Q-is-here wrote: ↑Mon Jun 15, 2026 6:22 pm
I wouldn't see Sabonis as a fit in any other capacity except Center, so to me it would be no Rudy and no Randle. Perhaps one of them gets you Sabonis, the other gets you a 3rd guard that can play with Ant and Ayo, and may be there is some draft capital coming back to us as well.
I seriously doubt Connelly is targeting Sabonis BTW, but it's a fun thought-exercise.
While I can see Sabonis playing with Rudy I basically come to the same conclusion as you Q. I don't see the Kings giving Sabonis up for a late round pick or something. They will get something worthwhile and too much for the Wolves to add him for the funsies that I'm considering.
My thought Exercise is a theoretical Grant Williams and Josh Green deal for Randle. I don't think Charlotte would want to do that deal but I like the idea of how those 2 players might fit into what a lot of this board has been discussing lately. I tend to like the idea of turning Randle into a couple opportunities to get a worthwhile player that can help the team with a better fit.
AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 15, 2026 12:50 pm
So I think there are plenty of valid arguments to make to say that Ant could be a top 5 player next year, however, in the spirit of the thread I think we still need ask what can this team do to win a championship if we assume that he isn't that.
Small digression here, but the objective evidence is that Ant is not a top 5 player. Coming into the season, there were those who would have said he was, but there is simply no arguing that Wemby has knocked him down to at least the 6th best player -I would personally regard him lower than that. Outside of subjective rankings, he misses the mark in impact metrics (net rating, vorp, rapm, +/-, epm), he still hasn't made an all NBA 1st team and probably wouldn't have this year if he could have, and has never finished top 5 in MVP votes. The most favorable metric for Edwards is Darko's DPM, which is imo the best catch all metric and the most predictive; this stat tells a confusing story as well. In April at the end of the RS, Ant had an elite 4.9 DPM which iirc was good for 4th or 5th in the league- by post season's end he has dropped all the way to 3.6, a good number, but not exactly a something you see from a championship number 1. Funny enough, all three of Kat, Brunsen and OG finished with a 3.6 DPM --- pretty rare to see 3 guys from the same team finish that high. Anyway all of that to say, at best, Ant is measurably, just outside the top 5 of the league.
So how does this team maneuver a good but not elite roster to well.... An elite one?
Do the Knicks have an “elite roster”? They obviously have a championship roster. Ant’s not a top 5 player, but I’d say he’s an elite player. Any top 15 player in the NBA is elite and Ant is probably top 10. So we have an elite player, Edwards, who is top 10 and might move up to top 5. And we have some very good players in Jaden, Naz and Ayo assuming we retain him. We have a borderline all-star in Randle and a top three defensive player in Rudy. The question in my mind isn’t how we move to an “elite roster.” The question is how we create a “championship” roster around a pretty rare elite player named Anthony Edwards. I don’t know exactly how we do that but that’s the challenge for Tim Connelly. I think he has enough to work with if he’s shrewd and strategic. As we’ve discussed in other threads, the answer clearly isn’t trading valuable assets for an aging former star. Just consider how the Suns and Rockets faired when they traded for Durant. But I think there are some moves TC can make that would make the Wolves a significantly better team. I don’t know what those moves are, but I’m convinced those opportunities are there for TC to find and act on.
60WinTim wrote: ↑Mon Jun 15, 2026 6:44 pm
Tobias Harris is an aging FA. I could see Detroit pondering a Stewart and LaVert trade for Randle. Of course, the Wolves would have more work to do…
I thought of that today too but idk why the Pistons wouldn't just resign Harris because I'd guess he would cost less than Randle and he is a little better floor spacer and the already know what they have there. I mean he is a little over 2 years older than Randle so I'm not sure there is a vast difference there. FWIW Harris looks like he had a better playoffs this year than Randle did.
60WinTim wrote: ↑Mon Jun 15, 2026 6:44 pm
Tobias Harris is an aging FA. I could see Detroit pondering a Stewart and LaVert trade for Randle. Of course, the Wolves would have more work to do…
I’d want a lot more than Stewart and LaVert in return for Randle.
AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 15, 2026 12:50 pm
So I think there are plenty of valid arguments to make to say that Ant could be a top 5 player next year, however, in the spirit of the thread I think we still need ask what can this team do to win a championship if we assume that he isn't that.
