Trade deadline discussion thread

[Lipoli390]

Sources: A team that made a last-ditch effort near the deadline to engage the Phoenix Suns on trading for Kevin Durant to no avail: the Minnesota Timberwolves.

-Chris Hayne

Glad it didn’t happen. Durants a great offensive player having a great season but he’d be a really expensive one-year rental and we would have had to give up valuable long-term assets to get him. Moreover, while he’s been healthy this season, he’s 36 years old and hasn’t proven to be durable in recent years.

[Lipoli390]

I've said all along if NAW isn't traded it means TC has a plan to keep him. I don't know where Julius fits into the plan but I'd expect new deals for Naz and NAW this summer.

That team simply wouldn't be good enough to contend. Middling team... sans GIANT Edwards leap.

The value of NAW and Reid is largely because of their contracts. And yet the Wolves are barely a play-in team despite both of them + Randle + the best health in the NBA.

NAWs value to other teams doesn't end today. They can give him a new deal and move him for the right deal. Letting him walk is a zero value proposition. I don't see TC going that route.

Two thoughts:

1. Signing NAW as a free agent after the season and then trading him sounds like a sign-and-trade, which we can’t do because we’re over the 2nd apron. That means we’d have to wait until Dec.15 to trade him.

2. Assuming Randle opts in, signing NAW along with Naz would keep us over the 2nd apron. That seems ill-advised and also contrary to the motivation behind trading KAT.

I’m not sure what TC has in mind but so far I’m not impressed.

[kekgeek]

That team simply wouldn't be good enough to contend. Middling team... sans GIANT Edwards leap.

The value of NAW and Reid is largely because of their contracts. And yet the Wolves are barely a play-in team despite both of them + Randle + the best health in the NBA.

NAWs value to other teams doesn't end today. They can give him a new deal and move him for the right deal. Letting him walk is a zero value proposition. I don't see TC going that route.

Two thoughts:

1. Signing NAW as a free agent after the season and then trading him sounds like a sign-and-trade, which we can’t do because we’re over the 2nd apron. That means we’d have to wait until Dec.15 to trade him.

2. Assuming Randle opts in, signing NAW along with Naz would keep us over the 2nd apron. That seems ill-advised and also contrary to the motivation behind trading KAT.

I’m not sure what TC has in mind but so far I’m not impressed.

Lip. You are wrong about the sign and trade thing. We literally signed and traded Slow Mo last offseason. You can sign and trade as a second apron team as long as you are not taking a player back in the trade

[Phenom]

That team simply wouldn't be good enough to contend. Middling team... sans GIANT Edwards leap.

The value of NAW and Reid is largely because of their contracts. And yet the Wolves are barely a play-in team despite both of them + Randle + the best health in the NBA.

NAWs value to other teams doesn't end today. They can give him a new deal and move him for the right deal. Letting him walk is a zero value proposition. I don't see TC going that route.

Two thoughts:

1. Signing NAW as a free agent after the season and then trading him sounds like a sign-and-trade, which we can’t do because we’re over the 2nd apron. That means we’d have to wait until Dec.15 to trade him.

2. Assuming Randle opts in, signing NAW along with Naz would keep us over the 2nd apron. That seems ill-advised and also contrary to the motivation behind trading KAT.

I’m not sure what TC has in mind but so far I’m not impressed.

I wouldn't view NAW as a sign and trade candidate. I would view him as a sign and, if we need to trade him, then trade him candidate. And if Randle opts in he is immediately tradeable to any team with summer space or for a lesser contract. The key is the salary number at June 30, 2026, not July 2025.

[Monster]

NAWs value to other teams doesn't end today. They can give him a new deal and move him for the right deal. Letting him walk is a zero value proposition. I don't see TC going that route.

Two thoughts:

1. Signing NAW as a free agent after the season and then trading him sounds like a sign-and-trade, which we can’t do because we’re over the 2nd apron. That means we’d have to wait until Dec.15 to trade him.

2. Assuming Randle opts in, signing NAW along with Naz would keep us over the 2nd apron. That seems ill-advised and also contrary to the motivation behind trading KAT.

I’m not sure what TC has in mind but so far I’m not impressed.

I wouldn't view NAW as a sign and trade candidate. I would view him as a sign and, if we need to trade him, then trade him candidate. And if Randle opts in he is immediately tradeable to any team with summer space or for a lesser contract. The key is the salary number at June 30, 2026, not July 2025.

Yes and Towns making more than 21 million more than Randle makes it much easier to find a way to get below the 2nd apron like a few teams have done this season.

[Q-is-here]

I've said all along if NAW isn't traded it means TC has a plan to keep him. I don't know where Julius fits into the plan but I'd expect new deals for Naz and NAW this summer.

That team simply wouldn't be good enough to contend. Middling team... sans GIANT Edwards leap.

The value of NAW and Reid is largely because of their contracts. And yet the Wolves are barely a play-in team despite both of them + Randle + the best health in the NBA.



[Note: I'm not suggesting the Wolves should have made a trade just to make a trade... I'm just pointing out how I assess the team next year.]

Yeah, feels like we need to turn over the roster a little bit this offseason, as re-signing Naz and NAW in the absence of no other moves leaves us with essentially the same group of players and rotations we've seen up until the injuries occurred. That's a middling play-in/fringe playoff team in the West.

Connelly will probably have a lot more options this offseason to tweak the roster and hopefully we continue to learn more about our younger guys in the coming weeks.

[BloopOracle]

Sources tell the Athletic that the Wolves were one of the very few teams Durant was open to coming to, I don't think the story is over yet...

[Phenom]

Sources tell the Athletic that the Wolves were one of the very few teams Durant was open to coming to, I don't think the story is over yet...

Ru and Ju for KD?

[BloopOracle]

Sources tell the Athletic that the Wolves were one of the very few teams Durant was open to coming to, I don't think the story is over yet...

Ru and Ju for KD?

For the first time in franchise history we might finally be the beneficiary of a star on the final year of his contract refusing to sign an extension with most teams. I read he likes Miami as well, but he can really flex some muscle and drive down what we would need to offer.

[shrink]

Sources tell the Athletic that the Wolves were one of the very few teams Durant was open to coming to, I don't think the story is over yet...

Significant. Can you tell me anytime in Wolves history that we were a free agent destination for any star?

People crap on Tim Connelly a lot, often for legitimate reasons. But one big advantage of him spending all our assets is that he’s changed the decades-long image of the Timberwolves as perennial losers. We have seen our own players take less to stay with the team. We saw Naz literally avoid free agency. Even when players get paid like Ant and Jaden, they both accepted full five year deals, without the standard Player option on the final season. Now we’re hearing one of the best players in the NBA is choosing MIN over GSW? This is very good news.