Minnesota Sports Forum

kekgeek1 wrote:

TheFuture wrote:

Q-was-here wrote:But the other thing you have to think about Lip is what we get in return for the asset. I look at this issue as less about addition by subtraction, as both Rudy and KAT are very talented in unique ways. There is zero reason a good coach shouldn't be able to figure out how to mesh this team together better and may be Finch will eventually do that with this group.

Having said that, the very reasons you prefer KAT over Rudy may be the same reasons another team may be willing to give up more for KAT. Perhaps we can get a really good piece in return for KAT that's an even better fit with this squad.

Rudy and KAT just don't fit. I don't care who the coach is. What was needed next to KAT was an agile defensive big and one who could shoot. Trading KAT to save face is beyond stupid. You are beginning at lost value. We gave up the farm for a 30 year old 40 mil player. With a team constructed with 20-27 year old players who need to be paid soon. Just fire Connelly. He folded the cards for Finch.

Can you name 1 center outside of embiid that is a defensive agile Big that can shoot? Those players really exist.

Also it's hard to say the Kat and Gobert don't fit when their lineups are league average and defensively they have been elite. (They might end up not working but they have been league average), they were struggling offensively but how much of that is those 2 as a pairing compared to Dlo was really bad to start the year and Ant being out of shape.

Way to early to say it does or does not work either way

Myles Turner is one. But I actually don't think we needed a defensive agile big who can shoot. We just needed to improve our interior defense and our defensive rebounding a bit. TC could have done that through free agency (e.g., Hartenstein) or a lesser trade (e.g., Myles Turner). This team didn't need a home run swing for a borderline all-star. It just needed some tweaking to help improve an already good team that was likely to improve organically simply through the the development of the many talented young guys on the squad.

What Naz is doing right now is why he isn't going to come back here. At worst he is gonna sign somewhere that he is THE center coming off the bench with a chance to beat out someone for the starting job at some point. He turns 24 in August. Now if the Wolves throw money at him that is hard for him to run down and he has a player option for a 3rd year so he could hit FA at age 26 with a chance to really cash in...maybe...

Now about Reid's trade value. It's certainly up. He is now becoming a guy some team might even be willing to give up something reasonably valuable for a rental that they obviously hope to resign. I don't think Reid is gonna get some sort of massive deal in the offseason it will be something around mid level money which could be a terrific value for the right team and possibly a bargain if he continues to improve like he has. Even if Naz leaves and the Wolves get nothing it's been great to watch the guy play and improve over the years. I'm happy to see him do well.

This came across my feed. Good write up about Naz. Sucks that we finally develop a guy and probably won't be able to keep him. Perhaps we can flip him at the deadline for an asset back vs. losing him for nothing.

https://www.twincities.com/2022/12/20/timberwolves-naz-reid-looks-like-a-starting-center-and-a-good-one/

Another good article on Naz by Zach Lowe:

6. Naz Reid, silver lining

It's not a full-on disaster in Minnesota ... yet.

The 16-19 Wolves are somewhat afloat despite a hail of injuries and what we'll politely call some roster fit issues. Their schedule over the next three weeks is tough-ish, and the line is pretty thin between "afloat" and "oh, god, we owe our unprotected pick to the Utah Jazz because of a bananas trade and we're behind the Oklahoma City Thunder."
Reid is doing his part to keep their season alive. He is one of those backups at risk of getting buried under old-school coaches who see only his flaws: undersized at center, too slow to play power forward, so-so on defense. He's not bouncy and doesn't fit into any neat big man archetype.

But Reid is a basketball player -- smart, well-rounded, with good feel -- and Chris Finch is the type of coach who sees strengths and searches for ways to make them sing.
Reid is enjoying his best season as he approaches unrestricted free agency: 10.5 points per game in just 17 minutes on a career-best 56% shooting -- 38% on 3s, 65% on 2s. Reid is rebounding at career-high levels and holding his own on defense.

