Wolves Offseason Forward Options

[FNG]

I would do that deal. It makes some sense for Dallas because they’d escape the long term cap implications of PJ’s contract. I don’t think TC would do that deal.

I agree that deal would make a lot of sense for Dallas, but I don't think TC would do it either. I'd be on the fence.

I’m curious, FNG. Why wouldn’t you do that deal?

Probably irrational on my part, Lip, because the deal would certainly make the Wolves much better...at least until Donte comes back. I'm 50/50 on the deal though for a few reasons. First, trading an injured guy who was arguably the hardest working guy on the team last year feels a little ugly to me...I suspect it might to Finchy and TC too. Secondly, I believe 'Donte will be back before the playoffs, and as hard as he works to get open, an elite passer like Ball is really going to unlock his offensive value...I think he could be a real sparkplug in the playoffs. As I said, mostly irrational based on my man crush on Donte after the terrific season he had last year,

All that said, I wouldn't be opposed to the deal. My preference though would be to start the season with a PF rotation built around Lyles, Love and Jaden. If it proved to be unsuccessful, I would hope TC would trade for someone like PJ midyear.

[Lipoli390]

I agree that deal would make a lot of sense for Dallas, but I don't think TC would do it either. I'd be on the fence.

I’m curious, FNG. Why wouldn’t you do that deal?

Probably irrational on my part, Lip, because the deal would certainly make the Wolves much better...at least until Donte comes back. I'm 50/50 on the deal though for a few reasons. First, trading an injured guy who was arguably the hardest working guy on the team last year feels a little ugly to me...I suspect it might to Finchy and TC too. Secondly, I believe 'Donte will be back before the playoffs, and as hard as he works to get open, an elite passer like Ball is really going to unlock his offensive value...I think he could be a real sparkplug in the playoffs. As I said, mostly irrational based on my man crush on Donte after the terrific season he had last year,

All that said, I wouldn't be opposed to the deal. My preference though would be to start the season with a PF rotation built around Lyles, Love and Jaden. If it proved to be unsuccessful, I would hope TC would trade for someone like PJ midyear.

I think you’ve made a good case for not doing that deal, FNG. I don’t think it’s irrational. It’s perfectly rational to be concerned about trading away the player who Finch has referred to as the heart of the team. And I think you’re on to something about the bad feeling associated with trading away someone like Donte in the midst of his attempt to recover from what used to be a career-ending injury. It could negatively impact the overall psychology of the team or the perception of this organization among players around the League. And of course, it’s perfectly rational to believe Donte could come back by the playoffs and really help the team, although it’s not something I’d bet on.

Another point you didn’t make, but it’s an important one, is the longer term horizon. If we’re focused exclusively on next season, then it makes more sense to trade Donte. But if we’re looking beyond next season, then my thinking starts to swing back more towards keeping Donte. No telling whether Donte will be the player he was but if he recovers completely he’s a great player to have on the team and we could probably lock him up in a reasonable team friendly contract if we stick with him through his recovery. Our three best players are all 25 or under so we are in a position to take a longer view than a team built around a core of guys over 30. And Donte is still only around 30.

So it’s a close call for me too. I fall slightly on the side of trading Green and Donte for PJ if the deal is available, but only slightly and I could easily swing back the other way as I reflect further. One thing that keeps entering my mind is the fact that Green can help this team. A low-usage 3-&D player like Green is exactly what this team needs now with two heavy usage guards (Ant and LaMello) along with the need to get Jaden more involved in the offense. Furthermore, Green adds toughness and high energy, which are things this team has really lacked. I also like that Green’s speed and athleticism, which fit well with the team our front office has put together with Ball coming in and Randle moving out.

[Phenom]

I asked AI Gemini whether PJ Washington or Jonathan Kuminga would be the better fit for the Wolves. Here was it’s answer:

P.J. Washington is currently the better basketball fit for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Following a massive offseason trade that sent Naz Reid to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for LaMelo Ball, the Timberwolves are severely thin in the frontcourt. Evaluating how both players fit the team's newly formed core reveals distinct advantages and financial hurdles for each option.

The Case for P.J. Washington:

The Better FitSpacing: Washington is a proven floor-spacer with a 35.4% career average from three-point range. He is elite from the corners, making him an excellent option to catch passes from LaMelo Ball or pick-and-pop alongside Anthony Edwards.

Defensive Versatility: Standing at 6'7", Washington offers the lateral quickness to guard perimeter wings and the strength to hold his own closer to the basket.

Playoff Dependability: He has a reliable baseline of execution and won't require significant tactical maneuvering or development to complement Minnesota’s stars immediately.

The Case for Jonathan Kuminga:

The High-Upside AlternativeAthletic Transition: Kuminga is an elite, high-flying athlete who thrives in transition. If the Timberwolves want to push the pace with LaMelo Ball, Kuminga's rim-running is highly attractive.

Positional Correction: Inserting Kuminga at power forward allows Jaden McDaniels to shift permanently to his natural small forward position, creating a highly switchable defensive unit.

The Shooting Flaw: Unlike Washington, Kuminga’s outside jumper is a massive work in progress (shooting roughly 33.3% from deep last season). Sharing the floor with Rudy Gobert would severely compromise Minnesota's interior spacing.

A 35.4% career 3 point shooter is a "proven floor spacer"? My bar is lower than some here for whether or not a guy is a worthwhile 3 point shooter but that goes too far for me. Washington is also pretty far from elite from the corners he shoots exactly the same percentage there for his career as his overall 3 point percentage 35.4%.

