Camden wrote:I just don't see how the Timberwolves actually get better by trading D'Angelo Russell, but if this is a response to his camp's potentially irrational contract demands, then so be it. They can't afford to give him a max contract, and they shouldn't. Who knows what negotiations have taken place, if any. I have to wonder what the plan is in replacing him, though. There really aren't (m)any good options out there that you can acquire without expending some serious resources.
I don't think we do get "better" next season, unless it's a Murray or Kyrie type trade.. . I think the hope would be that we're better the following year though.
I think that's right, DL. Any DLO trade will likely make sense only if focused primarily on the time frame beyond next season.
Camden wrote:I just don't see how the Timberwolves actually get better by trading D'Angelo Russell, but if this is a response to his camp's potentially irrational contract demands, then so be it. They can't afford to give him a max contract, and they shouldn't. Who knows what negotiations have taken place, if any. I have to wonder what the plan is in replacing him, though. There really aren't (m)any good options out there that you can acquire without expending some serious resources.
I don't think we do get "better" next season, unless it's a Murray or Kyrie type trade.. . I think the hope would be that we're better the following year though.
I think that's right, DL. Any DLO trade will likely make sense only if focused primarily on the time frame beyond next season.
Yeah, unfortunately, that sounds like a wasted year of Anthony Edwards' and Karl-Anthony Towns' primes. I'd like to avoid doing that during this era of Timberwolves basketball. I also don't think immediately getting worse when a new front office takes over is a good look. Hopefully, they have some tricks up their sleeve...
Camden wrote:I just don't see how the Timberwolves actually get better by trading D'Angelo Russell, but if this is a response to his camp's potentially irrational contract demands, then so be it. They can't afford to give him a max contract, and they shouldn't. Who knows what negotiations have taken place, if any. I have to wonder what the plan is in replacing him, though. There really aren't (m)any good options out there that you can acquire without expending some serious resources.
I don't think we do get "better" next season, unless it's a Murray or Kyrie type trade.. . I think the hope would be that we're better the following year though.
I think that's right, DL. Any DLO trade will likely make sense only if focused primarily on the time frame beyond next season.
Yeah, unfortunately, that sounds like a wasted year of Anthony Edwards' and Karl-Anthony Towns' primes. I'd like to avoid doing that during this era of Timberwolves basketball. I also don't think immediately getting worse when a new front office takes over is a good look. Hopefully, they have some tricks up their sleeve...
We'll have to have some faith in our new front office. Tim Connelly has earned some leeway from us, but only so much. :) I've been on the trade machine repeatedly over the past month trying different bi-lateral and multi-team deals involving DLO. I have yet to find a realistic one that makes the Wolves better in the short run OR THE LONG RUN in my view. But we'll see. I'm not paid millions of dollars to figure this stuff out. :)
Camden wrote:I just don't see how the Timberwolves actually get better by trading D'Angelo Russell, but if this is a response to his camp's potentially irrational contract demands, then so be it. They can't afford to give him a max contract, and they shouldn't. Who knows what negotiations have taken place, if any. I have to wonder what the plan is in replacing him, though. There really aren't (m)any good options out there that you can acquire without expending some serious resources.
I disagree. I think Brogdon is an upgrade. But if IND calls me, and at the risk of sounding disrespectful, the best offer I make is: DLO/PB/#19/#40/#48/#50 for MB/BH/TJM/#6. IND, an actual low-revenue team, has nothing but rookie deals on their cap after this coming season. MIN just upgraded at the point, will get a good young player, and can maybe even trade down again.
I'll add one final thought on a possible DLO trade. There seems to be a bit of group-think thing going on in the media, and to some extent among Wolves fans, that DLO should be traded. It bugs me a bit. I've never been a DLO fan and still don't like the deal Rosas made to get him here. But DLO is a dam good PG and a big reason the Wolves won 46 games last season. Moreover, he's just entering the prime of his career. Is he worth a max contract? Absolutely not! But I hope the Wolves aren't in a rush to trade him and, if they do deal him, I really hope they don't undervalue him in their negotiations.
lipoli390 wrote:I'll add one final thought on a possible DLO trade. There seems to be a bit of group-think thing going on in the media, and to some extent among Wolves fans, that DLO should be traded. It bugs me a bit. I've never been a DLO fan and still don't like the deal Rosas made to get him here. But DLO is a dam good PG and a big reason the Wolves won 46 games last season. Moreover, he's just entering the prime of his career. Is he worth a max contract? Absolutely not! But I hope the Wolves aren't in a rush to trade him and, if they do deal him, I really hope they don't undervalue him in their negotiations.
