Wolves Non-Durant Trade Ideas

[D-Loser25]

My buddy asked this question today what would it take to hypothetically move to the #1 spot for Cooper Flagg?

Edwards

I'm sure you're being flippant, but Edwards is worth significantly more than the number 1 overall pick

Slightly more? Yeah probably a little. Significantly more than cooper Flagg? No, I don’t think so. This being a wolves board, more people would probably agree with you. I’d at least listen to what Dallas would be willing to add to that deal

[Monster]

Interesting. Say more about Sexton. My first impression upon hearing his name is that he's a bit of an empty stats guy that might be good for some decent regular season production but wouldn't be able to withstand the crucible of playoff basketball, similar to his old running mate Darius Garland. But I'd be interested in your take.

So he is sort of bull in a China shop. He attacks a ton and he has done it efficiently his whole career. He’s 6’3 so two inches on garland. He has shot over 37% from 3 every year of his career besides 1 year. (Over 39% the last 3 years). His assist numbers are low but he was in the 97th percentile of % of shots his teammates made came from his passes, 90th percentile the previous year. He is in the 77th percentile in AST/usage rating. So he even though his assist numbers are not high those numbers suggest he is not a ball hog. He turns the ball over too much. He is a solid defender but he works his ass off, so many clips online of him diving on the floor and busting his ass to keep possessions alive.

Now he is probably a lower end starting PG and he has never been in the playoffs with that said he has had terrible teammates. His best teammates have been young garland, post LeBron Klove and Markannan.

He makes 18 million next and then a free agent so if it does not work they can move on.

The reason I don’t mind the trade is you take a educated flyer at PG who can create his own shot efficiently (unknown in the playoffs), Collins is a serviceable PF and him and Naz would help with the blow of losing Randle and then we get a high upside swing at #5. Where they could go in multiple directions. Tre Johnson, Knupel, Bailey, the Duke center or if a player falls.

Well, you got me intrigued Kek. I didn't realize he was known for being such a hustler on defense.

As for his height, he measured out at only 6'0.5" without shoes at the NBA combine, which is a half inch shorter than Dillingham. He does have a longer wingspan and outweighs him by 15 lbs. or so (perhaps more now that Collin has been in the league for a few years).

I kind of feel like we already have a younger version of Sexton (and Garland for that matter) in Rob Dillingham. Obviously those two guys are highly proven NBA players, but they all seem to have a very similar archetype.

As for the overall trade you propose, it seems like a good deal for the Wolves. I just don't see a huge difference between Randle + DDV and Sexton + Collins from Utah's perspective. And they'd give us #5 in exchange for #17 to boot! It doesn't make much sense to me for Utah.....

I like Sexton but I don't think he is a PG at this point but playing next to someone like Edward's that might be OK. The guy is pretty efficient for a smaller scoring guard. In an ideal world you acquire him and convince him that he can be a 6th man on a championship team. He could he part of what the Wolves have needed a bucket getting guard off the bench. I mean the guy has averaged and efficient 18ppg playing for a crappy Utah team in less than 30mpg. I his salary is high enough and he is good enough to play at least 25mpg so I'm not exactly sure where he would fit u less there were some other moves made to the roster.

[Monster]

I heard on Doogie's podcast about possibly signing and trading NAW to Chicago for Ball. That is another interesting idea.

That’s a possibility but Naw will want to go Chicago.

This would make some sense for both teams. Chicago isn't just gonna give away Ball what if he somehow stays healthy and is even just solid again? Teams would be trying to get that guy he is what so many teams want has a salalry that teams might be able to make a deal happen and he can play 2-3 positions. That's also NAW too but Ball if healthy and even not as good as he once was is much more of a PG capable version of that player than NAW is.

[Monster]

Seems like Houston is willing to give away Jalen Green. Wouldnt mind taking a flyer on him depending on the price.

Yeah me too but I'm not sure exactly what would make sense. It kinda feels like a deal for another team...or maybe trade for Sexton instead. Lower cost lower reward.

[Q-is-here]

Coming back around to Kek's Collin Sexton idea....I took a deeper dive into some of his numbers. Two positive signs emerge from the wreckage of Utah these past three years.

