Starting PG Trade Options

[60WinTim]

And then there's always the risky Randle for Lonzo Ball and Vucevic...

I kind of like this deal. Vooch has one year left but he has great shooting range and rebounds better than any Wolf. He has good hands unlike Rudy for those lob passes and he can pass out to the perimeter well. His defense is suspect but not sure its a significant downgrade from Ju's defense. He's a good passer and doesn't turn the ball over as much as Ju. But the best part is that Lonzo Ball is perfect when healthy. We could rest him a lot until we approach the playoffs. And if doesn't work, so what, I didn't want Randle back anyway.

I do like this deal, too. It provides a couple of interim solutions: gives Dilly more time to develop, and for our new big from the draft to develop as well. But I only see Randle being moved if he merely picks up his player option without doing an extension.

[Lipoli390]

And then there's always the risky Randle for Lonzo Ball and Vucevic...

I kind of like this deal. Vooch has one year left but he has great shooting range and rebounds better than any Wolf. He has good hands unlike Rudy for those lob passes and he can pass out to the perimeter well. His defense is suspect but not sure its a significant downgrade from Ju's defense. He's a good passer and doesn't turn the ball over as much as Ju. But the best part is that Lonzo Ball is perfect when healthy. We could rest him a lot until we approach the playoffs. And if doesn't work, so what, I didn't want Randle back anyway.

I do like this deal, too. It provides a couple of interim solutions: gives Dilly more time to develop, and for our new big from the draft to develop as well. But I only see Randle being moved if he merely picks up his player option without doing an extension.

I also like this deal. If we’re not going to turn the reins over to Dilly, then Lonzo Ball makes sense to me (assuming he’s healthy). No doubt the Wolves won’t trade Randle if they choose to extend him. Extending Julius means the Wolves want him here long term. If we don’t give Julius a long-term deal, then I fully expect him to opt in and if that happens the Wolves can trade him. My gut tells me the Wolves will keep Julius either on a longer term deal or for one season if he exercises his option.

[WildWolf2813]

Here's someone who I could see TC go big game hunting for...

Tyler Herro...

Go ahead, shoot me down!

Herro feels you're spending 3x as much for what you were hoping to get outta Donte

Sounds kinda like the Rudy instead of Kesler deal, huh?

I wasn't hoping for Kessler to win DPOY in the first 3 seasons;)

[Q-is-here]

And then there's always the risky Randle for Lonzo Ball and Vucevic...

I kind of like this deal. Vooch has one year left but he has great shooting range and rebounds better than any Wolf. He has good hands unlike Rudy for those lob passes and he can pass out to the perimeter well. His defense is suspect but not sure its a significant downgrade from Ju's defense. He's a good passer and doesn't turn the ball over as much as Ju. But the best part is that Lonzo Ball is perfect when healthy. We could rest him a lot until we approach the playoffs. And if doesn't work, so what, I didn't want Randle back anyway.

I do like this deal, too. It provides a couple of interim solutions: gives Dilly more time to develop, and for our new big from the draft to develop as well. But I only see Randle being moved if he merely picks up his player option without doing an extension.

I definitely get the Ball part of the trade, but why Vucevic? He's been a starting Center forever and sort of brings some of the same issues as Randle in terms of needing the ball to be effective and being just a so-so defender. Plus the last time I looked, Rudy was our starting Center!

As for Ball, he definitely falls into that "Plan B" category of PGs in the event we don't go for a bigger name like Garland or White and Dilly isn't ready to start. I kind of think of Ball and the Jones brothers as being in that group. Obviously the key with Ball is his health, but even after a couple seasons off, he was a big positive for the Bulls when he was on the floor.

[Lipoli390]

I kind of like this deal. Vooch has one year left but he has great shooting range and rebounds better than any Wolf. He has good hands unlike Rudy for those lob passes and he can pass out to the perimeter well. His defense is suspect but not sure its a significant downgrade from Ju's defense. He's a good passer and doesn't turn the ball over as much as Ju. But the best part is that Lonzo Ball is perfect when healthy. We could rest him a lot until we approach the playoffs. And if doesn't work, so what, I didn't want Randle back anyway.