lipoli390 wrote:I'll add one final thought on a possible DLO trade. There seems to be a bit of group-think thing going on in the media, and to some extent among Wolves fans, that DLO should be traded. It bugs me a bit. I've never been a DLO fan and still don't like the deal Rosas made to get him here. But DLO is a dam good PG and a big reason the Wolves won 46 games last season. Moreover, he's just entering the prime of his career. Is he worth a max contract? Absolutely not! But I hope the Wolves aren't in a rush to trade him and, if they do deal him, I really hope they don't undervalue him in their negotiations.
Well said Lip. I will add that DLO step up huge and was instrumental in us winning the playin game vs the clippers. Yes, he had a bad series vs Memphis but he has been good in clutch situations in his wolves career. I don't see him as a salary dump type or a must trade. He is not a max guy but he is a very good 3rd option. If we can sign him to a reasonable salary extention that gives us room to continue to add better players on the team, then keep him here.
Tim Connelly after the draft when asked about D'Angelo Russell, trade speculation, and if he's had enough time to determine his long-term fit with the team:
"D-Lo was huge to the success of this team last year. I think he's an elite passer, elite shot maker. He loves basketball. The most exciting thing about this job is getting to know guys I've been fans of from afar. You don't want to force it. You don't want to come off as insincere or not be organic. I'm excited to get to know him. I know how important he was to the success of this team. He's a guy that is supremely talented and it's hard to believe how young he is. He's seen everything this league could possibly throw at you. So I can't wait."
Camden wrote:Tim Connelly after the draft when asked about D'Angelo Russell, trade speculation, and if he's had enough time to determine his long-term fit with the team:
"D-Lo was huge to the success of this team last year. I think he's an elite passer, elite shot maker. He loves basketball. The most exciting thing about this job is getting to know guys I've been fans of from afar. You don't want to force it. You don't want to come off as insincere or not be organic. I'm excited to get to know him. I know how important he was to the success of this team. He's a guy that is supremely talented and it's hard to believe how young he is. He's seen everything this league could possibly throw at you. So I can't wait."
Plus everything TC did in this draft screamed "FIND GUYS THAT COMPLIMENT KAT, ANT, AND DLO!!!!".
He had multiple opportunities to pick a PG and he never did.
Now part of that could be so he doesn't dilute his negotiating power with other teams.
I have no clue what they are going to do, but nothing he did last night points to DLO's imminent departure.
Camden wrote:Tim Connelly after the draft when asked about D'Angelo Russell, trade speculation, and if he's had enough time to determine his long-term fit with the team:
"D-Lo was huge to the success of this team last year. I think he's an elite passer, elite shot maker. He loves basketball. The most exciting thing about this job is getting to know guys I've been fans of from afar. You don't want to force it. You don't want to come off as insincere or not be organic. I'm excited to get to know him. I know how important he was to the success of this team. He's a guy that is supremely talented and it's hard to believe how young he is. He's seen everything this league could possibly throw at you. So I can't wait."
Plus everything TC did in this draft screamed "FIND GUYS THAT COMPLIMENT KAT, ANT, AND DLO!!!!".
He had multiple opportunities to pick a PG and he never did.
Now part of that could be so he doesn't dilute his negotiating power with other teams.
I have no clue what they are going to do, but nothing he did last night points to DLO's imminent departure.
Good points especially the lack of drafting another option. Just to be clear if the Wolves deal Russell I'm cool with it because it likely means they got value for him and/or they have some other plan. At this point it seems like Russell MIGHT actually be part of the plan but we will see as it's very early in the offseason.
I'll add this as sort of a different way of looking at things. Russell is absolutely not a guy with the status in the league to dictate where he goes but to one extent or another how he feels about being with the Wolves either playing out this season or maybe even agreeing to an extension could be a factor in whether or not he stays. Could Russell and his representation look at some of the possible destinations and think...yeah I'd prefer not to go there? He isn't at the top of the Knicks list but if the Knicks don't get guys at the top of the list does he want to play for Thibs? Maybe he would love to play for the Knicks or some other place. Again I'm not saying Russell can pick and choose his adventure but I think there is an angle where he looks at some of the spots he could theoretically end up and think he has a good spot here. I think a lot of that will be obviously on Russell but also how he feels about playing for Finch and maybe also how he feels about the front office. Only time will tell.
