Minnesota Sports Forum

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:40 pm

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:36 pm

mjs34 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 6:57 pm

Why? does this have to do with the apron BS? What other trades are we trying to do?

Assuming the Ayo deal is official, they can't trade him for six months. I think that's just a normal protection built in for vet free agents and has nothing to do with the Apron.

I'd rather have Ayo than Tobias anyway.

Ayo for Tobias would probably go down as one of the worst Wolves trades in our franchise history - and that’s a very serious indictment.

Q, I am not sure if the Ayo signing is finalized. Spotrac still lists it as pending, but who knows if that is accurate.

I like what I have seen of Ayo, but he is 26 and wasn't exactly tearing it up in Chicago. Was he even a starter? I am concerned that everyone is falling in love with him over a couple of good games. Since we traded for Melo, I am not sure that he will give us anything more than Josh Green. Green has a little more size to him, and the little I watched him I think his D was every bit as good as Ayo's.

Lip, you might not have watched Tobias lately, but he is every bit a quality starter in the league. I also think we could use his maturity on this team. I know I don't want Jaden playing a lot of PF on this team, and I don't want Ayo playing SF.

I also think we need to dump Donte if we are serious about winning a title. We have to decide if this is a community rec center team, or a group trying to compete for a championship. Donte may never play for the wolves again.

mjs34 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:58 pm

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:40 pm

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:36 pm

Assuming the Ayo deal is official, they can't trade him for six months. I think that's just a normal protection built in for vet free agents and has nothing to do with the Apron.

I'd rather have Ayo than Tobias anyway.

Ayo for Tobias would probably go down as one of the worst Wolves trades in our franchise history - and that’s a very serious indictment.

Q, I am not sure if the Ayo signing is finalized. Spotrac still lists it as pending, but who knows if that is accurate.

I like what I have seen of Ayo, but he is 26 and wasn't exactly tearing it up in Chicago. Was he even a starter? I am concerned that everyone is falling in love with him over a couple of good games. Since we traded for Melo, I am not sure that he will give us anything more than Josh Green. Green has a little more size to him, and the little I watched him I think his D was every bit as good as Ayo's.

Lip, you might not have watched Tobias lately, but he is every bit a quality starter in the league. I also think we could use his maturity on this team. I know I don't want Jaden playing a lot of PF on this team, and I don't want Ayo playing SF.

I also think we need to dump Donte if we are serious about winning a title. We have to decide if this is a community rec center team, or a group trying to compete for a championship. Donte may never play for the wolves again.

I agree that Tobias is absolutely a quality starting PF. I just value Ayo more and think we need him given the need to manage Ball’s minutes and the style of play we’re likely to see next season. I loved Ayo’s game well before those great games he had for us in the playoffs. He generally came off the bench in Chicago but was a significant contributor with significant minutes. He can break down defenses and score efficiently at the rim. He’s a very good 3-point shooter. He’s tremendous at running the floor and pushing pace, which means he’ll pair really well in minutes he shares on the floor with Melo. He also excels on both sides of the ball. I think he’s only scratched the surface of his abilities thus far in his career and has never played with a good team. He’s now going to be playing with a very good team. He starts the season as my pick for 6th man of the year.

I just want to reiterate that we don’t need a top tier player at every starting position. The Bulls won three championship with Luc Longley and Bill Wedington as their two centers. Their PF was an elite rebounder and defender who could not shoot a lick. But they had Jordan, Pippin and Kukoc. We’ll be fine as long as we get a decent veteran PF onto our roster and into our rotation. There are a lot of options. They’re all imperfect options but we don’t need anything close to perfection. We just need a guy who can do things we need from a PF in a way that complements the key players who will ultimately drive this team’s success.

mjs34 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:58 pm

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:40 pm

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:36 pm

Assuming the Ayo deal is official, they can't trade him for six months. I think that's just a normal protection built in for vet free agents and has nothing to do with the Apron.

I'd rather have Ayo than Tobias anyway.

Ayo for Tobias would probably go down as one of the worst Wolves trades in our franchise history - and that’s a very serious indictment.

Q, I am not sure if the Ayo signing is finalized. Spotrac still lists it as pending, but who knows if that is accurate.

I like what I have seen of Ayo, but he is 26 and wasn't exactly tearing it up in Chicago. Was he even a starter? I am concerned that everyone is falling in love with him over a couple of good games. Since we traded for Melo, I am not sure that he will give us anything more than Josh Green. Green has a little more size to him, and the little I watched him I think his D was every bit as good as Ayo's.