I do like this deal, too. It provides a couple of interim solutions: gives Dilly more time to develop, and for our new big from the draft to develop as well. But I only see Randle being moved if he merely picks up his player option without doing an extension.

I definitely get the Ball part of the trade, but why Vucevic? He's been a starting Center forever and sort of brings some of the same issues as Randle in terms of needing the ball to be effective and being just a so-so defender. Plus the last time I looked, Rudy was our starting Center!

As for Ball, he definitely falls into that "Plan B" category of PGs in the event we don't go for a bigger name like Garland or White and Dilly isn't ready to start. I kind of think of Ball and the Jones brothers as being in that group. Obviously the key with Ball is his health, but even after a couple seasons off, he was a big positive for the Bulls when he was on the floor.

I put Ball a solid notch above Tyus Jones and probably a notch above Tre Jones as well. We’d. Have to give up too much for Garland or White.

[Q-is-here]

I do like this deal, too. It provides a couple of interim solutions: gives Dilly more time to develop, and for our new big from the draft to develop as well. But I only see Randle being moved if he merely picks up his player option without doing an extension.

I definitely get the Ball part of the trade, but why Vucevic? He's been a starting Center forever and sort of brings some of the same issues as Randle in terms of needing the ball to be effective and being just a so-so defender. Plus the last time I looked, Rudy was our starting Center!

As for Ball, he definitely falls into that "Plan B" category of PGs in the event we don't go for a bigger name like Garland or White and Dilly isn't ready to start. I kind of think of Ball and the Jones brothers as being in that group. Obviously the key with Ball is his health, but even after a couple seasons off, he was a big positive for the Bulls when he was on the floor.

I put Ball a solid notch above Tyus Jones and probably a notch above Tre Jones as well. We’d. Have to give up too much for Garland or White.

I agree that pre-injury Ball would be ahead of Tyus and Tre, but he's kind of a mystery box right now in terms of his health status.

In terms of Garland and White, I guess it's one of those eye of the beholder things. White especially seems well-suited for playoff basketball and worth a fairly high asking price IMO.

[Lipoli390]

I definitely get the Ball part of the trade, but why Vucevic? He's been a starting Center forever and sort of brings some of the same issues as Randle in terms of needing the ball to be effective and being just a so-so defender. Plus the last time I looked, Rudy was our starting Center!

As for Ball, he definitely falls into that "Plan B" category of PGs in the event we don't go for a bigger name like Garland or White and Dilly isn't ready to start. I kind of think of Ball and the Jones brothers as being in that group. Obviously the key with Ball is his health, but even after a couple seasons off, he was a big positive for the Bulls when he was on the floor.

I put Ball a solid notch above Tyus Jones and probably a notch above Tre Jones as well. We’d. Have to give up too much for Garland or White.

I agree that pre-injury Ball would be ahead of Tyus and Tre, but he's kind of a mystery box right now in terms of his health status.

In terms of Garland and White, I guess it's one of those eye of the beholder things. White especially seems well-suited for playoff basketball and worth a fairly high asking price IMO.

I like both Garland and White a lot. I just don’t think either one would be worth the likely price we’d have to pay to get him. As to which one I’d prefer, that’s a tough one. Garland matches up much better with Ant based on age, which makes him a better fit for sustainable success. On the other hand, I agree that White seems especially well suited to playoff basketball but he’s in his 30s. I wouldn’t give up Jaden for either one. I would not give up Rob in a package for White because I’d want a talented young PG in the fold. I think we could get White in a Naz Reid sign-and-trade. I’d consider it depending on what else we’d have to give up. But then again, trading Naz in a package for White would likely mean keeping Randle and I continue to not like Randle’s fit with Ant.

We made the Western Conference Finals two seasons in a row. I don’t think we need to chase stars or make major deals to get over the hump. TC needs to be a surgeon with a scalpel, not a chef with a ginsu knife. For example, we can add a defensive big to help when Rudy’s not of the floor without giving up any key players or high-end young talent. And keep in mind that a significant part of getting over the hump will be the continued improvement of Ant, Jaden and probably Naz in addition to the ascendence of TSJ, Clark and Rob - maybe even Miller.

