PF/big front court targets

[Tactical unit]

JaVale McGee is a cheap / poor mans Clint Capela and also a FA, I wouldn't mind McGee on a cheap deal. We rarely saw Naz and KAT on the floor at the same time though, so what makes us think KAT will see the floor with these other suggested bigs?

[Monster]

JaVale McGee is a cheap / poor mans Clint Capela and also a FA, I wouldn't mind McGee on a cheap deal. We rarely saw Naz and KAT on the floor at the same time though, so what makes us think KAT will see the floor with these other suggested bigs?

I've been noticing how ridiculously productive McGee has been for the Suns. He has gone from when younger sort of a space cadet to being a valued vet.

I was surprised that Naz and Towns didn't play together more this year but the problem with them playing together is they are similar in their strengths and weaknesses except Towns is a plus rebounder and Naz is just ok. Both aren't amazing athletes play a skill game instead of a physical one. I think at times they probably should still have gotten some more minutes together but a guy with a different skill set might work better next to Towns for some minutes. I'm not sure how many minutes a true defensive center would play next to Towns but we currently don't have one.

Out of the 17 roster spots the Wolves had last season (including 2-way players) they have just Towns Naz Vanderbilt and Knight that are actual PF/C. They do have McDaniels who played there some and I think at times that's fine. Still the Wolves were pretty guard wing heavy in the roster. IMO they need to add a vet guy and at least 1 more young player (maybe 2 if they don't keep Knight on a 2 way deal) to develop as a PF/C. With 17 roster spots that means you can have at least 3 players at every roster spot. Last year for most of the season they had like 4.75 spots for PF/C. I think both Finch and Gupta are aware that lack of size and therefore defensive rebounding in particular was a real problem.

[Tactical unit]

JaVale McGee is a cheap / poor mans Clint Capela and also a FA, I wouldn't mind McGee on a cheap deal. We rarely saw Naz and KAT on the floor at the same time though, so what makes us think KAT will see the floor with these other suggested bigs?

I've been noticing how ridiculously productive McGee has been for the Suns. He has gone from when younger sort of a space cadet to being a valued vet.

I was surprised that Naz and Towns didn't play together more this year but the problem with them playing together is they are similar in their strengths and weaknesses except Towns is a plus rebounder and Naz is just ok. Both aren't amazing athletes play a skill game instead of a physical one. I think at times they probably should still have gotten some more minutes together but a guy with a different skill set might work better next to Towns for some minutes. I'm not sure how many minutes a true defensive center would play next to Towns but we currently don't have one.

Out of the 17 roster spots the Wolves had last season (including 2-way players) they have just Towns Naz Vanderbilt and Knight that are actual PF/C. They do have McDaniels who played there some and I think at times that's fine. Still the Wolves were pretty guard wing heavy in the roster. IMO they need to add a vet guy and at least 1 more young player (maybe 2 if they don't keep Knight on a 2 way deal) to develop as a PF/C. With 17 roster spots that means you can have at least 3 players at every roster spot. Last year for most of the season they had like 4.75 spots for PF/C. I think both Finch and Gupta are aware that lack of size and therefore defensive rebounding in particular was a real problem.

Yeah McGee is a nice fit to me, only needs limited minutes to have an impact and is pretty much what MN is missing.

I thought they should have tried Towns & Naz or even Knight after Clarke & Memphis crushed them on the boards the first time.

I don't know lots about the draft but is there defensive / rebounding bigs coming out?

[KG4Ever]

Here is my list of bigs to target this offseason in roughly the order I'd pursue them. All of them are unrestricted free agents.
1. Hartenstein
2. Jalen Smith
3. Nurkic
4. Otto Porter (more of a SF/PF, but he did play some center in small ball lineups)
5. Drummond
6. Mitch Robinson (I think Knicks probably resign him unless someone makes a crazy offer, so I see him as unlikely)
7. Chris Boucher
8. Damian Jones
9. Gorgui Dieng
10. Thomas Bryant
Others: Javale McGee, Hassan Whiteside, Lamarcus Aldridge, Paul Millsap, Dewayne Dedmon, Derrick Favors, Ibaka, Robin Lopez, JaMychal Green, Biyombo, Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan, Tristan Thompson

I think 1-6 above will go in the $5-12 million range (though MitchRob, Nurkic and possibly Hartenstein could get bid up beyond that in a bidding war). I think 7-10 on the list above and most of the others will get paid somewhere between the Minimum and $5 Mill.

[Lipoli390]

Thinking some more about possible bigs to add to our roster this offseason. There are two alternative paths. One is a trade the other is free agency.

