Realistic Trades for #7

[Coolbreeze44]

Can't get on board with Tucker. He's on the downhill side of an average career. And it's only going to get worse, especially if you think he can start for us. He looked almost silly in the playoffs this year. Take the money you would waste on PJ and put it towards someone who can shoot like Gallo. After all, that's what Thibs has declared as our #1 need.

[Monster]

Can't get on board with Tucker. He's on the downhill side of an average career. And it's only going to get worse, especially if you think he can start for us. He looked almost silly in the playoffs this year. Take the money you would waste on PJ and put it towards someone who can shoot like Gallo. After all, that's what Thibs has declared as our #1 need.

Cool I'm just curious is there a contract above the vet min you would be comfortable signing Tucker?

Again most of FAs are a bit of a gamble in one way or another. Past 30-system-youth-will they get better?-was that year in a category or two a fluke?-is this too much money and too long of a contract?-is this guy really good enough to make a worthwhile impact? There are plenty of flawed FAs regardless of the price you pay.

Every year a few teams find some solid FAs for not a whole lot of money that nobody seemed to have a great deal of interest. Last summer the Spurs signed Dedmon, Mavs signed Seth Curry, heat signed James Johnson. I'd hope that the Wolves can find 1 of these guys this summer.

[WildWolf2813]

Can't get on board with Tucker. He's on the downhill side of an average career. And it's only going to get worse, especially if you think he can start for us. He looked almost silly in the playoffs this year. Take the money you would waste on PJ and put it towards someone who can shoot like Gallo. After all, that's what Thibs has declared as our #1 need.

I'd do cartwheels if Tucker looked silly for us in the playoffs

[Coolbreeze44]

Can't get on board with Tucker. He's on the downhill side of an average career. And it's only going to get worse, especially if you think he can start for us. He looked almost silly in the playoffs this year. Take the money you would waste on PJ and put it towards someone who can shoot like Gallo. After all, that's what Thibs has declared as our #1 need.

Cool I'm just curious is there a contract above the vet min you would be comfortable signing Tucker?

Again most of FAs are a bit of a gamble in one way or another. Past 30-system-youth-will they get better?-was that year in a category or two a fluke?-is this too much money and too long of a contract?-is this guy really good enough to make a worthwhile impact? There are plenty of flawed FAs regardless of the price you pay.

Every year a few teams find some solid FAs for not a whole lot of money that nobody seemed to have a great deal of interest. Last summer the Spurs signed Dedmon, Mavs signed Seth Curry, heat signed James Johnson. I'd hope that the Wolves can find 1 of these guys this summer.

That's the problem Monster. He's not going to come very cheap and the ROI just isn't there. This board has a tendency to over glamorize players on other rosters, it seems for no other reason than they are on someone else's roster. I get it, we've sucked for a long time. But why compound that by adding role players in their 30's? Even signing more accomplished players at that age is risky, see last year's favorite target Luol Deng. I agree with the sentiment we need to spend some money this offseason. But lets do it on guys in their 20's who can mesh with our core like Gallo and Green.

[Coolbreeze44]

Can't get on board with Tucker. He's on the downhill side of an average career. And it's only going to get worse, especially if you think he can start for us. He looked almost silly in the playoffs this year. Take the money you would waste on PJ and put it towards someone who can shoot like Gallo. After all, that's what Thibs has declared as our #1 need.

I'd do cartwheels if Tucker looked silly for us in the playoffs

Adding PJ does not = making the playoffs. Maybe PJ Carlesimo would. I'll join you in cartwheels if we make the playoffs next year.

[WildWolf2813]

Can't get on board with Tucker. He's on the downhill side of an average career. And it's only going to get worse, especially if you think he can start for us. He looked almost silly in the playoffs this year. Take the money you would waste on PJ and put it towards someone who can shoot like Gallo. After all, that's what Thibs has declared as our #1 need.

I'd do cartwheels if Tucker looked silly for us in the playoffs

Adding PJ does not = making the playoffs. Maybe PJ Carlesimo would. I'll join you in cartwheels if we make the playoffs next year.

then who from free agency fits that bill?

