowed to change a call to a foul on Kyrie - something that will likely be fixed next year

And yet the Wolves had crunch-time leads in all of those first three losses. Of course, crunch-time offense has been a bugaboo all season, but another year of growth by this team ought to help.

Both potential ownership groups say they are open to spending the money it will take to run this group back. So it sure seems the most likely bet is the team we had this year is the team we will have next year, with a tweak or two on the fringes.

Given the youth on this team, we certainly have a lot of room for growth. And it sure seems the coaching staff can get more offense out of this group, not the least of which is the ANT-KAT 2-man game. It's always fun to imagine changes and new pieces over the offseason, but I will not be disappointed if the end result is running it back.