thedoper wrote:We're already talking ourselves into 3rd tier guys. It hurts. Why not Milsap or Ibaka? Either makes us a much better team with no financial impact beyond making Glen spend luxury tax which he has been saving since Cassel left.
Doper -- I think it's a matter of being realistic. We could offer Millsap a max contract, but we wouldn't be the only team, including his current team which has already established itself as a playoff team. The odds of Millsap leaving the Hawks AND coming to the Wolves seem remote. And I'm not sure Millsap is worth a max deal for the Wolves given what he brings and his age, although I do like his defense, rebounding and toughness. Ibaka seems less of a long-shot to sign here, but some of us have some misgivings about him given his steady statistical decline and bouncing through 3 teams in 3 seasons. Yes, he's playing well the last couple games, but that's not enough to erase the concerns. Moreover, even if Thibs thinks it's worth the risk to pursue him, it seems likely the Raptors would offer at least as much to keep him after having traded for him.
I'd be OK if we ended up signing either Millsap or Ibaka as a FA, even if it required a max contract. But I just don't see either one signing here. Hence, it's on to the next tier, or the tier below that, which leads to names like JJ Redick, Thabo Sefolosha, PJ Tucker, Tony Allen, Illyasova, Taj Gibson, Amir Johnson, Zaza Pachulia, Kyle Korver, Patrick Patterson, and Tyreke Evans