[Lipoli390]

I tend to agree with Cool here. Tucker has garnered a lot of hype lately and I think he's become overvalued. More importantly, I think he has less value for a team like the Wolves. Guys like Tucker (32 year old role player specialists) can provide an incremental boost to contending teams seeking an extra bump. But they don't make a lot of sense for a 31-win team like the Wolves. The Wolves need to either sign an impact older vet like Millsap or Ibaka or they need to find a couple younger FAs who are still improving - guys like Dedmon, J Green, Seth Curry, etc. Tucker won't make max money, but he'll be highly expensive and I don't see him moving the needle enough for the Wolves to justify the big contract he's likely to command. He fits better and has a higher value on his current team, Toronto, or a team like the Spurs, Cavs or Rockets as a final piece for championship contention.

[WildWolf2813]

I tend to agree with Cool here. Tucker has garnered a lot of hype lately and I think he's become overvalued. More importantly, I think he has less value for a team like the Wolves. Guys like Tucker (32 year old role player specialists) can provide an incremental boost to contending teams seeking an extra bump. But they don't make a lot of sense for a 31-win team like the Wolves. The Wolves need to either sign an impact older vet like Millsap or Ibaka or they need to find a couple younger FAs who are still improving - guys like Dedmon, J Green, Seth Curry, etc. Tucker won't make max money, but he'll be highly expensive and I don't see him moving the needle enough for the Wolves to justify the big contract he's likely to command. He fits better and has a higher value on his current team, Toronto, or a team like the Spurs, Cavs or Rockets as a final piece for championship contention.

I hate to break it to you, but the timeline isn't on the Wolves' side. Ideally they wouldn't have to pay Wiggins /Lavine til next season when they have a better idea of where this team, but it won't work out that way. The goal right now is to find players good enough to help this team not be a 31 win team anymore. The Wolves need an extra bump (or two) just to make it to the playoffs. That's what they have to search for, money and contract length, be damned. They need to find players that can be the difference between the 8th seed and missing the playoffs for a 14th straight season and they have to do it this summer because they won't have that chance after this season.

As for younger free agents, what is stopping this team from doing that already? For a team as awful and as unattractive a destination as the Wolves are, they've been awful with player development and scouting. They had an open roster spot for a huge chunk of the year and couldn't find anyone worth a ten day deal that could maybe serve a long term purpose? Adreian Payne and Jordan Hill were dead weight and they couldn't find anyone in the world who was young and hungry? Even elite teams have a roster spot where they're trying out prospects yet this team's too good for it? I can pretty much guarantee our summer league roster will have Tyus Jones, Kris Dunn, our draft pick, and a bunch of nobodies who have a less than zero chance of even making it to training camp, as usual.

As myself and Q have said, in a likely 9 man rotation, barring a blockbuster, it should look like this:

Towns
Dieng
Wiggins
Rubio
Bjelica
whoever emerges from Dunn /Jones (I'm not guaranteeing Dunn anything)
LaVine once he comes back, our draft pick until then
Free Agent
Free Agent

anything short of a rotation with these 9 guys is an abject failure of Thibs and Layden's part.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

I think Tucker is the veteran stop gap this team needs. He's not option A, but when does a 31 win team get option A normally? Sign him to a two year deal. He'll help us make the playoffs as a significant upgrade over Bazz from a fit and consistency standpoint off the bench. I think the playoffs proved he's not the type of guy to put a team over the top. His value is higher to a team like us who just needs to make the playoffs versus a team trying to contend and need to play him against elite guys like Lebron.

[Lipoli390]

Wild and Kahns - I agree that this is the summer to spend money on free agents. I just disagree with those who think Tucker is the guy to help get us from 31 wins to the playoffs. And the money it will take to sign him probably won't leave much room for another quality free agent.

I'd rather sign Redick, who will also cost a lot but not much more than Tucker. Redick would give the Wolves a top 3-point shooter, which this team really needs, and he could step in as a starting SG while LaVine is still recovering from surgery. If the playoffs are the goal, the Wolves simply can't begin next season with only one bona fide 3-point shooter (LaVine), especially knowing that he may not be ready to go for the first month or two of the season.

If you want a defensive wing, then better to pursue Selalosha. He'd come cheaper than Tucker, leaving more cap room to sign someone else.