The Trade That Didn’t Happen - Thank You KD!

[Monster]

I listened to the Creen interview on Barreiro. He raved about Joan, just like he raved about Rob after last year's draft. He's a one-man TC cheering section!

When Crean was on ESPN for the draft coverage when he wasn't coaching it felt like the best draft coverage I've ever watched. He really knew the prospects since he had either faced them as coach or recruited them etc and he is really good on TV. He had great blend of knowledge and energy.

[AbeVigodaLive]

That probably was what was offered. This was written back on June 23...

"The most likely trade that the Wolves would have sent out for Durant would have included Rudy Gobert, Donte DiVincenzo, and possibly one or multiple of their young assets, including the 17th pick in the upcoming draft, Rob Dillingham, and Terrence Shannon Jr."

Wasn't Ant in that June 23 deal in addition? Otherwise it doesn't seem like enough , Abe, you said "this was written". By whom?

Kek posted earlier that TC did say "don't believe everything you read on the internet". And beyond the 30 second head start we get about who the next draft pick is going to be, I don't. That seems to be TC's MO...a blanket denial of all rumors without naming a specific one. There's a dance that the smart GMs do with the Windy's and Shams of the world...don't insult them or say they are dead wrong because you want them on your side, but don't give them anything meaningful. What possible benefit could TC derive from telling a guy like Windy the names of the guys he was dangling in a deal?

I think most of the Durant rumors might stem from John Gambadoro, a Phoenix radio guy. No idea if he's a gimmick radio host or not... but I've seen others mention that he's known for his insider connections with the Phoenix Suns.

I don't judge Connelly on rumored trades... only what actually happens.

I think Kevin Durant would have made the Timberwolves more of a title contender THIS season if the trade happened. He's still an exceptional player, and would have arguably been the Wolves best player. But what if he gets injured? How much to resign him? How many years before he falls off? And, how do the Wolves rebuild with so few young picks and players?

Those are all legit questions that make me fine with no trade happening and running it back.

[Q-is-here]

That probably was what was offered. This was written back on June 23...

"The most likely trade that the Wolves would have sent out for Durant would have included Rudy Gobert, Donte DiVincenzo, and possibly one or multiple of their young assets, including the 17th pick in the upcoming draft, Rob Dillingham, and Terrence Shannon Jr."

Wasn't Ant in that June 23 deal in addition? Otherwise it doesn't seem like enough , Abe, you said "this was written". By whom?

Kek posted earlier that TC did say "don't believe everything you read on the internet". And beyond the 30 second head start we get about who the next draft pick is going to be, I don't. That seems to be TC's MO...a blanket denial of all rumors without naming a specific one. There's a dance that the smart GMs do with the Windy's and Shams of the world...don't insult them or say they are dead wrong because you want them on your side, but don't give them anything meaningful. What possible benefit could TC derive from telling a guy like Windy the names of the guys he was dangling in a deal?

I think most of the Durant rumors might stem from John Gambadoro, a Phoenix radio guy. No idea if he's a gimmick radio host or not... but I've seen others mention that he's known for his insider connections with the Phoenix Suns.

I don't judge Connelly on rumored trades... only what actually happens.

I think Kevin Durant would have made the Timberwolves more of a title contender THIS season if the trade happened. He's still an exceptional player, and would have arguably been the Wolves best player. But what if he gets injured? How much to resign him? How many years before he falls off? And, how do the Wolves rebuild with so few young picks and players?

Those are all legit questions that make me fine with no trade happening and running it back.

I agree Abe. You can't judge TC on what didn't actually happen on a trade offer that he himself hasn't confirmed (nor will he).

Connelly has retained a full set of assets so far this offseason, two of which have increased in value due to Summer League in Shannon and pick #17 Beringer, and at varying price points making it easier for him to match salaries under a number of different scenarios. And while I'd love to see him move Randle and piece parts for another ball handler, I don't want him to do it just for the sake of doing it. It has to be for the right fit and that opportunity may not come along this season.

[Lipoli390]

That probably was what was offered. This was written back on June 23...

"The most likely trade that the Wolves would have sent out for Durant would have included Rudy Gobert, Donte DiVincenzo, and possibly one or multiple of their young assets, including the 17th pick in the upcoming draft, Rob Dillingham, and Terrence Shannon Jr."

Wasn't Ant in that June 23 deal in addition? Otherwise it doesn't seem like enough , Abe, you said "this was written". By whom?

Kek posted earlier that TC did say "don't believe everything you read on the internet". And beyond the 30 second head start we get about who the next draft pick is going to be, I don't. That seems to be TC's MO...a blanket denial of all rumors without naming a specific one. There's a dance that the smart GMs do with the Windy's and Shams of the world...don't insult them or say they are dead wrong because you want them on your side, but don't give them anything meaningful. What possible benefit could TC derive from telling a guy like Windy the names of the guys he was dangling in a deal?

I think most of the Durant rumors might stem from John Gambadoro, a Phoenix radio guy. No idea if he's a gimmick radio host or not... but I've seen others mention that he's known for his insider connections with the Phoenix Suns.

I don't judge Connelly on rumored trades... only what actually happens.

