Naz or Randle. Can't have both.

[Q-is-here]

What about Julius Randle and Utah's own 2nd to Utah for Collin Sexton and in a separate trade Rob Dill for Walker Kessler? How would Sexton look next to Ant? He would be a long term replacement that plays well on both sides of the ball. This would mean a real role for Minott since Kessler and Rudy could not share the floor except for maybe a last second defensive situation. The idea is Kessler could shore up the backup center minutes as imitation Rudy.

Rudy/Kessler
Naz/Minott
Jaden/NAW
Ant/DDV
Conley/Sexton

Could this team clean the glass well enough? Would Sextons offense fit better than Randles?

Interesting proposal Phenom. Sexton would certainly be an upgrade over Dillingham, at least this season. Kessler would be a solid backup, although there may be some games where the opposing team goes small that he wouldn't be in the rotation. I like the fact that it's basically big Centers and a bunch of big wings and guards after that.

[KiwiMatt]

The priority going forward is to keep our core together - Edwards, McDaniel, Rudy, Naz and NAW. These guys have bought into the culture and direction of the team.

Standing in their way and risking breaking it up is Julius Randle and his 30 million dollar team option. He has to go from a financial point of view, regardless of what you think of him as a person and player. Resigning him is not an option unless we want to hamstring our growth and potential.

Yes we take a pretty big hit offensively without him as the roster is currently constructed, but as we have witnessed over the last handful of games our identity is defense.

The proponent of a trade involving Julius Randle would have to involve:

*Receiving back an expiring contract around 2/3's of the value of Randle's Contract - 20 mil. Ideally this player can contribute this season and potentially be resigned for a lot cheaper next season
*A rotation player
*A future asset, probably a 2nd Round Pick

Two trades that stand out to me are:

*Randle and PJ Dozier to Chicago for Lonzo Ball, Jalen Smith and 2nd RP (2028 via Sac).

*Randle and PJ Dozier to Washington for Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunus. (3rd team likely needed to take on Randle or Kuzma)

[Q-is-here]

The priority going forward is to keep our core together - Edwards, McDaniel, Rudy, Naz and NAW. These guys have bought into the culture and direction of the team.

Standing in their way and risking breaking it up is Julius Randle and his 30 million dollar team option. He has to go from a financial point of view, regardless of what you think of him as a person and player. Resigning him is not an option unless we want to hamstring our growth and potential.

Yes we take a pretty big hit offensively without him as the roster is currently constructed, but as we have witnessed over the last handful of games our identity is defense.

The proponent of a trade involving Julius Randle would have to involve:

*Receiving back an expiring contract around 2/3's of the value of Randle's Contract - 20 mil. Ideally this player can contribute this season and potentially be resigned for a lot cheaper next season
*A rotation player
*A future asset, probably a 2nd Round Pick

Two trades that stand out to me are:

*Randle and PJ Dozier to Chicago for Lonzo Ball, Jalen Smith and 2nd RP (2028 via Sac).

*Randle and PJ Dozier to Washington for Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunus. (3rd team likely needed to take on Randle or Kuzma)

I don't believe we can aggregate outgoing contracts (?). Someone like Tim or Kek would know better than me.

Having said that, some trade or sets of trades that sends Randle out and brings back Lonzo Ball is intriguing to me. I haven't seen him play yet since he got back, but in theory having another vet pass-first PG that can defend multiple position and rebound would be a nice fit for this squad. And I don't think it necessarily crowds Dilly out if the Wolves are willing to play smaller and faster.

BTW, I believe OKC is an absolutely HORRIBLE matchup for us as we are currently constructed. Mmmm, one of the most turnover-prone, slow-paced teams against one of the most turnover-provoking, faster-paced teams that goes 10 deep ...I don't think that ends well for us in a 7-game series, thus adding another sure-handed, switchable PG like Ball while shipping out a lumbering, iso PF like Randle intrigues me.

[60WinTim]

The priority going forward is to keep our core together - Edwards, McDaniel, Rudy, Naz and NAW. These guys have bought into the culture and direction of the team.

Standing in their way and risking breaking it up is Julius Randle and his 30 million dollar team option. He has to go from a financial point of view, regardless of what you think of him as a person and player. Resigning him is not an option unless we want to hamstring our growth and potential.

Yes we take a pretty big hit offensively without him as the roster is currently constructed, but as we have witnessed over the last handful of games our identity is defense.

The proponent of a trade involving Julius Randle would have to involve:

*Receiving back an expiring contract around 2/3's of the value of Randle's Contract - 20 mil. Ideally this player can contribute this season and potentially be resigned for a lot cheaper next season
*A rotation player
*A future asset, probably a 2nd Round Pick

Two trades that stand out to me are:

*Randle and PJ Dozier to Chicago for Lonzo Ball, Jalen Smith and 2nd RP (2028 via Sac).