Lip, you might not have watched Tobias lately, but he is every bit a quality starter in the league. I also think we could use his maturity on this team. I know I don't want Jaden playing a lot of PF on this team, and I don't want Ayo playing SF.

I also think we need to dump Donte if we are serious about winning a title. We have to decide if this is a community rec center team, or a group trying to compete for a championship. Donte may never play for the wolves again.

Two things I'll add to Lip's response. 1) I like Ayo's versatility. He can play and guard up to three positions depending on matchups. The same can't be said for Tobias. 2) Harris turns 34 in a couple of weeks. While I'm sure he can still be effective, I don't like the fact we'd be giving up a 26 YO in his prime for a 34 year old coming out of his prime.

As for DDV, he may be back in time to actually help us win that title! I'm not opposed to moving him, but I can also see the value in keeping him around and then re-signing him to a team-friendly deal.

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 8:59 pm

mjs34 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:58 pm

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:40 pm

Ayo for Tobias would probably go down as one of the worst Wolves trades in our franchise history - and that’s a very serious indictment.

Q, I am not sure if the Ayo signing is finalized. Spotrac still lists it as pending, but who knows if that is accurate.

I like what I have seen of Ayo, but he is 26 and wasn't exactly tearing it up in Chicago. Was he even a starter? I am concerned that everyone is falling in love with him over a couple of good games. Since we traded for Melo, I am not sure that he will give us anything more than Josh Green. Green has a little more size to him, and the little I watched him I think his D was every bit as good as Ayo's.

Lip, you might not have watched Tobias lately, but he is every bit a quality starter in the league. I also think we could use his maturity on this team. I know I don't want Jaden playing a lot of PF on this team, and I don't want Ayo playing SF.

I also think we need to dump Donte if we are serious about winning a title. We have to decide if this is a community rec center team, or a group trying to compete for a championship. Donte may never play for the wolves again.

Two things I'll add to Lip's response. 1) I like Ayo's versatility. He can play and guard up to three positions depending on matchups. The same can't be said for Tobias. 2) Harris turns 34 in a couple of weeks. While I'm sure he can still be effective, I don't like the fact we'd be giving up a 26 YO in his prime for a 34 year old coming out of his prime.

As for DDV, he may be back in time to actually help us win that title! I'm not opposed to moving him, but I can also see the value in keeping him around and then re-signing him to a team-friendly deal.

Or at least not look like the "Wolves are shitting on Donte" BEFORE all their FA signings and trades are complete...

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 8:59 pm

mjs34 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:58 pm

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:40 pm

Ayo for Tobias would probably go down as one of the worst Wolves trades in our franchise history - and that’s a very serious indictment.

Q, I am not sure if the Ayo signing is finalized. Spotrac still lists it as pending, but who knows if that is accurate.

I like what I have seen of Ayo, but he is 26 and wasn't exactly tearing it up in Chicago. Was he even a starter? I am concerned that everyone is falling in love with him over a couple of good games. Since we traded for Melo, I am not sure that he will give us anything more than Josh Green. Green has a little more size to him, and the little I watched him I think his D was every bit as good as Ayo's.

Lip, you might not have watched Tobias lately, but he is every bit a quality starter in the league. I also think we could use his maturity on this team. I know I don't want Jaden playing a lot of PF on this team, and I don't want Ayo playing SF.

I also think we need to dump Donte if we are serious about winning a title. We have to decide if this is a community rec center team, or a group trying to compete for a championship. Donte may never play for the wolves again.

Two things I'll add to Lip's response. 1) I like Ayo's versatility. He can play and guard up to three positions depending on matchups. The same can't be said for Tobias. 2) Harris turns 34 in a couple of weeks. While I'm sure he can still be effective, I don't like the fact we'd be giving up a 26 YO in his prime for a 34 year old coming out of his prime.

As for DDV, he may be back in time to actually help us win that title! I'm not opposed to moving him, but I can also see the value in keeping him around and then re-signing him to a team-friendly deal.

I don't disagree with anything you stated, but I think having a quality PF is more important at this point and the maturity is important with this squad. I don't think Ayo is scratching the surface as LIp says because other than having a hot season shooting the 3 he hasn't really improved in his five seasons. I also don't like his contract. I think we overpaid by 3-4 mil per year, but worse is the five years with a player option as well. What team gives their bench player that kind of deal.

Donte isn't likely to come back at full strength, and where will he get minutes if Ayo is backing up Melo and Ant? We have plenty of guards at this point and we know Finch isn't willing go deep into his bench (regardless of what he says).

