Minnesota Sports Forum

Camden wrote: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.

Those are the teams that for the reasons you mentioned may have more to gain from trading for Naz now because then they would have the bird rights and could resign him. Maybe one of those teams offers up a protected 1st round pick or something that approaches that type of value in some way shape or form. Like you said a possible sign and trade could be available for those teams but that's also a bit of a long shot. Of course on the other hand if those teams trade for Naz now they can't be sure he won't walk a few months from now since he is a FA. Naz situation is interesting to consider but ultimately I don't expect him to go anywhere before the deadline. It's possible but I don't expect it.

I like Cams proposed options of acquiring Bones Hyland or Terrance Mann in exchange for Naz and have heard it mentioned elsewhere. Both are better fits long term than Naz and address our lack of backcourt depth and ball handling.

Bones Hyland is intriguing. Love his gamesmanship and competitive fire. Sounds like there's a little bit of locker room drama with him and the Nuggets coaching staff as of late which might make him realistically attainable. I would trust TC's decision as he drafted him 26th in the 2021 draft. Could see him becoming a very good player in the right situation and a guy that could flourish under the tutelage of Pat Bev if he signs back with the Wolves next season as he has suggested. He's only 22 and on his rookie contract which runs through till the 2025/26 season. Might need to include a future 2nd RP or two to acquire him as he's highly rate within the Nuggets organization, even despite recent drama.

Terrance Mann signed a two year 22 mil extension that kicks in next year. I'm not sure if the Clippers front office would do this, depends how highly they rate Naz Reid, as he will likely command a similar price with his upcoming extension. Trading for him would likely mean moving on from Jaylen Nowell as Mann is a considerable upgrade as a back up SG. He's an efficient scorer with career averages of 49.7 / 37.8 / 77.9. Still only 26 so fits age wise with our core.

Another trade idea.

Brooklyn receives Naz Reid, Taurean Prince and Bryn Forbes

Minnesota receives Royce O'Neil and Cam Thomas

Royce O'Neil is a great fit on this team. A little undersized at the 4, but has multiple years experience playing next to Rudy Gobert and is signed through till the end of next season at 9 mil per season. Would be a good fit next to KAT too as well as McDaniel's and Kyle Anderson. The Nets gave up their 2023 1st to acquire him this past off season. Cam Thomas was drafted with 27th pick in 2021 and has regressed this season mainly due to reduced minutes. Touted as three level scorer out of college but didn't contribute much elsewhere.

KiwiMatt wrote:Another trade idea.

Brooklyn receives Naz Reid, Taurean Prince and Bryn Forbes

Minnesota receives Royce O'Neil and Cam Thomas

Royce O'Neil is a great fit on this team. A little undersized at the 4, but has multiple years experience playing next to Rudy Gobert and is signed through till the end of next season at 9 mil per season. Would be a good fit next to KAT too as well as McDaniel's and Kyle Anderson. The Nets gave up their 2023 1st to acquire him this past off season. Cam Thomas was drafted with 27th pick in 2021 and has regressed this season mainly due to reduced minutes. Touted as three level scorer out of college but didn't contribute much elsewhere.

Considering BK traded a first to get O'Neale, I can't see them doing this. I do however see them being willing to part with Cam Thomas even if they'd rather part with Seth Curry, so to that, if we do move Naz, Seth Curry coming back would be important.

I also don't think Minnesota trades Prince. When he plays, we're effective. Those guys are hard to wanna move.

I haven't seen a hypothetical Naz Reid trade that gets me excited yet. At the same time, The fact that Knight's been getting significant minutes lately after Gobert's return to the lineup confirms for me that Naz will probably be traded by the deadline. I think the best Naz trade for the Wolves would be a deal that brings back a future first-round pick or one that brings back a couple 2nd-round picks and a young prospect.

lipoli390 wrote:I haven't seen a hypothetical Naz Reid trade that gets me excited yet. At the same time, The fact that Knight's been getting significant minutes lately after Gobert's return to the lineup confirms for me that Naz will probably be traded by the deadline. I think the best Naz trade for the Wolves would be a deal that brings back a future first-round pick or one that brings back a couple 2nd-round picks and a young prospect.