Keep in mind, also, that the Bulls didn’t get to the NBA finals until MJ’s 7th season at age 28. SGA didn’t make it to the Finals until this year, his 7th season, at age 26. Steph Curry’s Warriors didn’t make it to the Finals until his 6h season at age 26. Tatum and Haliburton didn’t make the finals until their respective 5th seasons. Tatum only made it to the Conference finals in his 6th season before finally wining a title in his 7th. Jaylen Brown was drafted the year before Tatum so he didn’t make the Finals until his 6th season. Ant just finished his 5th season and is 3 years younger than SGA and 5 years younger than MJ when MJ won his first title. Each of those players won their first title paired with another star who was about the same age.

[Q-is-here]

I put Ball a solid notch above Tyus Jones and probably a notch above Tre Jones as well. We’d. Have to give up too much for Garland or White.

I agree that pre-injury Ball would be ahead of Tyus and Tre, but he's kind of a mystery box right now in terms of his health status.

In terms of Garland and White, I guess it's one of those eye of the beholder things. White especially seems well-suited for playoff basketball and worth a fairly high asking price IMO.

I like both Garland and White a lot. I just don’t think either one would be worth the likely price we’d have to pay to get him. As to which one I’d prefer, that’s a tough one. Garland matches up much better with Ant based on age, which makes him a better fit for sustainable success. On the other hand, I agree that White seems especially well suited to playoff basketball but he’s in his 30s. I wouldn’t give up Jaden for either one. I would not give up Rob in a package for White because I’d want a talented young PG in the fold. I think we could get White in a Naz Reid sign-and-trade. I’d consider it depending on what else we’d have to give up. But then again, trading Naz in a package for White would likely mean keeping Randle and I continue to not like Randle’s fit with Ant.

We made the Western Conference Finals two seasons in a row. I don’t think we need to chase stars or make major deals to get over the hump. TC needs to be a surgeon with a scalpel, not a chef with a ginsu knife. For example, we can add a defensive big to help when Rudy’s not of the floor without giving up any key players or high-end young talent. And keep in mind that a significant part of getting over the hump will be the continued improvement of Ant, Jaden and probably Naz in addition to the ascendence of TSJ, Clark and Rob - maybe even Miller.

Keep in mind, also, that the Bulls didn’t get to the NBA finals until MJ’s 7th season at age 28. SGA didn’t make it to the Finals until this year, his 7th season, at age 26. Steph Curry’s Warriors didn’t make it to the Finals until his 6h season at age 26. Tatum and Haliburton didn’t make the finals until their respective 5th seasons. Tatum only made it to the Conference finals in his 6th season before finally wining a title in his 7th. Jaylen Brown was drafted the year before Tatum so he didn’t make the Finals until his 6th season. Ant just finished his 5th season and is 3 years younger than SGA and 5 years younger than MJ when MJ won his first title. Each of those players won their first title paired with another star who was about the same age.

I definitely agree that a lot of what will get us over the hump is on the roster now and adding some help at Center shouldn't be too difficult.

The part I struggle with is that I'm not sure a clear #2 guy to Ant exists on the roster today. But it's also not crystal clear that that guy is NOT on the roster, as I think Jaden, Shannon, and Dillingham all have a chance, albeit a small one, to reach that level.

[FNG]

I would take a hard pass on Lonzo Ball. He has only played 70 games in the past 4 years (average of less than 20 a season!) and his least injured season of the 4 seasons before that was only 55 games. It doesn't appear that he will ever be healthy enough to be a positive factor.

[Lipoli390]

I agree that pre-injury Ball would be ahead of Tyus and Tre, but he's kind of a mystery box right now in terms of his health status.

In terms of Garland and White, I guess it's one of those eye of the beholder things. White especially seems well-suited for playoff basketball and worth a fairly high asking price IMO.

