It's rapidly approaching, and we need a standalone thread to discuss. Many of you are way ahead of me when it comes to our salary structure and the second apron, so I really appreciated Dane Moore's pod yesterday summarizing where we are. I highly recommend it for those a want a good summary...even better if you watch it on you tube. Here's where we are:
-Obviously Randle's player option at $31 million is the big variable here. If he opts in, the Wolves can only afford either NAW or Naz...assuming no other meaningful moves.
-It's likely that Ju will opt in. Comments recently by Finchie and him reflect a mutual admiration society, and it's not likely Ju could get more than $31 million elsewhere.
-But, if we elected to move Ju at the trade deadline, the repercussions are more favorable than I realized before yesterday. Provided we didn't bring back salary beyond 2024-5, we could afford to resign both Naz and NAW, AND also have the mid-level exception available to us at about $15 million. I like the way Ju has been playing recently, but I think NAW plus Naz plus a $15 million free agent is better than Ju plus one of NAW/Naz.
-The fly in the ointment though is it's not likely any team will take on Ju's likely $31 million salary for next year without giving them something...most likely the Piston's first round pick that we hold.
-But there is a chance there is a team out there who Ju fits better in, and they are willing to give up a player on a longer contract we think fits better. Remember though, in this case we also lose either NAW or Naz.
So TC is going to have to earn his salary in the next couple weeks. My guess is Finchie convinces him that he thinks Ju is helping us and needs to stay. In that case with Ju likely opting in, I suspect TC will elect to sign Naz and let NAW go, hoping someone like Shannon is ready to fill NAW's bench role. We also would still hold on to the Piston's pick. Of course we have learned that TC likes to go big, so there be other trades he could make at the deadline that could totally change the situation. In any event, it's going to be interesting, and will dictate the direction this team wants to go.
Trade deadline discussion thread
Re: Trade deadline discussion thread
Good summary FNG. Yeah, the idea of being able to re-sign Naz, NAW, and still have ~ $15M to go get a solid vet free agent - of which there will be quite a few - is quite compelling.
Another option is that Randle declines his option and they re-sign him to a longer term deal at a lower annual salary that might still give them enough wiggle room to keep one of Naz and NAW and sign an MLE type, but not do all three. But of course if they do that, Naz may decide to go elsewhere since he doesn't want to keep being a 6th/7th man for multiple seasons in Minnesota and there is no guarantee that NAW will stick around either!
But there is another factor here that Dane mentioned on his pod and that's the young guys on rookie contracts. What if the front office doesn't even want to use the MLE and bend over backwards to re-sign everyone knowing that there is a good amount of potential sitting on the bench right now that are chomping at the bit to get a chance to play? And they're cheap!
We currently have a surplus of guard/wing players that deserve playing time. I think TSJ is the poster child for this, as that dude is clearly NBA-ready. How good he can be is a different question, but he'd be getting a shot at regular playing time with most other NBA teams.
Another option is that Randle declines his option and they re-sign him to a longer term deal at a lower annual salary that might still give them enough wiggle room to keep one of Naz and NAW and sign an MLE type, but not do all three. But of course if they do that, Naz may decide to go elsewhere since he doesn't want to keep being a 6th/7th man for multiple seasons in Minnesota and there is no guarantee that NAW will stick around either!
But there is another factor here that Dane mentioned on his pod and that's the young guys on rookie contracts. What if the front office doesn't even want to use the MLE and bend over backwards to re-sign everyone knowing that there is a good amount of potential sitting on the bench right now that are chomping at the bit to get a chance to play? And they're cheap!
We currently have a surplus of guard/wing players that deserve playing time. I think TSJ is the poster child for this, as that dude is clearly NBA-ready. How good he can be is a different question, but he'd be getting a shot at regular playing time with most other NBA teams.