When thinking about possible trade targets, I think about potential sign-and-trades for Mo Bamba or Mitchell Robinson. I'm not sure I can envision a deal that would be both realistic and worthwhile for the Wolves. Perhaps the Wolves could put a deal together for Carter Jr., but even if possible I'm not sure the price we'd have to pay would be worth it. The idea of trading for Jonathan Isaac intrigues me, but I suspect the price would be too high given his inability to stay healthy. His health issues make him potentially gettable, but those same health issues make him a risk I'm not sure the Wolves should take. It would be one thing if he were a free agent, in which case the Wolves would be risking money. But as a trade target, the Wolves would be giving up valuable assets. I can't get myself there. And that brings me to Myles Turner. I think he's very gettable for a reasonable price. I recall advocating for the Wolves to get him last summer and Monster pushed back a bit based on Turner's injury propensity. Well, Turner played only 42 games this past season. Yes, 42 games and that's consistent with nearly his entire NBA career. I have to say now that Monster was right. I love the fit of Turner on the Wolves, but he's too much of a risk on which to wager valuable assets.

That brings me back to free agency. I'm convinced now more than ever that free agency is the path the Wolves should pick to upgrade the starting big position next to KAT. Up until now, I've focused on size - i.e., a big center like Nurkic, Hartenstein, Drummond or Moses Brown. But the Wolves could also opt for a PF who has better length and offensive skills than Vanderbilt. The guy in that category who jumps to the top of my list is Jalen Smith. He's significantly longer than Vanderbilt (9'2 overhead reach v. 8'10) and has a much better offensive skill set. I think Jalen would be a nice complementary piece next to KAT. He's an excellent rebounder, which is the most important need we have as a team right now. So we wouldn't lose any rebounding compared to Vanderbilt and might even gain in that area with Smith starting and Vanderbilt as our fist big off the bench. We'd definitely gain length and rim protection. More importantly, KAT would be paired with someone who could pose a threat on the offensive end, making it harder for defenses to focus as much on KAT as they do with Vanderbilt in the game. I have no doubt that Smith is gettable for the MLE or some portion thereof. Right now, I'm thinking he might be our best bet.

[KG4Ever]

Thinking some more about possible bigs to add to our roster this offseason. There are two alternative paths. One is a trade the other is free agency.

When thinking about possible trade targets, I think about potential sign-and-trades for Mo Bamba or Mitchell Robinson. I'm not sure I can envision a deal that would be both realistic and worthwhile for the Wolves. Perhaps the Wolves could put a deal together for Carter Jr., but even if possible I'm not sure the price we'd have to pay would be worth it. The idea of trading for Jonathan Isaac intrigues me, but I suspect the price would be too high given his inability to stay healthy. His health issues make him potentially gettable, but those same health issues make him a risk I'm not sure the Wolves should take. It would be one thing if he were a free agent, in which case the Wolves would be risking money. But as a trade target, the Wolves would be giving up valuable assets. I can't get myself there. And that brings me to Myles Turner. I think he's very gettable for a reasonable price. I recall advocating for the Wolves to get him last summer and Monster pushed back a bit based on Turner's injury propensity. Well, Turner played only 42 games this past season. Yes, 42 games and that's consistent with nearly his entire NBA career. I have to say now that Monster was right. I love the fit of Turner on the Wolves, but he's too much of a risk on which to wager valuable assets.

That brings me back to free agency. I'm convinced now more than ever that free agency is the path the Wolves should pick to upgrade the starting big position next to KAT. Up until now, I've focused on size - i.e., a big center like Nurkic, Hartenstein, Drummond or Moses Brown. But the Wolves could also opt for a PF who has better length and offensive skills than Vanderbilt. The guy in that category who jumps to the top of my list is Jalen Smith. He's significantly longer than Vanderbilt (9'2 overhead reach v. 8'10) and has a much better offensive skill set. I think Jalen would be a nice complementary piece next to KAT. He's an excellent rebounder, which is the most important need we have as a team right now. So we wouldn't lose any rebounding compared to Vanderbilt and might even gain in that area with Smith starting and Vanderbilt as our fist big off the bench. We'd definitely gain length and rim protection. More importantly, KAT would be paired with someone who could pose a threat on the offensive end, making it harder for defenses to focus as much on KAT as they do with Vanderbilt in the game. I have no doubt that Smith is gettable for the MLE or some portion thereof. Right now, I'm thinking he might be our best bet.