The Wolves are plus-3 with Reid on the floor, which is amazing considering they are minus-60 in 168 minutes Reid has played with either Rudy Gobert or Karl-Anthony Towns. With Reid at solo center, the Wolves have blitzed opponents (mostly bench lineups, but still) by 10.5 points per 100 possessions.
Reid has a nifty face-up game. He will occasionally surprise you with explosive attacks and soft finishes.
Reid was so good in that Monday game against the Miami Heat -- and Gobert so out of sorts -- that Finch benched Gobert down the stretch. Gulp.

As I said at the time of the Gobert deal, all the (very justified) concerns about the price and the Gobert-Towns fit overshadowed the more mundane reasons I didn't like the trade: Gobert is 30, and on a mammoth contract that is not a trade asset. If the Wolves ever consider flipping Towns to recoup assets, almost the entire return -- picks, players, all of it -- should align with Anthony Edwards' timeline, not Gobert's.

Obviously, it's been reported that Naz Reid has drawn trade interest around the league. The teams that have been specified so far are the Clippers, Nuggets, and Nets. There are probably more that remain unnamed.

I've made the case for why holding on to Reid makes sense for the Timberwolves given the context of this season -- the calf injury situation with Karl-Anthony Towns, the sporadic issues Rudy Gobert has dealt with, and the overall effectiveness this team has shown with Reid at the five spot. Minnesota is basically all-in, all-hands at this point and Reid is a good player. Keeping him is a safe play, in my opinion.

However, the following trades are what I would consider good or acceptable trades given what this team needs at other areas and the teams rumored to be interested.

o Naz Reid for a first-round pick is a very good deal.

o Naz Reid for Terance Mann is a very good deal.

o Naz Reid for Bones Hyland is a good deal.

o Naz Reid for T.J. Warren is a fair deal.

Camden wrote:Obviously, it's been reported that Naz Reid has drawn trade interest around the league. The teams that have been specified so far are the Clippers, Nuggets, and Nets. There are probably more that remain unnamed.

I've made the case for why holding on to Reid makes sense for the Timberwolves given the context of this season -- the calf injury situation with Karl-Anthony Towns, the sporadic issues Rudy Gobert has dealt with, and the overall effectiveness this team has shown with Reid at the five spot. Minnesota is basically all-in, all-hands at this point and Reid is a good player. Keeping him is a safe play, in my opinion.

However, the following trades are what I would consider good or acceptable trades given what this team needs at other areas and the teams rumored to be interested.

o Naz Reid for a first-round pick is a very good deal.

o Naz Reid for Terance Mann is a very good deal.

o Naz Reid for Bones Hyland is a good deal.

o Naz Reid for T.J. Warren is a fair deal.

I see a couple guards in these theoretical returns for Naz. Would you consider adding Nowell into the deal at all since he is a FA and adding a guard might make it even less likely he returns next season. I'd want something else back although to be honest Reid and Nowell for Hyland who is signed for 2 more years after this one I might actually consider doing. Not sure if Denver would though.

monsterpile wrote:

Camden wrote:Obviously, it's been reported that Naz Reid has drawn trade interest around the league. The teams that have been specified so far are the Clippers, Nuggets, and Nets. There are probably more that remain unnamed.

I've made the case for why holding on to Reid makes sense for the Timberwolves given the context of this season -- the calf injury situation with Karl-Anthony Towns, the sporadic issues Rudy Gobert has dealt with, and the overall effectiveness this team has shown with Reid at the five spot. Minnesota is basically all-in, all-hands at this point and Reid is a good player. Keeping him is a safe play, in my opinion.

However, the following trades are what I would consider good or acceptable trades given what this team needs at other areas and the teams rumored to be interested.

o Naz Reid for a first-round pick is a very good deal.

o Naz Reid for Terance Mann is a very good deal.

o Naz Reid for Bones Hyland is a good deal.

o Naz Reid for T.J. Warren is a fair deal.