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rapsuperstar31
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Re: Trade deadline discussion thread
There are so many directions that Wolves could go. They could keep Randle and lose one of or both of Naw and Naz this summer. We could keep Randle and he could opt out, and we can keep both Naw, Naz, and use the full mle while we are temporarily under the luxury tax. We could move Randle for an expiring now, and not even worry about Randle opting in. Something Dane didn't mention, but you could always trade Mike (or he could retire) to get off of his 10 million and that might allow you to keep all three players.
We could move Naw now for a first or someone on a cheap contract like Nembhard, if we don't think we are going to bring him back. I don't think we trade Jaden, especially with his value low, but you could trade him. Maybe Jaden for Cam Johnson and whatever fillers on either side.
I think my preference would be for Randle to either be traded now or opt out and we either retain Naz and Naw while using the full mle on one good player or split it up into two good players. Just for instance say split the 14 million mle into 7 million to a guard either Tyus Jones, Shroder. Brogdon (or Lonzo Bal if he is healthy), and 7 million to someone like Steven Adams, John Collins, Boucher, Bagley, Portis etc.
Another option if Randle is gone, you could resign Naz and not Naw. We would be under the tax, so we can work out a sign and trade for Myles Turner. Than we fill in Naw's minutes with someone like TSJ or Clark.
We could move Naw now for a first or someone on a cheap contract like Nembhard, if we don't think we are going to bring him back. I don't think we trade Jaden, especially with his value low, but you could trade him. Maybe Jaden for Cam Johnson and whatever fillers on either side.
I think my preference would be for Randle to either be traded now or opt out and we either retain Naz and Naw while using the full mle on one good player or split it up into two good players. Just for instance say split the 14 million mle into 7 million to a guard either Tyus Jones, Shroder. Brogdon (or Lonzo Bal if he is healthy), and 7 million to someone like Steven Adams, John Collins, Boucher, Bagley, Portis etc.
Another option if Randle is gone, you could resign Naz and not Naw. We would be under the tax, so we can work out a sign and trade for Myles Turner. Than we fill in Naw's minutes with someone like TSJ or Clark.
Re: Trade deadline discussion thread
Thanks for starting this thread, FNG. My guess is that the Wolves won’t trade Julius or make any other major trades by the deadline. I actually think it’s more likely they’ll trade NAW by the deadline since, other than Ant or Jaden, he’d yield us the biggest return. It would also avoid the prospect of losing NAW for nothing, which is exactly what would happen in the likely event Julius opts in and we sign Naz.
I haven’t listened to the podcast on our cap situation yet, but here’s the cap situation based on my review:
Projected salary thresholds for next season are (1) $154.6M salary cap; (2) 187.9M luxury tax; (3) $195.9 1st apron; and (4) $207.8M 2nd apron. These are maximums increases under the CBA (10% higher than this season) and could be less.
Keep in mind that 1st apron restrictions, while not quite as bad as 2nd apron limits, are pretty harsh and include among other things: (1) not being able to use the full MLE; (2) not being allowed to take back more than outgoing salary in trades; (3) can’t acquire sign-and-trade players unless doing so moves team below the 1st apron, etc.
Assuming Julius ops in and we pick up Garza’s $2.6 million option, our total payroll will be right around $175 million for a roster of 11 players without Naz. Assuming we sign Naz for around $30 million, that would put our payroll at $205 million, which would put us only $2.8 million below the 2nd apron without NAW and with two roster spots to fill to get to 14. I believe that each vet minimum contract will count $2.08 million against the salary cap. That means would not be able to get our roster to 14 even if we simply signed players to vet minimum deals. Hopefully we’ll be able to sign Naz for closer to $25 million, in which case we’d end up with a total payroll of around $200 million for 14 players without NAW. We’d stay barely under the 2nd apron (assuming the threshold increases by the maximum 10% allowed) but we’d still be over the 1st apron.
