Shams just reported the Hornets are discussing a Lamelo trade with multiple teams

[AbeVigodaLive]

I wonder why we didn’t acquire Grant Williams instead of Josh Green. Slightly cheaper salary and better roster fit. I’m sure TC would have tried.

It would have made sense. I think there is a chance that maybe the Wolves just wanted Josh Green. He's on the age timeline, can shoot and defend, and probably can be resigned cheaper next summer.

We discussed how much Ayo was worth and how the $22M+ was a bit more than expected.

Meanwhile, Josh Green makes $15M+ per season and has scored 109 playoff points in 399 minutes.

Ayo scored 43 points in a single playoff game.


[Note: He's serviceable. But I think that contract might prove more valuable than the player.]

[Lipoli390]

I wonder why we didn’t acquire Grant Williams instead of Josh Green. Slightly cheaper salary and better roster fit. I’m sure TC would have tried.

It would have made sense. I think there is a chance that maybe the Wolves just wanted Josh Green. He's on the age timeline, can shoot and defend, and probably can be resigned cheaper next summer.

Interesting question. Did the Wolves prefer Josh Green over Grant Williams or did the Hornets dictate that result. I suspect it’s the latter. I think Josh was basically salary filler who is a good enough fit on our roster next season if we can’t move him. I still think they’ll move him or they’ll count on Green to fill TSJ’s role if TSJ is traded.

[FNG]

Don’t worry! I have enough hubris for us all!

What I feel to be certain….is that this smells fishy. A team shouldn’t be giving up their cornerstone young leader for peanuts….if it’s too good to be true

I find this deal one of the most interesting the NBA has had in a long time. A quick internet search can yield grades for the Wolves ranging from A to D+, and the range of opinions on this board are equally varied.

That said, I question a couple of your definitions:

Cornerstone young leader: A second round pick who has never been considered a starter, and while possessing some unique skills which turned him into an excellent offensive 6th man, frustrated many of us here with the funk he was in for much of last season.

Peanuts: A young, former 3rd pick in the 2020 draft who averaged 20/7/5 last season, plus the 18th pick in that same draft with an attractive expiring contract.

There's certainly a lot to question in this deal...it could turn out terrific or terrible, and it will lead to a lively discussion for years. But calling a career bench guy a cornerstone or Ball/Green "peanuts" doesn't seem realistic to me.

[Q-is-here]

Don’t worry! I have enough hubris for us all!

What I feel to be certain….is that this smells fishy. A team shouldn’t be giving up their cornerstone young leader for peanuts….if it’s too good to be true

I find this deal one of the most interesting the NBA has had in a long time. A quick internet search can yield grades for the Wolves ranging from A to D+, and the range of opinions on this board are equally varied.

That said, I question a couple of your definitions:

Cornerstone young leader: A second round pick who has never been considered a starter, and while possessing some unique skills which turned him into an excellent offensive 6th man, frustrated many of us here with the funk he was in for much of last season.

Peanuts: A young, former 3rd pick in the 2020 draft who averaged 20/7/5 last season, plus the 18th pick in that same draft with an attractive expiring contract.

There's certainly a lot to question in this deal...it could turn out terrific or terrible, and it will lead to a lively discussion for years. But calling a career bench guy a cornerstone or Ball/Green "peanuts" doesn't seem realistic to me.

I think he meant Charlotte giving up Ball for peanuts, i.e.What didn't they like about him?.

[FNG]

Don’t worry! I have enough hubris for us all!

What I feel to be certain….is that this smells fishy. A team shouldn’t be giving up their cornerstone young leader for peanuts….if it’s too good to be true

I find this deal one of the most interesting the NBA has had in a long time. A quick internet search can yield grades for the Wolves ranging from A to D+, and the range of opinions on this board are equally varied.

That said, I question a couple of your definitions:

Cornerstone young leader: A second round pick who has never been considered a starter, and while possessing some unique skills which turned him into an excellent offensive 6th man, frustrated many of us here with the funk he was in for much of last season.

Peanuts: A young, former 3rd pick in the 2020 draft who averaged 20/7/5 last season, plus the 18th pick in that same draft with an attractive expiring contract.

There's certainly a lot to question in this deal...it could turn out terrific or terrible, and it will lead to a lively discussion for years. But calling a career bench guy a cornerstone or Ball/Green "peanuts" doesn't seem realistic to me.

I think he meant Charlotte giving up Ball for peanuts, i.e.What didn't they like about him?.

Ah, you're so right. Sorry about my poor reading comprehension, beenlurkin!

[BeenLurkin]

No it’s ok, you wouldn’t think I’d refer to Naz as peanuts after my recent ranting. I just don’t see the logic of the trade for Charlotte. They have bigs. They have good players, they are ascending. Naz is a dog and maybe they feel that’s the attitude they want. Maybe lamelo is a clown and not good for a winning cultures.

Naz is the heartbeat of the team and the fan base. IMO Charlotte got the better part of the deal. That’s my point. They only do this trade if they view Lamelo as a loser and Naz as a winner.

[FNG]

No it’s ok, you wouldn’t think I’d refer to Naz as peanuts after my recent ranting. I just don’t see the logic of the trade for Charlotte. They have bigs. They have good players, they are ascending. Ant is a dog and maybe they feel that’s the attitude they want. Maybe lamelo is a clown and not good for a winning cultures.

Naz is the heartbeat of the team and the fan base. IMO Charlotte got the better part of the deal. That’s my point. They only do this trade if they view Lamelo as a loser and Naz as a winner.