Small digression here, but the objective evidence is that Ant is not a top 5 player. Coming into the season, there were those who would have said he was, but there is simply no arguing that Wemby has knocked him down to at least the 6th best player -I would personally regard him lower than that. Outside of subjective rankings, he misses the mark in impact metrics (net rating, vorp, rapm, +/-, epm), he still hasn't made an all NBA 1st team and probably wouldn't have this year if he could have, and has never finished top 5 in MVP votes. The most favorable metric for Edwards is Darko's DPM, which is imo the best catch all metric and the most predictive; this stat tells a confusing story as well. In April at the end of the RS, Ant had an elite 4.9 DPM which iirc was good for 4th or 5th in the league- by post season's end he has dropped all the way to 3.6, a good number, but not exactly a something you see from a championship number 1. Funny enough, all three of Kat, Brunsen and OG finished with a 3.6 DPM --- pretty rare to see 3 guys from the same team finish that high. Anyway all of that to say, at best, Ant is measurably, just outside the top 5 of the league.
So how does this team maneuver a good but not elite roster to well.... An elite one?
Do the Knicks have an “elite roster”? They obviously have a championship roster. Ant’s not a top 5 player, but I’d say he’s an elite player. Any top 15 player in the NBA is elite and Ant is probably top 10. So we have an elite player, Edwards, who is top 10 and might move up to top 5. And we have some very good players in Jaden, Naz and Ayo assuming we retain him. We have a borderline all-star in Randle and a top three defensive player in Rudy. The question in my mind isn’t how we move to an “elite roster.” The question is how we create a “championship” roster around a pretty rare elite player named Anthony Edwards. I don’t know exactly how we do that but that’s the challenge for Tim Connelly. I think he has enough to work with if he’s shrewd and strategic. As we’ve discussed in other threads, the answer clearly isn’t trading valuable assets for an aging former star. Just consider how the Suns and Rockets faired when they traded for Durant. But I think there are some moves TC can make that would make the Wolves a significantly better team. I don’t know what those moves are, but I’m convinced those opportunities are there for TC to find and act on.
My lesson from watching the Knicks in the playoffs is that an "elite roster" is one in which most if not every starter is at least a competent 2-way player. Coming into the season, I questioned whether the Knicks met this criteria, because I thought KAT was punished defensively in the playoffs last season. But now I agree with you, Lip, that KAT is indeed a very good defensive player...he proved that against Wemby. They have one player (Brunson) who gets targeted on defense a lot, but he is so good offensively he makes up for his defensive shortcomings. But more importantly, he is accompanied in the starting lineup by 4 truly competent to excellent 2-way players. Contrast that with the Wolves, who went through the season with two starters far below average on defense (Ju and Ant) and one starter limited on offense (Rudy). The Wolves are not at the Knicks level now, but they can get there I think if the coaching staff can get Ant to reach his defensive potential.
I wouldn’t need much more than a 25 year old 98% rim protector on a 2 year left rookie extension and a mediocre backup SG with just one year left for Julius…sign me up for that.
Seriously the point of this offseason (baring somehow getting a big game hunting exposition where the wolves some how end up being the fleecer and not the fleeceie) should be making sure next offseason we are A)extremely flexible B)have another first rounder unlocked to pair with the one that unlocks this offseason C) have a full season of Naz and Jaden’s usage skyrocketing so as to make an informed decision D) make the playoffs to keep Ant on the hook mentally and not starting to make REAL noise about leaving.
I think keeping Rudy helps all those things and gives Joan another season to marinate so his value remains high and his inexperience doesn’t expose him and tank his value as an assets.
Move Julius for sweat socks man. Isaiah Stewart is great as a back up behind Rudy and who cares if we decide Joan earns Isaiah minutes by trade deadline because he becomes an expiring and can be moved?
AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 15, 2026 12:50 pm
So I think there are plenty of valid arguments to make to say that Ant could be a top 5 player next year, however, in the spirit of the thread I think we still need ask what can this team do to win a championship if we assume that he isn't that.