I’m not sure what Dane Moore was projecting in his podcast, but the reality is what I’ve provided in this post. Assuming we don’t trade Randle, the best case scenario is keeping Naz at a bargain contract starting at $25 million but losing NAW and unable to make any moves to improve the roster after a season that will likely end with a 5th seed at best. And again, that assumes the cap goes up by the full 10% allowed. Even then, we’d still be over the 1st apron and severely restricted by the CBA both transactionally and financially. If we’re honest with ourselves, keeping Randle and Rudy doesn’t make sense even if Finch thinks it makes sense on the court.
So I’m hoping Finch’s comments are not indicative of an intent to keep Randle. Finch praised KAT a lot last season and yet we traded him before this season. I see no reason to read a lot into Finch’s recent comments about Randle. I think he likes Randle and values Randle’s production as he should. But that doesn’t mean Randle’s a good fit on the court for this team or that it makes sense organizationally to keep him.
As for me, I’d be reluctant to trade Randle this season if it meant giving up the Detroit pick, which now looks destined to be a 1st rounder either this year or next. I think there’s a chance we can trade Randle for less salary without giving up more than a future 2nd round pick. Randle’s a very good player; just not a good fit for us. If we can’t trade Randle this season without giving up the Detroit pick, another future 1st or multiple 2nds, then I’d probably keep Randle and trade NAW by the deadline mainly for draft capital and/or a good PG then I’d hope we can squeeze in under the 2nd apron and hopefully get below the 1st apron by the 2026-27 season. Randle will have more trade value next February as an expiring contract than he has now.
I haven’t listened to the podcast on our cap situation yet, but here’s the cap situation based on my review:
Projected salary thresholds for next season are (1) $154.6M salary cap; (2) 187.9M luxury tax; (3) $195.9 1st apron; and (4) $207.8M 2nd apron. These are maximums increases under the CBA (10% higher than this season) and could be less.
Keep in mind that 1st apron restrictions, while not quite as bad as 2nd apron limits, are pretty harsh and include among other things: (1) not being able to use the full MLE; (2) not being allowed to take back more than outgoing salary in trades; (3) can’t acquire sign-and-trade players unless doing so moves team below the 1st apron, etc.
Assuming Julius ops in and we pick up Garza’s $2.6 million option, our total payroll will be right around $175 million for a roster of 11 players without Naz. Assuming we sign Naz for around $30 million, that would put our payroll at $205 million, which would put us only $2.8 million below the 2nd apron without NAW and with two roster spots to fill to get to 14. I believe that each vet minimum contract will count $2.08 million against the salary cap. That means would not be able to get our roster to 14 even if we simply signed players to vet minimum deals. Hopefully we’ll be able to sign Naz for closer to $25 million, in which case we’d end up with a total payroll of around $200 million for 14 players without NAW. We’d stay barely under the 2nd apron (assuming the threshold increases by the maximum 10% allowed) but we’d still be over the 1st apron.
I’m not sure what Dane Moore was projecting in his podcast, but the reality is what I’ve provided in this post. Assuming we don’t trade Randle, the best case scenario is keeping Naz at a bargain contract starting at $25 million but losing NAW and unable to make any moves to improve the roster after a season that will likely end with a 5th seed at best. And again, that assumes the cap goes up by the full 10% allowed. Even then, we’d still be over the 1st apron and severely restricted by the CBA both transactionally and financially. If we’re honest with ourselves, keeping Randle and Rudy doesn’t make sense even if Finch thinks it makes sense on the court.
So I’m hoping Finch’s comments are not indicative of an intent to keep Randle. Finch praised KAT a lot last season and yet we traded him before this season. I see no reason to read a lot into Finch’s recent comments about Randle. I think he likes Randle and values Randle’s production as he should. But that doesn’t mean Randle’s a good fit on the court for this team or that it makes sense organizationally to keep him.