I think I would have been 100% opposed to this deal a year ago. Naz had emerged as a uniquely skilled big man, and LeMelo was an oft-injured PG often called a "clown" who hadn't demonstrated an ability to lead a team to wins. But then last season happened. Naz joined the Randle moody club and began whining about calls as much as Ant, while Ball played 70 games and led his team to the best second half record in the East (albeit with a surprisingly talented cast behind him). My guess is that Hornets' management looked at last year as an aberration and an opportunity to get something back for a talented player they can't trust, while Wolves' management saw a chance to pick up an uber-talented PG who had finally matured and filled a big need for us. It will be interesting to see which analysis was correct, and will be a discussion topic for a long time.

[BeenLurkin]

No it’s ok, you wouldn’t think I’d refer to Naz as peanuts after my recent ranting. I just don’t see the logic of the trade for Charlotte. They have bigs. They have good players, they are ascending. Ant is a dog and maybe they feel that’s the attitude they want. Maybe lamelo is a clown and not good for a winning cultures.

Naz is the heartbeat of the team and the fan base. IMO Charlotte got the better part of the deal. That’s my point. They only do this trade if they view Lamelo as a loser and Naz as a winner.

I think I would have been 100% opposed to this deal a year ago. Naz had emerged as a uniquely skilled big man, and LeMelo was an oft-injured PG often called a "clown" who hadn't demonstrated an ability to lead a team to wins. But then last season happened. Naz joined the Randle moody club and began whining about calls as much as Ant, while Ball played 70 games and led his team to the best second half record in the East (albeit with a surprisingly talented cast behind him). My guess is that Hornets' management looked at last year as an aberration and an opportunity to get something back for a talented player they can't trust, while Wolves' management saw a chance to pick up an uber-talented PG who had finally matured and filled a big need for us. It will be interesting to see which analysis was correct, and will be a discussion topic for a long time.

Naz shoulder injury and his sisters death added to what I consider to be an Anomoly of a year for his “attitude”. He started to come around after a rough start which is 100% to be expected when your sister is murdered, then he hurts his shoulder and fought through it all year. He didn’t miss many games. He had a great playoff run.

But yeah only time will tell. Maybe it works out great for both teams.

[AussieWolf3]

No it’s ok, you wouldn’t think I’d refer to Naz as peanuts after my recent ranting. I just don’t see the logic of the trade for Charlotte. They have bigs. They have good players, they are ascending. Ant is a dog and maybe they feel that’s the attitude they want. Maybe lamelo is a clown and not good for a winning cultures.

Naz is the heartbeat of the team and the fan base. IMO Charlotte got the better part of the deal. That’s my point. They only do this trade if they view Lamelo as a loser and Naz as a winner.

I think I would have been 100% opposed to this deal a year ago. Naz had emerged as a uniquely skilled big man, and LeMelo was an oft-injured PG often called a "clown" who hadn't demonstrated an ability to lead a team to wins. But then last season happened. Naz joined the Randle moody club and began whining about calls as much as Ant, while Ball played 70 games and led his team to the best second half record in the East (albeit with a surprisingly talented cast behind him). My guess is that Hornets' management looked at last year as an aberration and an opportunity to get something back for a talented player they can't trust, while Wolves' management saw a chance to pick up an uber-talented PG who had finally matured and filled a big need for us. It will be interesting to see which analysis was correct, and will be a discussion topic for a long time.

Naz shoulder injury and his sisters death added to what I consider to be an Anomoly of a year for his “attitude”. He started to come around after a rough start which is 100% to be expected when your sister is murdered, then he hurts his shoulder and fought through it all year. He didn’t miss many games. He had a great playoff run.

But yeah only time will tell. Maybe it works out great for both teams.

I was so ready for Naz to have a big time break out year next year. Which he still should have but as a Hornet and not a Wolf.

There was some real short term memory happening once Naz injured his shoulder and his shooting tanked, but he was playing some great ball in the middle of the season. Some "why the fuck are we starting Julius Randle" ball.

I'll truly miss him

[BeenLurkin]

I think I would have been 100% opposed to this deal a year ago. Naz had emerged as a uniquely skilled big man, and LeMelo was an oft-injured PG often called a "clown" who hadn't demonstrated an ability to lead a team to wins. But then last season happened. Naz joined the Randle moody club and began whining about calls as much as Ant, while Ball played 70 games and led his team to the best second half record in the East (albeit with a surprisingly talented cast behind him). My guess is that Hornets' management looked at last year as an aberration and an opportunity to get something back for a talented player they can't trust, while Wolves' management saw a chance to pick up an uber-talented PG who had finally matured and filled a big need for us. It will be interesting to see which analysis was correct, and will be a discussion topic for a long time.

Naz shoulder injury and his sisters death added to what I consider to be an Anomoly of a year for his “attitude”. He started to come around after a rough start which is 100% to be expected when your sister is murdered, then he hurts his shoulder and fought through it all year. He didn’t miss many games. He had a great playoff run.

But yeah only time will tell. Maybe it works out great for both teams.

I was so ready for Naz to have a big time break out year next year. Which he still should have but as a Hornet and not a Wolf.

There was some real short term memory happening once Naz injured his shoulder and his shooting tanked, but he was playing some great ball in the middle of the season. Some "why the fuck are we starting Julius Randle" ball.

I'll truly miss him

Yeah. I think so many folks have opinions of this trade but don’t watch 82 games a year. Stats don’t tell the human story. And I think Lamelo is a questionable human whose father created some really agressive “choices” raising them with such an heir of greatness and lack of accountability. Lonzo turned out alright, eldest child…middle kid I dunno man, he seems to play ball like a kunucklehead.