*Randle and PJ Dozier to Washington for Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunus. (3rd team likely needed to take on Randle or Kuzma)

I don't believe we can aggregate outgoing contracts (?). Someone like Tim or Kek would know better than me.

Having said that, some trade or sets of trades that sends Randle out and brings back Lonzo Ball is intriguing to me. I haven't seen him play yet since he got back, but in theory having another vet pass-first PG that can defend multiple position and rebound would be a nice fit for this squad. And I don't think it necessarily crowds Dilly out if the Wolves are willing to play smaller and faster.

BTW, I believe OKC is an absolutely HORRIBLE matchup for us as we are currently constructed. Mmmm, one of the most turnover-prone, slow-paced teams against one of the most turnover-provoking, faster-paced teams that goes 10 deep ...I don't think that ends well for us in a 7-game series, thus adding another sure-handed, switchable PG like Ball while shipping out a lumbering, iso PF like Randle intrigues me.

It is true the Wolves cannot aggregate players going out in a single trade. But if a trade can be structured such that we are making two separate trades, each with just one player going out, ala Randle in one trade and PJ Dozier in a second trade, then that will work.

On the Randle front... Since the Wolves seemed to have found their defensive mojo, why would TC tinker with the roster? Why not give it time to see if the offensive chemistry might continue to evolve? As long as the Wolves continue their winning ways, it seems unlikely TC will make any moves. Especially this far from the trade deadline, as we know TC has not problem playing the patience angle.

[Q-is-here]

The priority going forward is to keep our core together - Edwards, McDaniel, Rudy, Naz and NAW. These guys have bought into the culture and direction of the team.

Standing in their way and risking breaking it up is Julius Randle and his 30 million dollar team option. He has to go from a financial point of view, regardless of what you think of him as a person and player. Resigning him is not an option unless we want to hamstring our growth and potential.

Yes we take a pretty big hit offensively without him as the roster is currently constructed, but as we have witnessed over the last handful of games our identity is defense.

The proponent of a trade involving Julius Randle would have to involve:

*Receiving back an expiring contract around 2/3's of the value of Randle's Contract - 20 mil. Ideally this player can contribute this season and potentially be resigned for a lot cheaper next season
*A rotation player
*A future asset, probably a 2nd Round Pick

Two trades that stand out to me are:

*Randle and PJ Dozier to Chicago for Lonzo Ball, Jalen Smith and 2nd RP (2028 via Sac).

*Randle and PJ Dozier to Washington for Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunus. (3rd team likely needed to take on Randle or Kuzma)

I don't believe we can aggregate outgoing contracts (?). Someone like Tim or Kek would know better than me.

Having said that, some trade or sets of trades that sends Randle out and brings back Lonzo Ball is intriguing to me. I haven't seen him play yet since he got back, but in theory having another vet pass-first PG that can defend multiple position and rebound would be a nice fit for this squad. And I don't think it necessarily crowds Dilly out if the Wolves are willing to play smaller and faster.

BTW, I believe OKC is an absolutely HORRIBLE matchup for us as we are currently constructed. Mmmm, one of the most turnover-prone, slow-paced teams against one of the most turnover-provoking, faster-paced teams that goes 10 deep ...I don't think that ends well for us in a 7-game series, thus adding another sure-handed, switchable PG like Ball while shipping out a lumbering, iso PF like Randle intrigues me.

It is true the Wolves cannot aggregate players going out in a single trade. But if a trade can be structured such that we are making two separate trades, each with just one player going out, ala Randle in one trade and PJ Dozier in a second trade, then that will work.

On the Randle front... Since the Wolves seemed to have found their defensive mojo, why would TC tinker with the roster? Why not give it time to see if the offensive chemistry might continue to evolve? As long as the Wolves continue their winning ways, it seems unlikely TC will make any moves. Especially this far from the trade deadline, as we know TC has not problem playing the patience angle.

Tim, This team isn't going to compete for a title if we stay stuck in the bottom third in offense. Now I don't think Connelly will do anything until at least after this next stretch of 6-8 games where we have a number of tilts against the top tier of the NBA in both conferences. May be Finch just needs to mix the current ingredients a little differently to get the optimized blend of players and structure vs. flow-type offense, but I'm skeptical. It will be put to the test starting this Thursday.

[Wolvesfan21]

I don't believe we can aggregate outgoing contracts (?). Someone like Tim or Kek would know better than me.

Having said that, some trade or sets of trades that sends Randle out and brings back Lonzo Ball is intriguing to me. I haven't seen him play yet since he got back, but in theory having another vet pass-first PG that can defend multiple position and rebound would be a nice fit for this squad. And I don't think it necessarily crowds Dilly out if the Wolves are willing to play smaller and faster.