As for me, I’d be reluctant to trade Randle this season if it meant giving up the Detroit pick, which now looks destined to be a 1st rounder either this year or next. I think there’s a chance we can trade Randle for less salary without giving up more than a future 2nd round pick. Randle’s a very good player; just not a good fit for us. If we can’t trade Randle this season without giving up the Detroit pick, another future 1st or multiple 2nds, then I’d probably keep Randle and trade NAW by the deadline mainly for draft capital and/or a good PG then I’d hope we can squeeze in under the 2nd apron and hopefully get below the 1st apron by the 2026-27 season. Randle will have more trade value next February as an expiring contract than he has now.
Last edited by Lipoli390 on Tue Jan 21, 2025 3:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Trade deadline discussion thread
Q - I agree we should not trade Jaden. Some of my recent posts entertained the possibility of trading him, but I don’t think we should sell low on him. Moreover, I like what I’ve seen from him lately. And at around $23 million per year, he’s actually sort of a bargain considering his elite defense.rapsuperstar31 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 11, 2025 10:31 am There are so many directions that Wolves could go. They could keep Randle and lose one of or both of Naw and Naz this summer. We could keep Randle and he could opt out, and we can keep both Naw, Naz, and use the full mle while we are temporarily under the luxury tax. We could move Randle for an expiring now, and not even worry about Randle opting in. Something Dane didn't mention, but you could always trade Mike (or he could retire) to get off of his 10 million and that might allow you to keep all three players.
We could move Naw now for a first or someone on a cheap contract like Nembhard, if we don't think we are going to bring him back. I don't think we trade Jaden, especially with his value low, but you could trade him. Maybe Jaden for Cam Johnson and whatever fillers on either side.
I think my preference would be for Randle to either be traded now or opt out and we either retain Naz and Naw while using the full mle on one good player or split it up into two good players. Just for instance say split the 14 million mle into 7 million to a guard either Tyus Jones, Shroder. Brogdon (or Lonzo Bal if he is healthy), and 7 million to someone like Steven Adams, John Collins, Boucher, Bagley, Portis etc.
Another option if Randle is gone, you could resign Naz and not Naw. We would be under the tax, so we can work out a sign and trade for Myles Turner. Than we fill in Naw's minutes with someone like TSJ or Clark.
I’ll add that we need to give our young guys a chance to develop and they won’t develop without the opportunity to play at the NBA level. We see what Dyson Daniels is doing now that he has the chance to play. OKC gave Jalen Williams the chance to play and he’s not playing at an all-star level as the second best player on the team with best record in the West in only his third season. Christian Braun for the Nuggets is another example. We need to give these guys. This team needs to starting giving TSJ some meaningful minutes. Same for Dilly when he’s back from his ankle injury.
Re: Trade deadline discussion thread
One thing we should accept is that it’s HIGHLY unlikely we’ll be able to trade Randle without taking significant salary in return. If we can somehow only take expiring contracts in return, it will probably mean we had to give up the Detroit pick at a minimum. I think that would be a bad move. We shouldn’t make any deal out of desperation. We can probably sign Naz and get below the 2nd apron by letting NAW walk even if Randle opts in. That’s not ideal, but it’s better than giving up valuable assets like a future 1st just to move Randle and get below the 1st apron.
I would NOT extend Randle. It will still take at least $25M per year to extend him and then we’d be stuck with him and Rudy for multiple years - perpetuating a less than ideal situation for our best player/franchise player, Edwards. That would be nonsensical.
I would NOT extend Randle. It will still take at least $25M per year to extend him and then we’d be stuck with him and Rudy for multiple years - perpetuating a less than ideal situation for our best player/franchise player, Edwards. That would be nonsensical.
Re: Trade deadline discussion thread
You should listen to the pod Lip. It's a really good breakdown. They were projecting Naz at 24 million and Naw at 15 million (Just over the MLE). They also believe Naz at 24 million might be a high projection because there is not many teams in the NBA with cap space this offseason (Nets are the scary team in all of this) and with Naz weaknesses and how the CBA now works giving a player like NAZ a big contract is franchise suicide and they think he could get near 20 million.Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 11, 2025 11:25 am Thanks for starting this thread, FNG. My guess is that the Wolves won’t trade Julius or make any other major trades by the deadline. I actually think it’s more likely they’ll trade NAW by the deadline since, other than Ant or Jaden, he’d yield us the biggest return. It would also avoid the prospect of losing NAW for nothing, which is exactly what would happen in the likely event Julius opts in and we sign Naz.
