Official 2016 Offseasont Thread (Free Agents/Trades/Front Office Moves)

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Interesting. Would anyone trade LaVine for the 3rd pick in this draft? (unless I am sold on Bender I wouldn't)

I think most of us would say no, because we know Zach and we don't know Bender. But I think there are two better questions:

Would Thibs do it? We don't know, but I suspect the answer is yes. Zach was the 13th pick in the draft, and while he has arguably overachieved, I still think it might be a steal to flip him for #3 two years later...especially if Thibs sees the kind of upside guys like Givony see. Either Hield or Murray would still be available with our 5th pick, and Thibs might see Bender and Murray/Hield as having more upside than Zach and Murray/Hield.

Would Boston do it? Not likely. While you may argue they are aiming way too high in the players they are targeting, there is a lot of space between Zach and those guys. Not going to happen, I think.

[kekgeek]

Interesting. Would anyone trade LaVine for the 3rd pick in this draft? (unless I am sold on Bender I wouldn't)

I think most of us would say no, because we know Zach and we don't know Bender. But I think there are two better questions:

Would Thibs do it? We don't know, but I suspect the answer is yes. Zach was the 13th pick in the draft, and while he has arguably overachieved, I still think it might be a steal to flip him for #3 two years later...especially if Thibs sees the kind of upside guys like Givony see. Either Hield or Murray would still be available with our 5th pick, and Thibs might see Bender and Murray/Hield as having more upside than Zach and Murray/Hield.

Would Boston do it? Not likely. While you may argue they are aiming way too high in the players they are targeting, there is a lot of space between Zach and those guys. Not going to happen, I think.

LST I think you give thibs way to little credit.

[Coolbreeze44]

I have a really hard time seeing Thibs adding two more 1st round rookies to this team this year.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I just don't think LST values Zach LaVine enough, whether it's arguing for him to come off the bench, or trading him in a deal for Jimmy Butler, or now trading him to get the No. 3 pick in the draft.

I get that LaVine hasn't produced on a winning team yet, but neither has anyone else on this roster. We talk about how Player X has this combination of skills and size and that doesn't grow on trees. Well, how many players can you think of that has Zach's size, athleticism, handle, and shot-making ability? Not many, and most of them go on to become good players.

I posted this during the All-Star break, and it isn't proof of anything, but LaVine winning Rising Stars MVP puts him in good company. There's been 23 Rookie Challenge -- Rising Stars -- MVP's. 15 of them went on to become All-Stars. I'm in no rush to cap his ceiling or trade him.

Edit: 15 of 21 have become All-Stars, if you don't include Wiggins or LaVine in that due to their careers still being super early.

[Monster]

I will make a prediction Zach Lavine will not be traded in 2016. It won't happen. The end.

[Monster]

Dirk opted out too, I know he would cost too much and I'm not for going after a big name. What do you guys think his price tag will be? I like Affolo too, but as LST pointed out, a little overrated. He'd be a great backup guard for 8 million, but I'm guessing he'll get more than that.

Dirk isn't leaving Dallas.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I just don't think LST values Zach LaVine enough, whether it's arguing for him to come off the bench, or trading him in a deal for Jimmy Butler, or now trading him to get the No. 3 pick in the draft.

I get that LaVine hasn't produced on a winning team yet, but neither has anyone else on this roster. We talk about how Player X has this combination of skills and size and that doesn't grow on trees. Well, how many players can you think of that has Zach's size, athleticism, handle, and shot-making ability? Not many, and most of them go on to become good players.

I posted this during the All-Star break, and it isn't proof of anything, but LaVine winning Rising Stars MVP puts him in good company. There's been 23 Rookie Challenge -- Rising Stars -- MVP's. 15 of them went on to become All-Stars. I'm in no rush to cap his ceiling or trade him.

Edit: 15 of 21 have become All-Stars, if you don't include Wiggins or LaVine in that due to their careers still being super early.

Maybe, Cam...but I think it's more likely that we tend to overvalue Zach here. I just don't hear the raves around the league that I read here. A few weeks ago we had a lot of discussion about an article where several NBA pundits assessed the Wolves, and there was outrage here that so many of them saw Zach's best role as a 6th man. I remember a couple weeks ago listening to Dan Barreiro ask Joe Cowley if the Bulls would consider Zach and #5 in exchange for Butler, and he said that was a nonstarter...that the Bulls didn't value Zach very highly. It sounded like Cowley didn't disagree with this analysis, and it made me sit back and reflect a little, because I thought Dan had proposed a pretty fair deal. But if you look at any legitimate source's ranking of the league's shooting guards, he generally ends up in the upper teens. We tend to talk about his stats the second half of the year, but he scored 10 or fewer points in 4 of the final 10 games of the year (he was very good in March though)

I love Zach's athleticism, and I recognize that he has the ability to get unbelievably hot shooting from the outside (albeit quite inconsistent), but I see a lot of flaws in his game that may never change. His decision making and team defense are downright baffling at times. I've watched Zach as much as anybody the past three years, having watched a lot of Wolves basketball and many UCLA games Zach's year there, and I haven't seen enough from him to get over my lingering concern that Zach may not have the head to be a consistent star. His athleticism and shooting touch gives him a pretty high floor, I think, but I still question his basketball intelligence and worry that may limit his ceiling.