I see Bones Hyland get mentioned for a Naz trade. I got a question for the board, is Bones even better than Nowell. Now you all know I hate Nowell (or at least this seasons version of him) but Bones actually shoots more than Nowell per 36 (what is shocking) at a worse FG% and almost equal eFG%, both are not good defenders. I know Bones is younger and under contract and it is not bad to have a 6th man chucker but is Bones even good?

Didn't know where to put this post but I'm kind of in the let's just run the roster we have and see what happens. The only spot I think we need to replace is Nowell and that might come naturally with Jmac and Prince returning soon. 9 man playoff rotation will be the starters, slow Mo, Prince, Jmac, rivers with options of Naz and Nowell based on need. Also I think there is a decent chance Pat Bev or Barton are on this roster during the buyout market.

kekgeek1 wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:I haven't seen a hypothetical Naz Reid trade that gets me excited yet. At the same time, The fact that Knight's been getting significant minutes lately after Gobert's return to the lineup confirms for me that Naz will probably be traded by the deadline. I think the best Naz trade for the Wolves would be a deal that brings back a future first-round pick or one that brings back a couple 2nd-round picks and a young prospect.

I see Bones Hyland get mentioned for a Naz trade. I got a question for the board, is Bones even better than Nowell. Now you all know I hate Nowell (or at least this seasons version of him) but Bones actually shoots more than Nowell per 36 (what is shocking) at a worse FG% and almost equal eFG%, both are not good defenders. I know Bones is younger and under contract and it is not bad to have a 6th man chucker but is Bones even good?

Yes, Bones Hyland is better than Jaylen Nowell this season. That's not exactly saying much, though. Nowell has been one of the worst rotation players in the league.

Also, Hyland's true-shooting percentage of 54.2 is just below the league average for point guards this year at 55.2. So, while he absolutely takes a lot of shots in relation to his playing time, he's scoring with near average efficiency. On the other hand, Nowell's 51.9 falls far short of the league average for shooting guards at 56.6 and well below Hyland's.

I'll also add that Hyland's three-point shooting is a legitimately good NBA skill right now. His 38.5-percent on 5.9 3PA is the real deal and it follows his 36.6-percent on 5.2 3PA as a rookie. The shot-making is there. Shot selection can be improved.

And then there's Nowell who is making 28.5-percent of his threes on 3.7 attempts this season. Truly terrible. Nowell also has a 37.5 eFG% on unguarded jump shots, which is the worst in basketball among players who have 50 FGA or more, according to Synergy Sports. For reference, known bricklayer Russell Westbrook is 10th-worst in the league with a 44.8 eFG%. That's laughably bad.

Basically, Hyland grades out as average to above average offensively in various metrics (not all) and awful defensively. Nowell grades out as average to below average offensively and awful defensively. Hyland is playable, in my opinion. Nowell shouldn't see consistent minutes.

Keep in mind that Hyland is a second-year player. I think he has the potential to be really useful in the near future given his skill set and natural ability. Those two years remaining on his rookie deal have value as well.

I also think quality shot creators and shot-makers are more and more difficult to find. It's much easier to find serviceable bigs -- evident by Minnesota having five of them on the current roster. I would gladly roll the dice on Hyland and live with the consequences.

Camden wrote:

kekgeek1 wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:I haven't seen a hypothetical Naz Reid trade that gets me excited yet. At the same time, The fact that Knight's been getting significant minutes lately after Gobert's return to the lineup confirms for me that Naz will probably be traded by the deadline. I think the best Naz trade for the Wolves would be a deal that brings back a future first-round pick or one that brings back a couple 2nd-round picks and a young prospect.

I see Bones Hyland get mentioned for a Naz trade. I got a question for the board, is Bones even better than Nowell. Now you all know I hate Nowell (or at least this seasons version of him) but Bones actually shoots more than Nowell per 36 (what is shocking) at a worse FG% and almost equal eFG%, both are not good defenders. I know Bones is younger and under contract and it is not bad to have a 6th man chucker but is Bones even good?