I haven’t listened to the podcast on our cap situation yet, but here’s the cap situation based on my review:
Projected salary thresholds for next season are (1) $154.6M salary cap; (2) 187.9M luxury tax; (3) $195.9 1st apron; and (4) $207.8M 2nd apron. These are maximums increases under the CBA (10% higher than this season) and could be less.
Keep in mind that 1st apron restrictions, while not quite as bad as 2nd apron limits, are pretty harsh and include among other things: (1) not being able to use the full MLE; (2) not being allowed to take back more than outgoing salary in trades; (3) can’t acquire sign-and-trade players unless doing so moves team below the 1st apron, etc.
Assuming Julius ops in and we pick up Garza’s $2.6 million option, our total payroll will be right around $175 million for a roster of 11 players without Naz. Assuming we sign Naz for around $30 million, that would put our payroll at $205 million, which would put us only $2.8 million below the 2nd apron without NAW and with two roster spots to fill to get to 14. I believe that each vet minimum contract will count $2.08 million against the salary cap. That means would not be able to get our roster to 14 even if we simply signed players to vet minimum deals. Hopefully we’ll be able to sign Naz for closer to $25 million, in which case we’d end up with a total payroll of around $205 million for 14 players without NAW. We’d stay barely under the 2nd apron (assuming the threshold increases by the maximum 10% allowed) but we’d still be over the 1st apron.
I’m not sure what Dane Moore was projecting in his podcast, but the reality is what I’ve provided in this post. Assuming we don’t trade Randle, the best case scenario is keeping Naz at a bargain contract starting at $25 million but losing NAW and unable to make any moves to improve the roster after a season that will likely end with a 5th seed at best. And again, that assumes the cap goes up by the full 10% allowed. Even then, we’d still be over the 1st apron and severely restricted by the CBA both transactionally and financially. If we’re honest with ourselves, keeping Randle and Rudy doesn’t make sense even if Finch thinks it makes sense on the court.
So I’m hoping Finch’s comments are not indicative of an intent to keep Randle. Finch praised KAT a lot last season and yet we traded him before this season. I see no reason to read a lot into Finch’s recent comments about Randle. I think he likes Randle and values Randle’s production as he should. But that doesn’t mean Randle’s a good fit on the court for this team or that it makes sense organizationally to keep him.
As for me, I’d be reluctant to trade Randle this season if it meant giving up the Detroit pick, which now looks destined to be a 1st rounder either this year or next. I think there’s a chance we can trade Randle for less salary without giving up more than a future 2nd round pick. Randle’s a very good player; just not a good fit for us. If we can’t trade Randle this season without giving up the Detroit pick, another future 1st or multiple 2nds, then I’d probably keep Randle and trade NAW by the deadline mainly for draft capital and/or a good PG then I’d hope we can squeeze in under the 2nd apron and hopefully get below the 1st apron by the 2026-27 season. Randle will have more trade value next February as an expiring contract than he has now.
You have brought up trading NAW multiple times. What do you want to trade NAW for because they can't receive more money back in a trade so that pretty much eliminates every single player with value in the NBA coming back. Im not sure they could get a late first (I think it would be close), would you trade for 3 2nds like DFS was traded for?
But you should listen to the podcast so you can hear a really good breakdown on it (I did break it down 2 weeks ago also on this forum).
Everything comes down does Julius opt in or not (We do not know what he wants to do)
Re: Trade deadline discussion thread
a couple scearios or possible things than could happen this offseason that have not been mentioned.