I think Kevin Durant would have made the Timberwolves more of a title contender THIS season if the trade happened. He's still an exceptional player, and would have arguably been the Wolves best player. But what if he gets injured? How much to resign him? How many years before he falls off? And, how do the Wolves rebuild with so few young picks and players?

Those are all legit questions that make me fine with no trade happening and running it back.

I don’t think Windy bases his reports on what he hears from a radio guy. lol. I think Windy’s a pretty good reporter and well connected. Retrospective or historical reports like this latest tend to be the most accurate. While we can’t know for sure whether the report is accurate, there’s no reason to conclude definitively that it’s not unless and until TC publicly denies it in which case I’d believe TC. So I think it’s fair to judge TC on what I consider would have been a bad move that a credible report says he agreed to.

Again, I obviously don’t know for sure if the report is accurate but I don’t know how good Beringer, Dilly, Miller, Clark or even TJ will be. Beringer looked great, but he could turn out to be a bust. We make judgments all the time without certainty about the factors we rely on for those judgments. I think Beringer, Dilly, Clark and TJ will be very good players and one or two have good shots at being all-star caliber players but I don’t know for sure. Yet those picks all factor prominently in my judgment that TC has been a very good PBO for the Wolves. If I turn out to be wrong about all of them or even all but one of them it will impact my assessment of him. If Randle and Donte suck next season, it will impact my judgment. If Windy’s report turns out to be false, it will impact my judgment. But meanwhile, I’m still positive about TC in spite of the Windy report.

[Sundog]

Post-summer league and prior to training camp, this is a definitive “sports doldrums” conversation

[Lipoli390]

Post-summer league and prior to training camp, this is a definitive “sports doldrums” conversation

Absolutely right, Sundog!!

[Wolvesfan21]

Wasn't Ant in that June 23 deal in addition? Otherwise it doesn't seem like enough , Abe, you said "this was written". By whom?

Kek posted earlier that TC did say "don't believe everything you read on the internet". And beyond the 30 second head start we get about who the next draft pick is going to be, I don't. That seems to be TC's MO...a blanket denial of all rumors without naming a specific one. There's a dance that the smart GMs do with the Windy's and Shams of the world...don't insult them or say they are dead wrong because you want them on your side, but don't give them anything meaningful. What possible benefit could TC derive from telling a guy like Windy the names of the guys he was dangling in a deal?

I think most of the Durant rumors might stem from John Gambadoro, a Phoenix radio guy. No idea if he's a gimmick radio host or not... but I've seen others mention that he's known for his insider connections with the Phoenix Suns.

I don't judge Connelly on rumored trades... only what actually happens.

I think Kevin Durant would have made the Timberwolves more of a title contender THIS season if the trade happened. He's still an exceptional player, and would have arguably been the Wolves best player. But what if he gets injured? How much to resign him? How many years before he falls off? And, how do the Wolves rebuild with so few young picks and players?

Those are all legit questions that make me fine with no trade happening and running it back.

I don’t think Windy bases his reports on what he hears from a radio guy. lol. I think Windy’s a pretty good reporter and well connected. Retrospective or historical reports like this latest tend to be the most accurate. While we can’t know for sure whether the report is accurate, there’s no reason to conclude definitively that it’s not unless and until TC publicly denies it in which case I’d believe TC. So I think it’s fair to judge TC on what I consider would have been a bad move that a credible report says he agreed to.

Again, I obviously don’t know for sure if the report is accurate but I don’t know how good Beringer, Dilly, Miller, Clark or even TJ will be. Beringer looked great, but he could turn out to be a bust. We make judgments all the time without certainty about the factors we rely on for those judgments. I think Beringer, Dilly, Clark and TJ will be very good players and one or two have good shots at being all-star caliber players but I don’t know for sure. Yet those picks all factor prominently in my judgment that TC has been a very good PBO for the Wolves. If I turn out to be wrong about all of them or even all but one of them it will impact my assessment of him. If Randle and Donte suck next season, it will impact my judgment. If Windy’s report turns out to be false, it will impact my judgment. But meanwhile, I’m still positive about TC in spite of the Windy report.

In 6-7 years I could see Joan being an All Star, same for Dilly, But LONG ways off. In 3-4 I could see TJ being one also. Clark probably the lowest odds since All Star is mostly offensively based. Look at Gobert winning DPOY and NOT All Star that season. Like what? Clarks odds for All Star seem super slim to me, probably less than 1%. Not that he can't be a very good player! I think he's a good player now, but I don't see a handle and finish along with just high enough athleticism to be elite. Nothing wrong with it for sure. His ceiling is lower then those others to me.

As far as what is reported for Durant I kind of understand it. You're in a win now spot and taking a shot. Now we kind of are not in a win now spot. We need several players to exceed expectations this season to even have a chance! OKC was obviously too good for us last year, how did that change really? We need multiple players to improve. Houston got much better and have youth getting better. IDK, odds are we are 3rd at best, says the odd makers too.

Now not getting Durant leaves a wider window and more flexibility as well if maybe a better trade is out there this year or next. We'll see. But I agree with the other poster, Durant increases our championship window this year, but maybe not in 2-3.