https://youtu.be/ciznWTTiUkw?si=8ZNjmesElHZyK0qb
Jon K’s interview of Tim Connelly. I always enjoy listening to TC. There’s some good stuff in this interview related to the PF position. It seems clear the Wolves don’t feel any sense of urgency to augment the roster at that position although TC acknowledged the front office understands that spot is a weakness. Several key comments stood out to me:
1. While acknowledging the relative weakness at the PF position, TC emphasized that the Wolves are elite at the other four starting spots. He noted that every team is lacking at one starting spot.
2. He said again that there are “several players on the roster who can play the PF position.”
3. He emphasized that we need a lower usage player to complement the multiple high-usage guys we have in Ant, LaMello, Jaden and Ayo. He then specifically mentioned Trey Lyles as a high IQ player, low-usage player with experience as a rotation player on a playoff team who will fit well with the other guys.
4. Regarding efforts to add a PF to the roster, he mentioned at least twice that they are “talking to one or two free agents.” Obviously one of the two is Kuminga. Not sure who the other one is. Interestingly, he said that those one or two free agents like the idea of playing here even though they know the Wolves can’t pay them a lot. So it sounds like Kuminga is still a viable option although I’m sure he’ll opt for LA or Cleveland if they agree to pay him substantially more than the vet minimum as a free agent or via a sign-and-trade.
5. He said Jaden is going to take a “monster leap” in his game next season.
Overall, I don’t get the sense TC is going to trade for a PF. I don’t remember his exact words, but he essentially said he doesn’t want to disrupt the positives we have in pursuit of addressing the PF position. And when the discussion continued he didn’t say “we’re talking to some teams.” Instead, he said “we’re talking to one or two free agents.” Of course, TC never tips his hand and has a reputation for surprising us with deals that come out of nowhere. So who knows. My gut still tells me the Wolves will trade Green in some sort of package for a starting-caliber PF before the season starts if they can. Of course, that requires finding both a starting-caliber PF who fits well with the team and the other team being willing to make the deal for what we’d offer. So my head tells me the odds of a deal for a PF still seem remote, especially given what TC communicated as a lack of urgency, which I believe.