1. Randle opts in and the Wolves trade him. He would be a good player ona 1 year deal and of some team that might be a good option. Think about a team like Detroit this last offseason. They might have taken him for nothing or sending back something with a smaller salary. There tends to be a couple teams hoping to take a step and add a vet player. Randle can be frustrating but I have not heard anything about him being a bad guy.
2. NAW sign and trade to a team that either can't pay the mid level or a team that needs to trade more than the mid-level to sign him. Of course this is tricky considering the Wolves salary situation but we saw a bunch of creative sign and trades last offseason so I would not be shocked to see it happen again.
Its been mentioned that Randle couple possibly be dealt next season to a team that wants him. Thats another option and one where the Wolves in that deal could find a way to drop below the 2nd apron. The Lakers did that in dealing Russell a few weeks ago. What if the Wolves say screw the 2nd Apron we are gonna keep as much talent as we can? That's not impossible right? if the Wolves resign guys to contracts they feel like can be moved they could reconfigure the roster. I do agree this is somewhat unlikely. Doing it to keep NAW might make sense.
I'm more interested in look at what we can get out of this trade deadline than looking pretty much at just future situations due to financial constraints. Is there any reasonable players that might be able to be acquired?
1. Randle opts in and the Wolves trade him. He would be a good player ona 1 year deal and of some team that might be a good option. Think about a team like Detroit this last offseason. They might have taken him for nothing or sending back something with a smaller salary. There tends to be a couple teams hoping to take a step and add a vet player. Randle can be frustrating but I have not heard anything about him being a bad guy.
2. NAW sign and trade to a team that either can't pay the mid level or a team that needs to trade more than the mid-level to sign him. Of course this is tricky considering the Wolves salary situation but we saw a bunch of creative sign and trades last offseason so I would not be shocked to see it happen again.
Its been mentioned that Randle couple possibly be dealt next season to a team that wants him. Thats another option and one where the Wolves in that deal could find a way to drop below the 2nd apron. The Lakers did that in dealing Russell a few weeks ago. What if the Wolves say screw the 2nd Apron we are gonna keep as much talent as we can? That's not impossible right? if the Wolves resign guys to contracts they feel like can be moved they could reconfigure the roster. I do agree this is somewhat unlikely. Doing it to keep NAW might make sense.
I'm more interested in look at what we can get out of this trade deadline than looking pretty much at just future situations due to financial constraints. Is there any reasonable players that might be able to be acquired?
Re: Trade deadline discussion thread
If all they are getting is three 2nds unless they are really good ones IDK why even deal NAW. He is going to be fairly easy to trade (relatively speaking) at around 4 million. They should be able to get at least a late 1st for him plus something else. He fits so many teams and being able to have his bird rights and I believe his new team would even be able to extend him before FA which would be big advantages especially for a team that has no way to sign a guy like that in the offseason. IDK maybe there are not enough teams looking for a guy like NAW but that seems unlikely.kekgeek wrote: ↑Sat Jan 11, 2025 12:02 pmYou should listen to the pod Lip. It's a really good breakdown. They were projecting Naz at 24 million and Naw at 15 million (Just over the MLE). They also believe Naz at 24 million might be a high projection because there is not many teams in the NBA with cap space this offseason (Nets are the scary team in all of this) and with Naz weaknesses and how the CBA now works giving a player like NAZ a big contract is franchise suicide and they think he could get near 20 million.Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 11, 2025 11:25 am Thanks for starting this thread, FNG. My guess is that the Wolves won’t trade Julius or make any other major trades by the deadline. I actually think it’s more likely they’ll trade NAW by the deadline since, other than Ant or Jaden, he’d yield us the biggest return. It would also avoid the prospect of losing NAW for nothing, which is exactly what would happen in the likely event Julius opts in and we sign Naz.
I haven’t listened to the podcast on our cap situation yet, but here’s the cap situation based on my review:
Projected salary thresholds for next season are (1) $154.6M salary cap; (2) 187.9M luxury tax; (3) $195.9 1st apron; and (4) $207.8M 2nd apron. These are maximums increases under the CBA (10% higher than this season) and could be less.