I see a couple guards in these theoretical returns for Naz. Would you consider adding Nowell into the deal at all since he is a FA and adding a guard might make it even less likely he returns next season. I'd want something else back although to be honest Reid and Nowell for Hyland who is signed for 2 more years after this one I might actually consider doing. Not sure if Denver would though.

I think the Timberwolves might value Jaylen Nowell more than me at this point, but if they moved Naz Reid for a guard I'd want to try and move Nowell elsewhere for an underutilized wing or big.

My favorite realistic target in that regard would be Nick Richards. I think the Hornets would have interest in that one-for-one, straight up. Same contract status as Nowell and Charlotte has a glut of young bigs that need minutes.

If we can turn a non drafted, free agent to be, 3rd string center in to a future 1st I would celebrate like we'd won a play in game. That's what this franchise has failed to do since it's existence. Capitalize on these situations.

There is no point having more money tied up in the Center position, especially in a player like Naz who just can't defend that position, nor any other position and is unable to play effectively next to KAT or Gobert. Do you want potentially 90 mil in salary committed to one position? That's salary cap suicide.

I'd be happy to get a couple of future 2nd RPs and a rotation player in return for him. Knight and Garza can hold the fort till the end of the season or whenever KAT returns.

KiwiMatt wrote:If we can turn a non drafted, free agent to be, 3rd string center in to a future 1st I would celebrate like we'd won a play in game. That's what this franchise has failed to do since it's existence. Capitalize on these situations.

There is no point having more money tied up in the Center position, especially in a player like Naz who just can't defend that position, nor any other position and is unable to play effectively next to KAT or Gobert. Do you want potentially 90 mil in salary committed to one position? That's salary cap suicide.

I'd be happy to get a couple of future 2nd RPs and a rotation player in return for him. Knight and Garza can hold the fort till the end of the season or whenever KAT returns.

I'm with you if we get a first round pick for Naz I'm having a party.

I'm not really advocating for us to resign Naz but to me IF they resigned him for a chunk of money like you suggest it could be with the idea one of the centers isn't gonna be on the roster in like 12 months. Naz himself could be a trade asset. Again Idk why he would return here unless the money was just too good. Maybe there won't be a strong market for his services. I doubt there will ne some sort of crazy frenzy for him but I would think there would ne teams willing to pay him a decent chunk of money. If we are talking about something around the mid-level money...it could make sense for the Wolves to outbid a team a little to bring him back. Naz COULD even end up being worth more than that contract and be an asset either on the floor or in a deal. We also don't know when ownership and management want to go all in on spending on this roster.

I think one way to look at Naz going into the trade deadline is what would you give up for a similar player at a spot of need that was likely a rental? Would you give up a random 2nd round pick to get a worthwhile big wing that could play some SF maybe even PF if Prince and or McDaniels aren't available? What about a solid legit depth lead guard or PG? In other words if the Wolves keep Naz for a playoff run it could be viewed as what did we give up to keep him? Of course we may never really know.

Maybe dealing Naz for even a random 2nd round pick is smart asset management but I don't think I would want to do that. I guess it depends on what else they got back. Another player? Simply a roster spot open? Naz Reid for a 2nd round pick and being able to sign any player they could via a FA or maybe absorb another useful player in a trade might be more valuable than at first glance. I would think they could find a roster spot of they really wanted someone else though. At this point I would assume Brynn Forbes would be the one let go or maybe some team would trade for him in exchange for the rights to some random euro guy that will never play in the league or one of those hilariously protected 2nds that will never be sent. Lol

Think about the teams that reportedly have interest in Naz Reid. Los Angeles, Miami, Brooklyn, Denver... These are teams that are projected to be over the cap this summer and some north of the luxury tax threshold. The most they could offer Reid is the taxpayer or non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Minnesota could essentially utilize their Bird Rights with him to work out a sign-and-trade to any of those four attractive destinations and take back either an asset or worthwhile player(s).

This is all to say that while shopping him before the deadline makes some sense there should be no panic involved in trying to move him. Minnesota should not rush to deal him for any little bit of value they can get. The return has to be appropriate or it just doesn't make sense for multiple reasons.