BTW, I believe OKC is an absolutely HORRIBLE matchup for us as we are currently constructed. Mmmm, one of the most turnover-prone, slow-paced teams against one of the most turnover-provoking, faster-paced teams that goes 10 deep ...I don't think that ends well for us in a 7-game series, thus adding another sure-handed, switchable PG like Ball while shipping out a lumbering, iso PF like Randle intrigues me.

It is true the Wolves cannot aggregate players going out in a single trade. But if a trade can be structured such that we are making two separate trades, each with just one player going out, ala Randle in one trade and PJ Dozier in a second trade, then that will work.

On the Randle front... Since the Wolves seemed to have found their defensive mojo, why would TC tinker with the roster? Why not give it time to see if the offensive chemistry might continue to evolve? As long as the Wolves continue their winning ways, it seems unlikely TC will make any moves. Especially this far from the trade deadline, as we know TC has not problem playing the patience angle.

Tim, This team isn't going to compete for a title if we stay stuck in the bottom third in offense. Now I don't think Connelly will do anything until at least after this next stretch of 6-8 games where we have a number of tilts against the top tier of the NBA in both conferences. May be Finch just needs to mix the current ingredients a little differently to get the optimized blend of players and structure vs. flow-type offense, but I'm skeptical. It will be put to the test starting this Thursday.

I think the Wolves are "trading" so to speak mental and physical energy for defensive domination and giving up offense in return. Say you have only so much energy to expend per game both mentally and physically. The majority of focus/effort is going into the defensive side. And it's WORKING, the Wolves have been blowing teams out. Not only have they recently been the number 1 defense. It's by MILES! It's not even close. You could put the offense in the top 10 because the defense is just that good and still have the best defense.

Can this continue over the next week, 10 games, rest of season? We'll see. Right now we have a recipe for a championship team.

Now my only gripe so to speak is that the Wolves could probably push transition a bit more. Yes we are tired after stops, but so is the other team. You run on them and make them even more tired. Get a few more easy buckets.

[Q-is-here]

It is true the Wolves cannot aggregate players going out in a single trade. But if a trade can be structured such that we are making two separate trades, each with just one player going out, ala Randle in one trade and PJ Dozier in a second trade, then that will work.

On the Randle front... Since the Wolves seemed to have found their defensive mojo, why would TC tinker with the roster? Why not give it time to see if the offensive chemistry might continue to evolve? As long as the Wolves continue their winning ways, it seems unlikely TC will make any moves. Especially this far from the trade deadline, as we know TC has not problem playing the patience angle.

Tim, This team isn't going to compete for a title if we stay stuck in the bottom third in offense. Now I don't think Connelly will do anything until at least after this next stretch of 6-8 games where we have a number of tilts against the top tier of the NBA in both conferences. May be Finch just needs to mix the current ingredients a little differently to get the optimized blend of players and structure vs. flow-type offense, but I'm skeptical. It will be put to the test starting this Thursday.

I think the Wolves are "trading" so to speak mental and physical energy for defensive domination and giving up offense in return. Say you have only so much energy to expend per game both mentally and physically. The majority of focus/effort is going into the defensive side. And it's WORKING, the Wolves have been blowing teams out. Not only have they recently been the number 1 defense. It's by MILES! It's not even close. You could put the offense in the top 10 because the defense is just that good and still have the best defense.

Can this continue over the next week, 10 games, rest of season? We'll see. Right now we have a recipe for a championship team.

Now my only gripe so to speak is that the Wolves could probably push transition a bit more. Yes we are tired after stops, but so is the other team. You run on them and make them even more tired. Get a few more easy buckets.

We saw last year that we couldn't sustain elite level defense throughout all of the playoffs and eventually needed more offense to win games, but couldn't muster enough of it. At some point, we will come up against some team that just matches up better against us and can pick apart our defense more easily than others.

This is why most (not all) teams that ultimately win an NBA title were ~ top 10 in offense and defense. They can do both at a high level.

[rapsuperstar31]

Tim, This team isn't going to compete for a title if we stay stuck in the bottom third in offense. Now I don't think Connelly will do anything until at least after this next stretch of 6-8 games where we have a number of tilts against the top tier of the NBA in both conferences. May be Finch just needs to mix the current ingredients a little differently to get the optimized blend of players and structure vs. flow-type offense, but I'm skeptical. It will be put to the test starting this Thursday.

I think the Wolves are "trading" so to speak mental and physical energy for defensive domination and giving up offense in return. Say you have only so much energy to expend per game both mentally and physically. The majority of focus/effort is going into the defensive side. And it's WORKING, the Wolves have been blowing teams out. Not only have they recently been the number 1 defense. It's by MILES! It's not even close. You could put the offense in the top 10 because the defense is just that good and still have the best defense.