Keep in mind that 1st apron restrictions, while not quite as bad as 2nd apron limits, are pretty harsh and include among other things: (1) not being able to use the full MLE; (2) not being allowed to take back more than outgoing salary in trades; (3) can’t acquire sign-and-trade players unless doing so moves team below the 1st apron, etc.
Assuming Julius ops in and we pick up Garza’s $2.6 million option, our total payroll will be right around $175 million for a roster of 11 players without Naz. Assuming we sign Naz for around $30 million, that would put our payroll at $205 million, which would put us only $2.8 million below the 2nd apron without NAW and with two roster spots to fill to get to 14. I believe that each vet minimum contract will count $2.08 million against the salary cap. That means would not be able to get our roster to 14 even if we simply signed players to vet minimum deals. Hopefully we’ll be able to sign Naz for closer to $25 million, in which case we’d end up with a total payroll of around $205 million for 14 players without NAW. We’d stay barely under the 2nd apron (assuming the threshold increases by the maximum 10% allowed) but we’d still be over the 1st apron.
I’m not sure what Dane Moore was projecting in his podcast, but the reality is what I’ve provided in this post. Assuming we don’t trade Randle, the best case scenario is keeping Naz at a bargain contract starting at $25 million but losing NAW and unable to make any moves to improve the roster after a season that will likely end with a 5th seed at best. And again, that assumes the cap goes up by the full 10% allowed. Even then, we’d still be over the 1st apron and severely restricted by the CBA both transactionally and financially. If we’re honest with ourselves, keeping Randle and Rudy doesn’t make sense even if Finch thinks it makes sense on the court.
So I’m hoping Finch’s comments are not indicative of an intent to keep Randle. Finch praised KAT a lot last season and yet we traded him before this season. I see no reason to read a lot into Finch’s recent comments about Randle. I think he likes Randle and values Randle’s production as he should. But that doesn’t mean Randle’s a good fit on the court for this team or that it makes sense organizationally to keep him.
As for me, I’d be reluctant to trade Randle this season if it meant giving up the Detroit pick, which now looks destined to be a 1st rounder either this year or next. I think there’s a chance we can trade Randle for less salary without giving up more than a future 2nd round pick. Randle’s a very good player; just not a good fit for us. If we can’t trade Randle this season without giving up the Detroit pick, another future 1st or multiple 2nds, then I’d probably keep Randle and trade NAW by the deadline mainly for draft capital and/or a good PG then I’d hope we can squeeze in under the 2nd apron and hopefully get below the 1st apron by the 2026-27 season. Randle will have more trade value next February as an expiring contract than he has now.
You have brought up trading NAW multiple times. What do you want to trade NAW for because they can't receive more money back in a trade so that pretty much eliminates every single player with value in the NBA coming back. Im not sure they could get a late first (I think it would be close), would you trade for 3 2nds like DFS was traded for?
But you should listen to the podcast so you can hear a really good breakdown on it (I did break it down 2 weeks ago also on this forum).
Everything comes down does Julius opt in or not (We do not know what he wants to do)
Re: Trade deadline discussion thread
We probably need a new thread titled Randle or NAW, can't keep both. One of these guys needs to be traded. Many have outlined the Randle trade complicating factors. I tend to believe Finch and Julius are in this together.
If that is the case you absolutely do not like NAW walk this summer. You offer him to the highest bidder and let all these teams that want to win now give you a first or a young piece. His shooting and defense will translate to ANY team. It would be an absolute travesty to hold onto NAW knowing that you will let him walk this summer.
If that is the case you absolutely do not like NAW walk this summer. You offer him to the highest bidder and let all these teams that want to win now give you a first or a young piece. His shooting and defense will translate to ANY team. It would be an absolute travesty to hold onto NAW knowing that you will let him walk this summer.