I hope Zach turns out to be a better player than I foresee, but after 2 years of being given a lot of opportunity, his contributions have not put him in the top 4 players on a 29-win team. So does it make sense to me to trade him for the 3rd pick in this draft? Absolutely. And I would argue that most balanced NBA analysts would make that deal without having to think twice.

But it's all moot anyway and only an interesting talker, because there's no chance that Boston offers us the 3rd pick for Zach.

[Coolbreeze44]

Here's a trade:

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/16426696/indiana-pacers-get-jeff-teague-3-team-trade-atlanta-hawks-utah-jazz

Like that deal for Indiana if this is all there is to it.

[Monster]

I just don't think LST values Zach LaVine enough, whether it's arguing for him to come off the bench, or trading him in a deal for Jimmy Butler, or now trading him to get the No. 3 pick in the draft.

I get that LaVine hasn't produced on a winning team yet, but neither has anyone else on this roster. We talk about how Player X has this combination of skills and size and that doesn't grow on trees. Well, how many players can you think of that has Zach's size, athleticism, handle, and shot-making ability? Not many, and most of them go on to become good players.

I posted this during the All-Star break, and it isn't proof of anything, but LaVine winning Rising Stars MVP puts him in good company. There's been 23 Rookie Challenge -- Rising Stars -- MVP's. 15 of them went on to become All-Stars. I'm in no rush to cap his ceiling or trade him.

Edit: 15 of 21 have become All-Stars, if you don't include Wiggins or LaVine in that due to their careers still being super early.

Maybe, Cam...but I think it's more likely that we tend to overvalue Zach here. I just don't hear the raves around the league that I read here. A few weeks ago we had a lot of discussion about an article where several NBA pundits assessed the Wolves, and there was outrage here that so many of them saw Zach's best role as a 6th man. I remember a couple weeks ago listening to Dan Barreiro ask Joe Cowley if the Bulls would consider Zach and #5 in exchange for Butler, and he said that was a nonstarter...that the Bulls didn't value Zach very highly. It sounded like Cowley didn't disagree with this analysis, and it made me sit back and reflect a little, because I thought Dan had proposed a pretty fair deal. But if you look at any legitimate source's ranking of the league's shooting guards, he generally ends up in the upper teens. We tend to talk about his stats the second half of the year, but he scored 10 or fewer points in 4 of the final 10 games of the year (he was very good in March though)

I love Zach's athleticism, and I recognize that he has the ability to get unbelievably hot shooting from the outside (albeit quite inconsistent), but I see a lot of flaws in his game that may never change. His decision making and team defense are downright baffling at times. I've watched Zach as much as anybody the past three years, having watched a lot of Wolves basketball and many UCLA games Zach's year there, and I haven't seen enough from him to get over my lingering concern that Zach may not have the head to be a consistent star. His athleticism and shooting touch gives him a pretty high floor, I think, but I still question his basketball intelligence and worry that may limit his ceiling.

I hope Zach turns out to be a better player than I foresee, but after 2 years of being given a lot of opportunity, his contributions have not put him in the top 4 players on a 29-win team. So does it make sense to me to trade him for the 3rd pick in this draft? Absolutely. And I would argue that most balanced NBA analysts would make that deal without having to think twice.

But it's all moot anyway and only an interesting talker, because there's no chance that Boston offers us the 3rd pick for Zach.

If he is valued as low as you suggest that's just another reason why the Wolves won't trade him not that we need more reasons. He isn't going anywhere.

Your skeptism on Lavine is probably good to have around here but some of the reason I find a little strange. He hasn't figured it out after 2 years despite the idea that when he was drafted he might not even play much for the first 2 years because he didn't start in college? Dude is WAAAYYYY ahead of schedule.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Here's a trade:

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/16426696/indiana-pacers-get-jeff-teague-3-team-trade-atlanta-hawks-utah-jazz

Like that deal for Indiana if this is all there is to it.

Utah just got a whole lot better.