Yes, Bones Hyland is better than Jaylen Nowell this season. That's not exactly saying much, though. Nowell has been one of the worst rotation players in the league.

Also, Hyland's true-shooting percentage of 54.2 is just below the league average for point guards this year at 55.2. So, while he absolutely takes a lot of shots in relation to his playing time, he's scoring with near average efficiency. On the other hand, Nowell's 51.9 falls far short of the league average for shooting guards at 56.6 and well below Hyland's.

I'll also add that Hyland's three-point shooting is a legitimately good NBA skill right now. His 38.5-percent on 5.9 3PA is the real deal and it follows his 36.6-percent on 5.2 3PA as a rookie. The shot-making is there. Shot selection can be improved.

And then there's Nowell who is making 28.5-percent of his threes on 3.7 attempts this season. Truly terrible. Nowell also has a 37.5 eFG% on unguarded jump shots, which is the worst in basketball among players who have 50 FGA or more, according to Synergy Sports. For reference, known bricklayer Russell Westbrook is 10th-worst in the league with a 44.8 eFG%. That's laughably bad.

Basically, Hyland grades out as average to above average offensively in various metrics (not all) and awful defensively. Nowell grades out as average to below average offensively and awful defensively. Hyland is playable, in my opinion. Nowell shouldn't see consistent minutes.

Keep in mind that Hyland is a second-year player. I think he has the potential to be really useful in the near future given his skill set and natural ability. Those two years remaining on his rookie deal have value as well.

I also think quality shot creators and shot-makers are more and more difficult to find. It's much easier to find serviceable bigs -- evident by Minnesota having five of them on the current roster. I would gladly roll the dice on Hyland and live with the consequences.

Good breakdown Cam. Hyland's ability to knockdown 3's at a pretty high volume plus create shots is a nice combo. As much as I like Nowell I'd take Bobes over him easily. Meanwhile what Nowell has going for him is he does score well inside the 3 point line compared to Bones especially this season. This season Nowell takes almost twice as many shots at the rims compared to bones. Most here thought Nowell was gonna have a nice season this year with the opportunity opened up for him and...man that 3 point shooting has been so bad it's honestly almost unbelievable. Fortunately he has dialed back on the volume there the last couple months. One of the issues going into the season and still is with Nowell is whether he comes back as he is a FA AND what will he cost AND should the Wolves even want to bring him back? I see the reality of how he is struggling in some aspects this season but I still believe in his talent long term. If he doesn't do something to raise his value this season I don't see teams giving him loads of money. The Wolves might be able to keep him for a reasonable cost which could make keeping him on the roster the rest of the season sort of an investment in the future...depending on what that price is. It seems the Wolves or at least the coaching staff still believes in him right now. On the other hand what are their other options especially since they don't really have a backup pg?

As for Naz Reid I haven't been watching all the games but it seems like the last few games he hasn't been quite as good as he was for like the previous 30 games. At one point it looked like Naz had made the jump to being something closer to a starter. It seems like recently he has gone back to being a good rotation player and at least one game I saw the gap between him and Knight and Garza didn't seem as vast. What have other people seen? I will hate to see Naz go if he was traded but if the Wolves could cash in on him with a fairly good return...maybe they should do it.

kekgeek1 wrote:Didn't know where to put this post but I'm kind of in the let's just run the roster we have and see what happens. The only spot I think we need to replace is Nowell and that might come naturally with Jmac and Prince returning soon. 9 man playoff rotation will be the starters, slow Mo, Prince, Jmac, rivers with options of Naz and Nowell based on need. Also I think there is a decent chance Pat Bev or Barton are on this roster during the buyout market.

Yeah, I feel like our starters are rock solid, even without KAT for now. But our bench could be a real weapon if little Mac and Prince can get (and stay) healthy. It means Nowell will have to be really good to stay in the rotation whereas now Finch is sort of forced to play him.

It really sucks that I feel like I have to hold my breath when Nowell comes into the game and we have a lead. Coming into the season, I thought he'd be a 6th man of the year candidate!