How may team friendly deals do we get!

mjs34 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 9:20 pm

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 8:59 pm

mjs34 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:58 pm

Q, I am not sure if the Ayo signing is finalized. Spotrac still lists it as pending, but who knows if that is accurate.

I like what I have seen of Ayo, but he is 26 and wasn't exactly tearing it up in Chicago. Was he even a starter? I am concerned that everyone is falling in love with him over a couple of good games. Since we traded for Melo, I am not sure that he will give us anything more than Josh Green. Green has a little more size to him, and the little I watched him I think his D was every bit as good as Ayo's.

Lip, you might not have watched Tobias lately, but he is every bit a quality starter in the league. I also think we could use his maturity on this team. I know I don't want Jaden playing a lot of PF on this team, and I don't want Ayo playing SF.

I also think we need to dump Donte if we are serious about winning a title. We have to decide if this is a community rec center team, or a group trying to compete for a championship. Donte may never play for the wolves again.

Two things I'll add to Lip's response. 1) I like Ayo's versatility. He can play and guard up to three positions depending on matchups. The same can't be said for Tobias. 2) Harris turns 34 in a couple of weeks. While I'm sure he can still be effective, I don't like the fact we'd be giving up a 26 YO in his prime for a 34 year old coming out of his prime.

As for DDV, he may be back in time to actually help us win that title! I'm not opposed to moving him, but I can also see the value in keeping him around and then re-signing him to a team-friendly deal.

I don't disagree with anything you stated, but I think having a quality PF is more important at this point and the maturity is important with this squad. I don't think Ayo is scratching the surface as LIp says because other than having a hot season shooting the 3 he hasn't really improved in his five seasons. I also don't like his contract. I think we overpaid by 3-4 mil per year, but worse is the five years with a player option as well. What team gives their bench player that kind of deal.

Donte isn't likely to come back at full strength, and where will he get minutes if Ayo is backing up Melo and Ant? We have plenty of guards at this point and we know Finch isn't willing go deep into his bench (regardless of what he says).

How may team friendly deals do we get!

I thought Ayo took a pretty big leap forward last season as a scoring option, to the point he can be a 3rd or 4th option on the team. And he maintained this in the playoffs (well, at least until the calf strain got him). He took on more usage while maintaining his efficiency and keeping his turnovers down.

It's not unusual for some players to take 4 or 5+ years to fully flower offensively and I think he may still have a bit of runway left (probably not as much as Lip thinks). Look at Ty Jerome and Norman Powell as recent examples of guys that really didn't hit their stride as scorers until they were well into their 20s.

Anyone have interest in Cam Johnson if he were included in the Brown trade?

Nuggets: Brown, Green

Celts: Murray, Donte, Nuggets 2027 1st

Wolves: Melo, Cam, Gueye

Nets: Randle

Bulls: Claxton

Hornets: Naz

Something akin to this. I would 100% do this. He is on an expiring. And could possiblely extend him for a bit less than what his last contract was on an aav. Doesn't solve our PF spot per say. But if Jaden does move up to PF, he gives us a better option at SF than say..... Evans our pick 33 rookie. At least for this season competing.

Mnwild1128 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 10:26 pm Anyone have interest in Cam Johnson if he were included in the Brown trade?

Nuggets: Brown, Green

Celts: Murray, Donte, Nuggets 2027 1st

Wolves: Melo, Cam, Gueye

Nets: Randle

Bulls: Claxton

Hornets: Naz

Something akin to this. I would 100% do this. He is on an expiring. And could possiblely extend him for a bit less than what his last contract was on an aav. Doesn't solve our PF spot per say. But if Jaden does move up to PF, he gives us a better option at SF than say..... Evans our pick 33 rookie. At least for this season competing.

It would probably be better for the Wolves if some other big deals come together over the next few days so that a player the Wolves would like becomes available. Either a team that wants an expiring like Green or a shooter like Green can be roped in.

mjs34 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 9:20 pm

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 8:59 pm

mjs34 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 7:58 pm

Q, I am not sure if the Ayo signing is finalized. Spotrac still lists it as pending, but who knows if that is accurate.

I like what I have seen of Ayo, but he is 26 and wasn't exactly tearing it up in Chicago. Was he even a starter? I am concerned that everyone is falling in love with him over a couple of good games. Since we traded for Melo, I am not sure that he will give us anything more than Josh Green. Green has a little more size to him, and the little I watched him I think his D was every bit as good as Ayo's.

Lip, you might not have watched Tobias lately, but he is every bit a quality starter in the league. I also think we could use his maturity on this team. I know I don't want Jaden playing a lot of PF on this team, and I don't want Ayo playing SF.