I would love Bamba, but I see no reason Orlando would entertain trading him for anybody not named KAT or Ant as he had a major breakout season. I also am intrigued by Isaac as I had him ranked second in the draft behind Jayson Tatum and thought he was on the way to stardom before injuries derailed his career. I don't know what it would cost to get Isaac, but I imagine Orlando may ask for a lot and given the injury risk and salary, he's not my first choice. I think New York will match any offers for Mitch Rob in free agency so I am not really seriously entertaining that scenario. Which leads me to Turner, who I think would be the easiest to obtain since Indiana is blowing it up and building around Haliburton. Turner is a free agent next year though so I wouldn't be eager to pay a lot for him and he makes a lot of money. I agree that the free agency route would be the route I'd explore first as there should be help that we can obtain without giving away assets and at a reasonable salary and I like all the names you mentioned.

[Lipoli390]

Thinking some more about possible bigs to add to our roster this offseason. There are two alternative paths. One is a trade the other is free agency.

When thinking about possible trade targets, I think about potential sign-and-trades for Mo Bamba or Mitchell Robinson. I'm not sure I can envision a deal that would be both realistic and worthwhile for the Wolves. Perhaps the Wolves could put a deal together for Carter Jr., but even if possible I'm not sure the price we'd have to pay would be worth it. The idea of trading for Jonathan Isaac intrigues me, but I suspect the price would be too high given his inability to stay healthy. His health issues make him potentially gettable, but those same health issues make him a risk I'm not sure the Wolves should take. It would be one thing if he were a free agent, in which case the Wolves would be risking money. But as a trade target, the Wolves would be giving up valuable assets. I can't get myself there. And that brings me to Myles Turner. I think he's very gettable for a reasonable price. I recall advocating for the Wolves to get him last summer and Monster pushed back a bit based on Turner's injury propensity. Well, Turner played only 42 games this past season. Yes, 42 games and that's consistent with nearly his entire NBA career. I have to say now that Monster was right. I love the fit of Turner on the Wolves, but he's too much of a risk on which to wager valuable assets.

That brings me back to free agency. I'm convinced now more than ever that free agency is the path the Wolves should pick to upgrade the starting big position next to KAT. Up until now, I've focused on size - i.e., a big center like Nurkic, Hartenstein, Drummond or Moses Brown. But the Wolves could also opt for a PF who has better length and offensive skills than Vanderbilt. The guy in that category who jumps to the top of my list is Jalen Smith. He's significantly longer than Vanderbilt (9'2 overhead reach v. 8'10) and has a much better offensive skill set. I think Jalen would be a nice complementary piece next to KAT. He's an excellent rebounder, which is the most important need we have as a team right now. So we wouldn't lose any rebounding compared to Vanderbilt and might even gain in that area with Smith starting and Vanderbilt as our fist big off the bench. We'd definitely gain length and rim protection. More importantly, KAT would be paired with someone who could pose a threat on the offensive end, making it harder for defenses to focus as much on KAT as they do with Vanderbilt in the game. I have no doubt that Smith is gettable for the MLE or some portion thereof. Right now, I'm thinking he might be our best bet.

I would love Bamba, but I see no reason Orlando would entertain trading him for anybody not named KAT or Ant as he had a major breakout season. I also am intrigued by Isaac as I had him ranked second in the draft behind Jayson Tatum and thought he was on the way to stardom before injuries derailed his career. I don't know what it would cost to get Isaac, but I imagine Orlando may ask for a lot and given the injury risk and salary, he's not my first choice. I think New York will match any offers for Mitch Rob in free agency so I am not really seriously entertaining that scenario. Which leads me to Turner, who I think would be the easiest to obtain since Indiana is blowing it up and building around Haliburton. Turner is a free agent next year though so I wouldn't be eager to pay a lot for him and he makes a lot of money. I agree that the free agency route would be the route I'd explore first as there should be help that we can obtain without giving away assets and at a reasonable salary and I like all the names you mentioned.

I'm not sure what Orlando is inclined to do about Bamba. They have Carter Jr. and Isaac. Given where they'll be drafting, there's a strong possibility they'll end up taking a big with star potential. So they may not be inclined to pay a lot of money over a long-term contract to keep Mo. Nevertheless, I agree that the chances of getting Bamba are pretty slim.

There are enough quality bigs in free agency that I just don't see the need to give up valuable assets to acquire a big via trade. And I think it would be a mistake to rely on the draft to fill our need for starting big. We should use free agency to acquire the big we need and focus on getting the best player available in the draft. Now if Orlando says they'll give us Carter Jr. or Isaac for Beasley and #19, Gupta would have to say yes in my view. But that's not going to happen, which means we keep the pick (or trade up a few slots if needed) to take the best player available and sign Nurkic, Hartenstein, Drummond or Jalen Smith in free agency. And maybe we swap DLO for Simmons. :)

[WildWolf2813]

The team should really rely on scouting and unearth 2 more productive bigs. If the Miami Heat can find Yurtseven and Strus and Vincent, then why can't this team go back to trying to find more gems to round out the rotation?