I did a quick glance at PJs 3 point numbers. The trend is mostly that his 3pt percentage has been trending down although he shot 38% 2 seasons ago. I also noticed that (kinda, sorta, generally), his seasons in which he has less games played were his best shooting seasons and the seasons with his highest games played are his worst shooting percentages. I think its safe to call him a streaky shooter.

[Lipoli390]

I asked AI Gemini whether PJ Washington or Jonathan Kuminga would be the better fit for the Wolves. Here was it’s answer:

P.J. Washington is currently the better basketball fit for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Following a massive offseason trade that sent Naz Reid to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for LaMelo Ball, the Timberwolves are severely thin in the frontcourt. Evaluating how both players fit the team's newly formed core reveals distinct advantages and financial hurdles for each option.

The Case for P.J. Washington:

The Better FitSpacing: Washington is a proven floor-spacer with a 35.4% career average from three-point range. He is elite from the corners, making him an excellent option to catch passes from LaMelo Ball or pick-and-pop alongside Anthony Edwards.

Defensive Versatility: Standing at 6'7", Washington offers the lateral quickness to guard perimeter wings and the strength to hold his own closer to the basket.

Playoff Dependability: He has a reliable baseline of execution and won't require significant tactical maneuvering or development to complement Minnesota’s stars immediately.

The Case for Jonathan Kuminga:

The High-Upside AlternativeAthletic Transition: Kuminga is an elite, high-flying athlete who thrives in transition. If the Timberwolves want to push the pace with LaMelo Ball, Kuminga's rim-running is highly attractive.

Positional Correction: Inserting Kuminga at power forward allows Jaden McDaniels to shift permanently to his natural small forward position, creating a highly switchable defensive unit.

The Shooting Flaw: Unlike Washington, Kuminga’s outside jumper is a massive work in progress (shooting roughly 33.3% from deep last season). Sharing the floor with Rudy Gobert would severely compromise Minnesota's interior spacing.

A 35.4% career 3 point shooter is a "proven floor spacer"? My bar is lower than some here for whether or not a guy is a worthwhile 3 point shooter but that goes too far for me. Washington is also pretty far from elite from the corners he shoots exactly the same percentage there for his career as his overall 3 point percentage 35.4%.

Good fact-checking, Monster. Based on that guy’s characterization of PJ’s corner three shooting as “elite”, I assumed PJ’s corner three percentage was closer to 40%. It would appear that PJ would not be much more of a floor-spacer than Julius was for us. But I still see him as a bona fide starting-caliber PF who would fit well with this team. Yet, the question remains: Would he be worth giving up both Green and Donte? That’s a close call for me.

[Monster]

I asked AI Gemini whether PJ Washington or Jonathan Kuminga would be the better fit for the Wolves. Here was it’s answer:

P.J. Washington is currently the better basketball fit for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Following a massive offseason trade that sent Naz Reid to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for LaMelo Ball, the Timberwolves are severely thin in the frontcourt. Evaluating how both players fit the team's newly formed core reveals distinct advantages and financial hurdles for each option.

The Case for P.J. Washington:

The Better FitSpacing: Washington is a proven floor-spacer with a 35.4% career average from three-point range. He is elite from the corners, making him an excellent option to catch passes from LaMelo Ball or pick-and-pop alongside Anthony Edwards.

Defensive Versatility: Standing at 6'7", Washington offers the lateral quickness to guard perimeter wings and the strength to hold his own closer to the basket.

Playoff Dependability: He has a reliable baseline of execution and won't require significant tactical maneuvering or development to complement Minnesota’s stars immediately.

The Case for Jonathan Kuminga:

The High-Upside AlternativeAthletic Transition: Kuminga is an elite, high-flying athlete who thrives in transition. If the Timberwolves want to push the pace with LaMelo Ball, Kuminga's rim-running is highly attractive.

Positional Correction: Inserting Kuminga at power forward allows Jaden McDaniels to shift permanently to his natural small forward position, creating a highly switchable defensive unit.

The Shooting Flaw: Unlike Washington, Kuminga’s outside jumper is a massive work in progress (shooting roughly 33.3% from deep last season). Sharing the floor with Rudy Gobert would severely compromise Minnesota's interior spacing.

A 35.4% career 3 point shooter is a "proven floor spacer"? My bar is lower than some here for whether or not a guy is a worthwhile 3 point shooter but that goes too far for me. Washington is also pretty far from elite from the corners he shoots exactly the same percentage there for his career as his overall 3 point percentage 35.4%.

Good fact-checking, Monster. Based on that guy’s characterization of PJ’s corner three shooting as “elite”, I assumed PJ’s corner three percentage was closer to 40%. It would appear that PJ would not be much more of a floor-spacer than Julius was for us. But I still see him as a bona fide starting-caliber PF who would fit well with this team. Yet, the question remains: Would he be worth giving up both Green and Donte? That’s a close call for me.

If we are comparing to Randle Washington is actually a pretty big upgrade because he is a volume 3 point shooter plus he is a better defender. The issue is are you willing to play 20+ million for that? I'm not unless something has changed in terms of salary past this season on the roster and right now I don't see doing that.

Edit: Again when I was looking at trading Randle for someone Washington made some sense. A year from now do I want to be paying Washington over 20 million when someone of his ilk will likely have to take the MLE in FA at most unless there is a sign and trade? No

[Lipoli390]

https://youtu.be/19pLsi5Bcbk

I thought this video was a pretty good assessment of the situation. Sounds like it was created by AI but hard to know.