I also think we need to dump Donte if we are serious about winning a title. We have to decide if this is a community rec center team, or a group trying to compete for a championship. Donte may never play for the wolves again.

Two things I'll add to Lip's response. 1) I like Ayo's versatility. He can play and guard up to three positions depending on matchups. The same can't be said for Tobias. 2) Harris turns 34 in a couple of weeks. While I'm sure he can still be effective, I don't like the fact we'd be giving up a 26 YO in his prime for a 34 year old coming out of his prime.

As for DDV, he may be back in time to actually help us win that title! I'm not opposed to moving him, but I can also see the value in keeping him around and then re-signing him to a team-friendly deal.

I don't disagree with anything you stated, but I think having a quality PF is more important at this point and the maturity is important with this squad. I don't think Ayo is scratching the surface as LIp says because other than having a hot season shooting the 3 he hasn't really improved in his five seasons. I also don't like his contract. I think we overpaid by 3-4 mil per year, but worse is the five years with a player option as well. What team gives their bench player that kind of deal.

Donte isn't likely to come back at full strength, and where will he get minutes if Ayo is backing up Melo and Ant? We have plenty of guards at this point and we know Finch isn't willing go deep into his bench (regardless of what he says).

How may team friendly deals do we get!

Maybe Ayo isn’t scratching the surface of his potential. But even if he’s as good as he’ll ever be, he’s going to be a huge positive for this team next season and beyond. let’s take a look at his numbers. Last season (Bulls and Wolves combined), Ayo played 27 minutes per game and averaged 15 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.4 rebounds with a field goal percentage of 51.7% which is outstanding for a guard and higher than Tobias Harris’s 47%. Ayo had a 3-point percentage of 44%, which is elite. He also defends and pushes pace. I agree we should acquire a PF, but giving up a 26 year old guard who puts up numbers like that for a 34 year old PF who’s less efficient from the field makes no sense. I think we need to acquire a solid PF for our rotation, perhaps as a starter, but we’re not desperate and there are plenty of options out there that will be obtainable through a Josh Green trade or via the taxpayer MLE.

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 11:04 pm

mjs34 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 9:20 pm

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2026 8:59 pm

Two things I'll add to Lip's response. 1) I like Ayo's versatility. He can play and guard up to three positions depending on matchups. The same can't be said for Tobias. 2) Harris turns 34 in a couple of weeks. While I'm sure he can still be effective, I don't like the fact we'd be giving up a 26 YO in his prime for a 34 year old coming out of his prime.

As for DDV, he may be back in time to actually help us win that title! I'm not opposed to moving him, but I can also see the value in keeping him around and then re-signing him to a team-friendly deal.

I don't disagree with anything you stated, but I think having a quality PF is more important at this point and the maturity is important with this squad. I don't think Ayo is scratching the surface as LIp says because other than having a hot season shooting the 3 he hasn't really improved in his five seasons. I also don't like his contract. I think we overpaid by 3-4 mil per year, but worse is the five years with a player option as well. What team gives their bench player that kind of deal.

Donte isn't likely to come back at full strength, and where will he get minutes if Ayo is backing up Melo and Ant? We have plenty of guards at this point and we know Finch isn't willing go deep into his bench (regardless of what he says).

How may team friendly deals do we get!

Maybe Ayo isn’t scratching the surface of his potential. But even if he’s as good as he’ll ever be, he’s going to be a huge positive for this team next season and beyond. let’s take a look at his numbers. Last season (Bulls and Wolves combined), Ayo played 27 minutes per game and averaged 15 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.4 rebounds with a field goal percentage of 51.7% which is outstanding for a guard and higher than Tobias Harris’s 47%. Ayo had a 3-point percentage of 44%, which is elite. He also defends and pushes pace. I agree we should acquire a PF, but giving up a 26 year old guard who puts up numbers like that for a 34 year old PF who’s less efficient from the field makes no sense. I think we need to acquire a solid PF for our rotation, perhaps as a starter, but we’re not desperate and there are plenty of options out there that will be obtainable through a Josh Green trade or via the taxpayer MLE.

Maybe some people haven't been aware of Ayo before this last season but he has been a good player for quite a while. He is a defender that's how he got minutes and he also is very efficient for a guard with an almost 60% TS percentage.

I'm a big fan of Tobias Harris and would be happy to have him on this roster. I don't know what I would be willing to pay him. It would not be a whole lot more than 15 million a year and probably not for more than 2 years.