First, every single one of the most utilized 5-man lineups Sexton has been in the past three years has had a positive net rating:

2024-25 - Sexton/George/Markkanen/Collins/Kessler = +7.4
2023-24 - Sexton/Dunn/Markkanen/Collins/Fentechhio = +4.3
2022-23 - Sexton/Clarkson/Markkanen/Olynyk/Kessler = +15.7

So when he's playing with mostly other legit NBA players instead of a bunch of rookies and fringe types, he seems to do alright playing either guard position.

Second, he has a positive net "Off" rating the past three seasons, which basically means the Jazz always do worse when he's on the bench versus in the game. Of course his overall net rating while on the court is negative, but as one can see above, he does fine with other solid NBA players.

While I have my doubts about Kek's trade from Utah's perspective, I am open-minded to a pursuit of Sexton. I think the only issue is Dillingham would be purely a backup PG in a fairly limited role since you can't really play Sexton and Dillingham together. May be that's OK for now given where Dillingham is at in his development. 15-18 MPG sounds about right assuming Conley is either traded or becomes an insurance policy on the bench.

[Lipoli390]

Coming back around to Kek's Collin Sexton idea....I took a deeper dive into some of his numbers. Two positive signs emerge from the wreckage of Utah these past three years.

First, every single one of the most utilized 5-man lineups Sexton has been in the past three years has had a positive net rating:

2024-25 - Sexton/George/Markkanen/Collins/Kessler = +7.4
2023-24 - Sexton/Dunn/Markkanen/Collins/Fentechhio = +4.3
2022-23 - Sexton/Clarkson/Markkanen/Olynyk/Kessler = +15.7

So when he's playing with mostly other legit NBA players instead of a bunch of rookies and fringe types, he seems to do alright playing either guard position.

Second, he has a positive net "Off" rating the past three seasons, which basically means the Jazz always do worse when he's on the bench versus in the game. Of course his overall net rating while on the court is negative, but as one can see above, he does fine with other solid NBA players.

While I have my doubts about Kek's trade from Utah's perspective, I am open-minded to a pursuit of Sexton. I think the only issue is Dillingham would be purely a backup PG in a fairly limited role since you can't really play Sexton and Dillingham together. May be that's OK for now given where Dillingham is at in his development. 15-18 MPG sounds about right assuming Conley is either traded or becomes an insurance policy on the bench.

I’ve always been a big Sexton fan and remember posting years ago about possible trades to get him. I think kek’s suggested trade would be great value for the Wolves although I’m also wondering about the Dillingham angle. Interestingly, when Rosas traded up to get Garland he was banking on the Cavs not wanting to draft a small PG (Garland) to with Sexton already on their roster. As it turns out, the Cavs thought at the time the two small guard combo could work. Part of their thinking was probably the reality that Sexton is really a SG in a PG’s body. Over time, the Cavs apparently viewed having two small guards together in the backcourt was too much of a defensive liability and they move on from Sexton in favor of Garland.

As much as I still like Sexton, I’d be inclined to move forward with Dilly and pass on an effort to acquire Sexton. I don’t think the two can co-exist and Sexton is still young so he’s not really a transitional bridge to Dilly. I see Dilly as a better facilitator and therefore a better match with Ant in the backcourt. I see Sexton as more of a pure scorer. Dilly can do both. The issue with Dilly is that we’ll have to wait a couple years before he really comes into his own. I’d be more inclined to pursue Derrick White and possibly even Jrue Holiday as a win-now bridge to Dilly. Derrick White would have a bigger positive immediate impact than Holiday and would also be a longer bridge. The problem with Jrue is his age. He’s only a couple years younger than Conley, yet he 3 years remaining on his contract. The positive with Jrue is that wouldn’t have to give up as much to get him and he wouldn’t stand in the way of Dilly’s development.

So for me the window on my interest in Sexton has closed. But if we ended up doing the deal kek came up with, I wouldn’t complain.

[FNG]

Sexton can get buckets, but we have to be realistic about what he is…a 6-1 guy who is more suited as a SG than a PG. And I don’t like him on defense at all. Doesn’t seem to me what we are looking for.

[Q-is-here]

Coming back around to Kek's Collin Sexton idea....I took a deeper dive into some of his numbers. Two positive signs emerge from the wreckage of Utah these past three years.