Small digression here, but the objective evidence is that Ant is not a top 5 player. Coming into the season, there were those who would have said he was, but there is simply no arguing that Wemby has knocked him down to at least the 6th best player -I would personally regard him lower than that. Outside of subjective rankings, he misses the mark in impact metrics (net rating, vorp, rapm, +/-, epm), he still hasn't made an all NBA 1st team and probably wouldn't have this year if he could have, and has never finished top 5 in MVP votes. The most favorable metric for Edwards is Darko's DPM, which is imo the best catch all metric and the most predictive; this stat tells a confusing story as well. In April at the end of the RS, Ant had an elite 4.9 DPM which iirc was good for 4th or 5th in the league- by post season's end he has dropped all the way to 3.6, a good number, but not exactly a something you see from a championship number 1. Funny enough, all three of Kat, Brunsen and OG finished with a 3.6 DPM --- pretty rare to see 3 guys from the same team finish that high. Anyway all of that to say, at best, Ant is measurably, just outside the top 5 of the league.
So how does this team maneuver a good but not elite roster to well.... An elite one?
Do the Knicks have an “elite roster”? They obviously have a championship roster. Ant’s not a top 5 player, but I’d say he’s an elite player. Any top 15 player in the NBA is elite and Ant is probably top 10. So we have an elite player, Edwards, who is top 10 and might move up to top 5. And we have some very good players in Jaden, Naz and Ayo assuming we retain him. We have a borderline all-star in Randle and a top three defensive player in Rudy. The question in my mind isn’t how we move to an “elite roster.” The question is how we create a “championship” roster around a pretty rare elite player named Anthony Edwards. I don’t know exactly how we do that but that’s the challenge for Tim Connelly. I think he has enough to work with if he’s shrewd and strategic. As we’ve discussed in other threads, the answer clearly isn’t trading valuable assets for an aging former star. Just consider how the Suns and Rockets faired when they traded for Durant. But I think there are some moves TC can make that would make the Wolves a significantly better team. I don’t know what those moves are, but I’m convinced those opportunities are there for TC to find and act on.
My lesson from watching the Knicks in the playoffs is that an "elite roster" is one in which most if not every starter is at least a competent 2-way player. Coming into the season, I questioned whether the Knicks met this criteria, because I thought KAT was punished defensively in the playoffs last season. But now I agree with you, Lip, that KAT is indeed a very good defensive player...he proved that against Wemby. They have one player (Brunson) who gets targeted on defense a lot, but he is so good offensively he makes up for his defensive shortcomings. But more importantly, he is accompanied in the starting lineup by 4 truly competent to excellent 2-way players. Contrast that with the Wolves, who went through the season with two starters far below average on defense (Ju and Ant) and one starter limited on offense (Rudy). The Wolves are not at the Knicks level now, but they can get there I think if the coaching staff can get Ant to reach his defensive potential.
Proper team building, I have 0 worries about Ants defense if we get the right pieces around him that doesn't make him expend so much energy on offense. If KAT can play good defense, Ant can get back to great defense he played a few years ago.
AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 14, 2026 7:38 pm
There is a fundamental misunderstanding some folk have regarding the conversation about the "core" players, specifically Jaden and Naz.
Saying that Ant, Jaden, Naz and Joan are the teams core is not a suggestion that those are and should be the four best players going into 26'-27'. It's also not a suggestion that roster changes shouldn't happen, it's actually quite the opposite.
There are those of us here who believe that roster construction and role opportunities have limited Naz and Jaden from really growing into their optimal roles. This seems rather obvious to me, but apparently not to everyone else. Which fair enough, we can disagree on what the conclusion is here but the paradigm is pretty simple--- construct a roster that involves and compliments these players as best you can, particularly the older three cause I'm not sure how strongly Joan potential should be weighed in the team champ window.
If you just watched the Knicks win a championship and don't see how a balanced and complimentary roster lifts everyone to a sum that is greater than their parts, so much so that you're hoisting the O'Brian.... I don't know what to tell you. Not a single member of the Knicks is a top 5 player and I'd be hard pressed to put any in the top 12, yet they just completed one of the most impressive and dominant playoff runs of the modern era.
Well put. Cores are not just "best players" and often include ideal role players that are a great fit with the teams best player(s). It's one reason many are against trading half your rotation for a Giannis. Knowing it would end up being starting lineup or bust with the bench being replaced by a bunch of minimal contracts, which just doesn't work like it did in the super team trio era.