Can this continue over the next week, 10 games, rest of season? We'll see. Right now we have a recipe for a championship team.

Now my only gripe so to speak is that the Wolves could probably push transition a bit more. Yes we are tired after stops, but so is the other team. You run on them and make them even more tired. Get a few more easy buckets.

We saw last year that we couldn't sustain elite level defense throughout all of the playoffs and eventually needed more offense to win games, but couldn't muster enough of it. At some point, we will come up against some team that just matches up better against us and can pick apart our defense more easily than others.

This is why most (not all) teams that ultimately win an NBA title were ~ top 10 in offense and defense. They can do both at a high level.

Agreed for the most part, but I do think injuries to Ant, KAT, and NAW certainly took a toll on us. Ant from the fall game 6 in Denver, KAT from the knee, and NAW from his shoulder taking those hard (not called illegal) screens from Jokic. Our defense could do a lot of things last season, but it couldn't stop everything and Dallas was just the perfect storm with 2 great creators and the lob threat. I do feel if OKC beat Dallas we would have beaten OKC, since they weren't a lob threat and would have had a chance at Boston.

[Q-is-here]

I think the Wolves are "trading" so to speak mental and physical energy for defensive domination and giving up offense in return. Say you have only so much energy to expend per game both mentally and physically. The majority of focus/effort is going into the defensive side. And it's WORKING, the Wolves have been blowing teams out. Not only have they recently been the number 1 defense. It's by MILES! It's not even close. You could put the offense in the top 10 because the defense is just that good and still have the best defense.

Can this continue over the next week, 10 games, rest of season? We'll see. Right now we have a recipe for a championship team.

Now my only gripe so to speak is that the Wolves could probably push transition a bit more. Yes we are tired after stops, but so is the other team. You run on them and make them even more tired. Get a few more easy buckets.

We saw last year that we couldn't sustain elite level defense throughout all of the playoffs and eventually needed more offense to win games, but couldn't muster enough of it. At some point, we will come up against some team that just matches up better against us and can pick apart our defense more easily than others.

This is why most (not all) teams that ultimately win an NBA title were ~ top 10 in offense and defense. They can do both at a high level.

Agreed for the most part, but I do think injuries to Ant, KAT, and NAW certainly took a toll on us. Ant from the fall game 6 in Denver, KAT from the knee, and NAW from his shoulder taking those hard (not called illegal) screens from Jokic. Our defense could do a lot of things last season, but it couldn't stop everything and Dallas was just the perfect storm with 2 great creators and the lob threat. I do feel if OKC beat Dallas we would have beaten OKC, since they weren't a lob threat and would have had a chance at Boston.

May be. Yeah, if you make the Final Four so to speak, you can be called a legit title contender. But our regular season offense last year was better than where we are this year, so Finch and Co. need to start figuring things out with this group, otherwise "this group" needs to change (e.g. Randle trade).

The other thing about this season is that it seemed like there was one super elite team in Boston and then there was everyone else. This year it appears that there are three super elite teams in Cleveland, Boston, and OKC, making it all the harder for a team like Minnesota.

[60WinTim]

I keep trying to come up with reasonable landing spots for Randle. There aren't many. Miami is one spot if the Wolves were able to get involved in a Butler to Warriors trade. Another spot is Detroit -- they have the need and financial flexibility to take on Randle and deal with his player option and/or extension. And they might find a tremendous incentive if their 1st round pick we have is on the table, too! So Detroit is a logical 3rd team to work with the Wolves.

So, then it comes down to who we are targeting to replace Randle? Some names we have tossed around are John Collins, Nicola Vucevic and Jonas Valanciunus. Heck, we might even have interest in bringing back SloMo! But here is a name that has flown under the radar: Kelly Olynyk.

Kelly is another former Jazz player that has played with Rudy, NAW and Mike. He has 2 years left on his contract at roughly 13 mil per year. He is just returning from a back injury and has only played in Toronto's last 4 games. I think he would be a reasonable fit alongside Rudy and NAZ as our frontcourt trio. He can hit the 3, is a ball mover, and is not ball dominant.

Because of both Toronto's and Detroit's cap situation, a trade can be structured with Randle going out and only Kelly coming in, which means the Wolves would save over 20 mil THIS year. That would be a boatload of luxury tax savings, and would set up a reasonable chance of re-signing both NAZ and NAW this offseason.

Anyway, I have no idea why I am wasting so much time on trying to solve the Wolves roster/cap issues. I guess I am kind of bored at the moment. I do believe this is my favorite manufactured trade thus far!