First, every single one of the most utilized 5-man lineups Sexton has been in the past three years has had a positive net rating:

2024-25 - Sexton/George/Markkanen/Collins/Kessler = +7.4
2023-24 - Sexton/Dunn/Markkanen/Collins/Fentechhio = +4.3
2022-23 - Sexton/Clarkson/Markkanen/Olynyk/Kessler = +15.7

So when he's playing with mostly other legit NBA players instead of a bunch of rookies and fringe types, he seems to do alright playing either guard position.

Second, he has a positive net "Off" rating the past three seasons, which basically means the Jazz always do worse when he's on the bench versus in the game. Of course his overall net rating while on the court is negative, but as one can see above, he does fine with other solid NBA players.

While I have my doubts about Kek's trade from Utah's perspective, I am open-minded to a pursuit of Sexton. I think the only issue is Dillingham would be purely a backup PG in a fairly limited role since you can't really play Sexton and Dillingham together. May be that's OK for now given where Dillingham is at in his development. 15-18 MPG sounds about right assuming Conley is either traded or becomes an insurance policy on the bench.

I’ve always been a big Sexton fan and remember posting years ago about possible trades to get him. I think kek’s suggested trade would be great value for the Wolves although I’m also wondering about the Dillingham angle. Interestingly, when Rosas traded up to get Garland he was banking on the Cavs not wanting to draft a small PG (Garland) to with Sexton already on their roster. As it turns out, the Cavs thought at the time the two small guard combo could work. Part of their thinking was probably the reality that Sexton is really a SG in a PG’s body. Over time, the Cavs apparently viewed having two small guards together in the backcourt was too much of a defensive liability and they move on from Sexton in favor of Garland.

As much as I still like Sexton, I’d be inclined to move forward with Dilly and pass on an effort to acquire Sexton. I don’t think the two can co-exist and Sexton is still young so he’s not really a transitional bridge to Dilly. I see Dilly as a better facilitator and therefore a better match with Ant in the backcourt. I see Sexton as more of a pure scorer. Dilly can do both. The issue with Dilly is that we’ll have to wait a couple years before he really comes into his own. I’d be more inclined to pursue Derrick White and possibly even Jrue Holiday as a win-now bridge to Dilly. Derrick White would have a bigger positive immediate impact than Holiday and would also be a longer bridge. The problem with Jrue is his age. He’s only a couple years younger than Conley, yet he 3 years remaining on his contract. The positive with Jrue is that wouldn’t have to give up as much to get him and he wouldn’t stand in the way of Dilly’s development.

So for me the window on my interest in Sexton has closed. But if we ended up doing the deal kek came up with, I wouldn’t complain.

Derrick White for sure would be on the Tier I list of trade targets, whereas a guy like Sexton might be on Tier II.

It's ironic that the Cavs moved on from Sexton due to his size/redundancy with Garland only to acquire....Donovan Mitchell! While Donovan has a bit more meat on the bone and is certainly a better overall player than Sexton, he is pretty short too!

[WildWolf2813]

My buddy asked this question today what would it take to hypothetically move to the #1 spot for Cooper Flagg?

Edwards

I'm sure you're being flippant, but Edwards is worth significantly more than the number 1 overall pick

if he was asking what it would take for us, it would be Ant. If he's asking in general, Flagg is Nico's life jacket. The price is astronomical.

[AussieWolf3]

Edwards

I'm sure you're being flippant, but Edwards is worth significantly more than the number 1 overall pick

if he was asking what it would take for us, it would be Ant. If he's asking in general, Flagg is Nico's life jacket. The price is astronomical.

And what I'm saying is that Edwards is worth significantly more than Flagg straight up.

I don't know squat about Flagg as a player but no draft prospect is worth as much as a player, who by virtue of being voted to all NBA the last two years, is considered by the NBA media landscape to be at least the 15th best player in the league. He's widely regarded as one THE young players in the league, one who has a chance of being the best player in the entire league in the future.

That's just what he is based on 5 years of NBA experience. Ant would be on every top 10 list asking which single player would you build a franchise around- would Flagg be on any of them?

I'm not even being a homer about this, this is just his perception around the league. My personal opinion of Ant is that is ceiling is so limitless, he will never reach the skyhigh expectations people have set for him. I think there is pretty notable gap between his perception and his actual performance as a player, but there is no doubt in my mind that he is, at minimum, a top 15 player.

Flagg =/= Ant straight up.

So the price to get Flagg? Well if Dallas wants Ant then they better pony up otherwise I think the price is a lot lower.