Just because they got something out of Reid and McLaughlin doesn't mean it ends with them. They have to keep looking, especially with this team nearing the end of their deals with Reid and Nowell.


I'm gonna wave the Petr Cornelie flag.

17.8 ppg
12.8 rpg
36.7% from 3 on 6 attempts a night
2.9 assists
a steal and a block per night


He's 6'11'', 220. Can we really act like we couldn't use someone with this resume? He's just blocked off by the bigs in Denver.

[Q-is-here]

Are

The team should really rely on scouting and unearth 2 more productive bigs. If the Miami Heat can find Yurtseven and Strus and Vincent, then why can't this team go back to trying to find more gems to round out the rotation?

Just because they got something out of Reid and McLaughlin doesn't mean it ends with them. They have to keep looking, especially with this team nearing the end of their deals with Reid and Nowell.


I'm gonna wave the Petr Cornelie flag.

17.8 ppg
12.8 rpg
36.7% from 3 on 6 attempts a night
2.9 assists
a steal and a block per night


He's 6'11'', 220. Can we really act like we couldn't use someone with this resume? He's just blocked off by the bigs in Denver.

Well, we're not Miami. They have an unbelievably strong culture and continuity. They are basically the Spurs of the East.

So sure, we can certainly try to pick up guys like this to backfill the fringes of our roster (Okogie, Layman, etc.) and may be someone really pans out, but we are talking about trying to upgrade our starting lineup. Is Petr Cornelie really going to be Option A for us? We don't even know if he can beat Vando or Naz out for a spot in the rotation!

KG4Ever and others have created a pretty good list of names. There are a plethora of bigs out there that should be affordable AND proven.

[WildWolf2813]

Are

The team should really rely on scouting and unearth 2 more productive bigs. If the Miami Heat can find Yurtseven and Strus and Vincent, then why can't this team go back to trying to find more gems to round out the rotation?

Just because they got something out of Reid and McLaughlin doesn't mean it ends with them. They have to keep looking, especially with this team nearing the end of their deals with Reid and Nowell.


I'm gonna wave the Petr Cornelie flag.

17.8 ppg
12.8 rpg
36.7% from 3 on 6 attempts a night
2.9 assists
a steal and a block per night


He's 6'11'', 220. Can we really act like we couldn't use someone with this resume? He's just blocked off by the bigs in Denver.

Well, we're not Miami. They have an unbelievably strong culture and continuity. They are basically the Spurs of the East.

So sure, we can certainly try to pick up guys like this to backfill the fringes of our roster (Okogie, Layman, etc.) and may be someone really pans out, but we are talking about trying to upgrade our starting lineup. Is Petr Cornelie really going to be Option A for us? We don't even know if he can beat Vando or Naz out for a spot in the rotation!

KG4Ever and others have created a pretty good list of names. There are a plethora of bigs out there that should be affordable AND proven.

Sounds like something to emulate. This team needs to keep finding those guys who can become rotation level players.

As of now, assuming we want Russell and Reid gone, we have, what, SEVEN rotation players? The depth of this team needs to be addressed. I mean we were praying from February on that we'd somehow get Greg Monroe back. This team can't rebound and you know it's gonna cost extra to find those guys, so how painful could it really be to add players who need opportunity, regardless of whether it pans out? Taurean Prince barely played in the postseason and we might have to give him MLE money to stay. We paid Jake Layman $10 mil for 102 games of nothing. We drafted Josh Okogie to forget how to make threes. I've said for years we have to make use of the G-League when we can. It's not to find a superstar, but if we can't assume a young player in G-League can't help our rebounding woes, then they're gonna pay so much more money to perhaps still not address rebounding, especially in this free agent class

Spots 7-17 on this roster are still up for grabs. If this FA class sucks, might as well pursue some guys who only need opportunity rather than more development.

One more thing: we would love someone like Isaiah Hartenstein. Well, what was Hartenstein before this past season? A guy with insane G-League stats who couldn't get tick in Denver, couldn't get much opportunity in Cleveland and couldn't sniff a job until early in training camp with the Clippers. I'm not saying Cornelie is the next Hartenstein, but wouldn't it be awesome to get that guy as he ascends as opposed to paying the full freight like we wanna do with Hartenstein this summer?