I like both Garland and White a lot. I just don’t think either one would be worth the likely price we’d have to pay to get him. As to which one I’d prefer, that’s a tough one. Garland matches up much better with Ant based on age, which makes him a better fit for sustainable success. On the other hand, I agree that White seems especially well suited to playoff basketball but he’s in his 30s. I wouldn’t give up Jaden for either one. I would not give up Rob in a package for White because I’d want a talented young PG in the fold. I think we could get White in a Naz Reid sign-and-trade. I’d consider it depending on what else we’d have to give up. But then again, trading Naz in a package for White would likely mean keeping Randle and I continue to not like Randle’s fit with Ant.

We made the Western Conference Finals two seasons in a row. I don’t think we need to chase stars or make major deals to get over the hump. TC needs to be a surgeon with a scalpel, not a chef with a ginsu knife. For example, we can add a defensive big to help when Rudy’s not of the floor without giving up any key players or high-end young talent. And keep in mind that a significant part of getting over the hump will be the continued improvement of Ant, Jaden and probably Naz in addition to the ascendence of TSJ, Clark and Rob - maybe even Miller.

Keep in mind, also, that the Bulls didn’t get to the NBA finals until MJ’s 7th season at age 28. SGA didn’t make it to the Finals until this year, his 7th season, at age 26. Steph Curry’s Warriors didn’t make it to the Finals until his 6h season at age 26. Tatum and Haliburton didn’t make the finals until their respective 5th seasons. Tatum only made it to the Conference finals in his 6th season before finally wining a title in his 7th. Jaylen Brown was drafted the year before Tatum so he didn’t make the Finals until his 6th season. Ant just finished his 5th season and is 3 years younger than SGA and 5 years younger than MJ when MJ won his first title. Each of those players won their first title paired with another star who was about the same age.

I definitely agree that a lot of what will get us over the hump is on the roster now and adding some help at Center shouldn't be too difficult.

The part I struggle with is that I'm not sure a clear #2 guy to Ant exists on the roster today. But it's also not crystal clear that that guy is NOT on the roster, as I think Jaden, Shannon, and Dillingham all have a chance, albeit a small one, to reach that level.

I’m not sure either. But that’s what separates the top NBA executives who build championship contenders from the good or mediocre ones who don’t. All execs make mistakes but the great ones hit on at least a couple of their picks even if not at the top of the first round or hit pay dirt on a trade for young recently drafted talent before the player blossoms. That’s what TC did drafting Jokic, Murray and Porter. That’s what Larry Riley and Rob Meyers did drafting Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green for the Warriors. That’s what Sam Presti has done more recently in OKC, trading for SGA and drafting Jalen Williams in addition to drafting Holmgren of course. TC has drafted some impressive young talent in TSJ, Rob Dillingham, Clark and Miller and he inherited some impressive young talent in Ant, Jaden and Naz. Ant has already panned out as one of the League’s best players. If TC is worth what we’re paying him, then at least one of his own picks will pan out. Meanwhile, the book is NOT yet closed on the development of Jaden or Naz.

In my view, it’s up to TC to put the right players on the roster to complement or optimize Ant and make sure Finch develops the top young talent on the team. If Finch can’t or won’t do it, then it’s up to TC to find a head coach who will. TC made his big splash acquiring Rudy as a defensive anchor, although I remain convinced he overpaid for him. Nonetheless, Rudy has filled the role TC envisioned for him and filled it well. Going back to the Bulls analogy, Rudy has become our Bill Cartwright but younger and better when we acquired him. Now we need our Scottie Pippen, Klay Thompson or Jalen Williams and we’re not going to get that guy chasing 30+ year vets and giving up lots of young talent and picks to get one of them. I see no reason why we shouldn’t expect TSJ to be as good as Jalen Williams or Rob Dillingham as good as Darius Garland. There’s good reason to expect Clark to be as good as NAW. We should expect Ant, Jaden and Naz to continue improving over the next couple seasons.

I like the roster we have and I’m bullish on the roster going forward without Randle or NAW - understanding that we need to add a defensive big to the roster to back up Rudy. I’d look to free agency to find that backup defensive big and draft Thomas Sorber as a longer term option for that role.