Minnesota Sports Forum

Here's what I'd consider the most likely Wolves deal by today's 2:00 Central deadline:

Wolves Get:
Patrick Beverley
Patrick Patterson
Oturo

Clippers Get:
Ricky Rubio

lipoli390 wrote:Here's what I'd consider the most likely Wolves deal by today's 2:00 Central deadline:

Wolves Get:
Patrick Beverley
Patrick Patterson
Oturo

Clippers Get:
Ricky Rubio

Zach lowe mentioned almost this exact trade a week ago. Also said the Wolves maybe could get the Pistons 2nd rounder that the Clippers have

kekgeek1 wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:Here's what I'd consider the most likely Wolves deal by today's 2:00 Central deadline:

Wolves Get:
Patrick Beverley
Patrick Patterson
Oturo

Clippers Get:
Ricky Rubio

Zach lowe mentioned almost this exact trade a week ago. Also said the Wolves maybe could get the Pistons 2nd rounder that the Clippers have

I hadn't seen Zach's rendition, but we've all read the reports about the Clippers' interest in Ricky.

This deal makes a lot of sense for the Clippers. They're in a battle for the NBA title, but Beverley is having ongoing knee issues that continue to make his availability questionable. That leaves them with only one healthy PG, Reggie Jackson. Ricky would be a perfect fit with two star scorers in Leonard and Paul George. Jackson is primarily a shooter, which provides a nice complement to Ricky at the PG position.

What's in it for the Wolves? The main benefit to the Wolves would be salary cap relief this offseason. Beverley and Patterson are both on expiring contracts. So the Wolves would end up replacing a $17.5M salary with Oturu's $1.5M salary. The Wolves would still be above the cap this upcoming offseason, but they'd be well below the luxury tax threshold and in a position to max out on all their salary exceptions in the free agent market. Getting the Pistons' second round pick would be very nice icing on what would otherwise be a good deal for the Wolves at this point.

Patrick Beverley makes $14.3-million next year, Lip, but I still make that trade because I think he's a better fit on the roster than Ricky Rubio and he'll still have value at next year's trade deadline. He's essentially a three-and-D guard who can really set the tone for a team defensively -- something people here think Rubio can do, but has never actually been able to. His career 38.3-percent three-point shooting also plays well as it adds a reliable shooter to the mix that Minnesota doesn't have in Rubio. Additionally, the Wolves might be able to get away with playing him next to D'Angelo Russell in some lineups because of his already-stated defensive ability and shooting. There's just more versatility with a guy like that, in my opinion.

Camden wrote:Patrick Beverley makes $14.3-million next year, Lip, but I still make that trade because I think he's a better fit on the roster than Ricky Rubio and he'll still have value at next year's trade deadline. He's essentially a three-and-D guard who can really set the tone for a team defensively -- something people here think Rubio can do, but has never actually been able to. His career 38.3-percent three-point shooting also plays well as it adds a reliable shooter to the mix that Minnesota doesn't have in Rubio. Additionally, the Wolves might be able to get away with playing him next to D'Angelo Russell in some lineups because of his already-stated defensive ability and shooting. There's just more versatility with a guy like that, in my opinion.

Maybe... if Beverley buys in. But it's important to mention that he's perpetually injured and missing games. And that's when battling for deep playoff runs. He's never played for a losing team.

As his career winds down... do you really believe he's battling through injuries in a game that decides the 13th seed? Do you really think he's happy ending his career for a bottom dweller?

Camden wrote:Patrick Beverley makes $14.3-million next year, Lip, but I still make that trade because I think he's a better fit on the roster than Ricky Rubio and he'll still have value at next year's trade deadline. He's essentially a three-and-D guard who can really set the tone for a team defensively -- something people here think Rubio can do, but has never actually been able to. His career 38.3-percent three-point shooting also plays well as it adds a reliable shooter to the mix that Minnesota doesn't have in Rubio. Additionally, the Wolves might be able to get away with playing him next to D'Angelo Russell in some lineups because of his already-stated defensive ability and shooting. There's just more versatility with a guy like that, in my opinion.

Thanks, Cam. I somehow mistakenly thought Beverley's contract expired after this season. But like you, I'd still do the deal. If healthy, Beverley's a better fit than Ricky. And his salary would still be $3.5M less than Ricky's. But now that I realize his contract's not expiring, I'd want either the Clippers' 2021 first round pick or the Piston's 2nd-round pick they own.