Wolves Offseason Forward Options

[FNG]

Finch said he doesn’t envision Jaden starting at PF. Hmm. Does that mean he envisions Green, Edwards or TSJ starting there? I really doubt it. Finch’s comment is telling because it indicates the Wolves organization does not share the view of Q and others on this board that we’re fine moving forward with the current roster. Obviously, if LeBron signs here he will be our starting PF. But if LeBron goes elsewhere then I think it’s inevitable the Wolves will trade for a starting PF and I don’t think they’ll wait until after the season starts.

I’m troubled by the need to trade for a PF because it will obviously involve trading Josh Green AND one of our other wings, most likely TSJ. This team needs three-point shooting. Ant, Ball, Jaden, Ayo and Green are the only guys we can count on to hit threes. TSJ has the most 3-point potential among the others. After watching the terrible shooting from Isaiah Evans so far in Summer League we clearly can’t count on him. If we trade Green and TSJ then we’re counting on Clark and Evans for three point shooting and I don’t like that bet.

Lip, it does seem quite clear to me from Finchy's and TC's comments that they are not at all comfortable with Slim as the everyday PF...it's not a knock at all on Jaden, it's just that they love him at SF. TC knows he has to find a starting-level PF somehow, and it has to be agonizing for him to have his hands completely tied as he waits for LeBron. But don't think he's just sitting on his tied hands...knowing TC as we do, he probably has 4 or 5 Plan B's in the works in the (more likely than not) event that James elects to go elsewhere.

And the other thing we can be almost 100% certain of: the Plan B move he eventually makes will be something nobody has mentioned here in all the pages of conjecture! Just look at the moves he has made that, as smart as we are as a group, nobody here anticipated: trading for Rudy, trading for Conley/NAW, trading KAT for Randle/Donte, trading Naz+ for LaMelo Ball, signing Trey Lyles instead of the 20-25 candidates that we bandied about here...whew!

So it seems almost pointless to offer any conjecture about how he is going to bring in a PF to start not named LeBron, but I'll offer a wild guess. As much as we would love for him to land a PF without giving up a top 6 or 7 player (like trading Green and TSJ), my sense is he is going to go bolder like he always does, and do something that we haven't discussed here. So here is my prediction: LeBron is not going to sign with us, and despite his best efforts, no other team bites on what TC is willing and able to offer to secure a starting PF. So we start the season with a mix and match strategy at PF...a little Shannon, a little Lyles, a little Clark, a little Jaden, a little (gasp) Ant...puts a lot of pressure on Finchy to find the right matchup every night, especially since his nature is to roll out his 5 best players every night If it works, terrific...don't make any moves. But if it doesn't, I think he is forced to look at his most attractive asset at a current position of strength for us, and move Ayo in mid December for a very good starting PF. I hope not, because he's one of my favorite guys on the roster both from a basketball and personality standpoint.

But heck, he traded Naz didn't he? This would not be nearly as controversial as that.

[Monster]

Finch said he doesn’t envision Jaden starting at PF. Hmm. Does that mean he envisions Green, Edwards or TSJ starting there? I really doubt it. Finch’s comment is telling because it indicates the Wolves organization does not share the view of Q and others on this board that we’re fine moving forward with the current roster. Obviously, if LeBron signs here he will be our starting PF. But if LeBron goes elsewhere then I think it’s inevitable the Wolves will trade for a starting PF and I don’t think they’ll wait until after the season starts.

I’m troubled by the need to trade for a PF because it will obviously involve trading Josh Green AND one of our other wings, most likely TSJ. This team needs three-point shooting. Ant, Ball, Jaden, Ayo and Green are the only guys we can count on to hit threes. TSJ has the most 3-point potential among the others. After watching the terrible shooting from Isaiah Evans so far in Summer League we clearly can’t count on him. If we trade Green and TSJ then we’re counting on Clark and Evans for three point shooting and I don’t like that bet.

I thought that was an illuminating quote from Finch, but I don't know exactly how much we should draw from it.

For one his statements are ones that I largely agree with, even as a pro PF Jaden, which is that I still think his best position is at SF but not as a POA defender. I don't know how much Finch agrees with that last point, but he certainly views him as a SF.

Fwiw, Jaden is bit of a tough nut to set, because like I said I think he'd be best on defense as Swiss army knife roaming demon small forward. Offensively he's probably best as a PF even tho he's a bit light, because the closer Jaden is to the basket the more useful he is on offense while also being able to spread out the floor cause he can shoot. He's not ever gonna be a point forward but with his height and length he can be a really good playmaker within 10ft or so from the basket. Anyway I'll end the digression there.

What the coaches comments tell us is that he wants a different starting PF than Jaden and almost certainly Lyles. However, we also know that Tim won't force something before he needs to even if the state of the roster needs it, as evident by waiting on the Russel trade, the Kat trade and then the Randle trade.

He's always feeling things out but he won't strike out of desperation.

To but succinctly, TC might very well tell Finch, "this is what you got to work with for now, figure it out"

If I was Finch and even If I thought Jaden as a 4 was a possible good idea for this season I wouldn't go all in on that until I knew for sure Lebron wasn't coming here.

[FNG]

I know it's only summer league and it's only "back stiffness", but does Joan missing 2 consecutive games and Rocco's futility on defense (last night he made Garza look like Wemby!) increase the urgency for TC to bring in some size? I was hoping that Rocco might be the answer if either or both of Rudy and Joan were out, but his defensive struggles against summer league "talent" makes that unrealistic right now...goodness, if he can't stop a Chinese center who averaged a whopping 2.2 PPG last season, how is he going to look against true NBA centers? Does Lyles start in that scenario at center? Jaden???? With our current lack of depth at the "big" positions, we need both Rudy and Joan to stay healthy. Let's hope the back stiffness is nothing.

[Lipoli390]

Finch said he doesn’t envision Jaden starting at PF. Hmm. Does that mean he envisions Green, Edwards or TSJ starting there? I really doubt it. Finch’s comment is telling because it indicates the Wolves organization does not share the view of Q and others on this board that we’re fine moving forward with the current roster. Obviously, if LeBron signs here he will be our starting PF. But if LeBron goes elsewhere then I think it’s inevitable the Wolves will trade for a starting PF and I don’t think they’ll wait until after the season starts.

I’m troubled by the need to trade for a PF because it will obviously involve trading Josh Green AND one of our other wings, most likely TSJ. This team needs three-point shooting. Ant, Ball, Jaden, Ayo and Green are the only guys we can count on to hit threes. TSJ has the most 3-point potential among the others. After watching the terrible shooting from Isaiah Evans so far in Summer League we clearly can’t count on him. If we trade Green and TSJ then we’re counting on Clark and Evans for three point shooting and I don’t like that bet.

Lip, it does seem quite clear to me from Finchy's and TC's comments that they are not at all comfortable with Slim as the everyday PF...it's not a knock at all on Jaden, it's just that they love him at SF. TC knows he has to find a starting-level PF somehow, and it has to be agonizing for him to have his hands completely tied as he waits for LeBron. But don't think he's just sitting on his tied hands...knowing TC as we do, he probably has 4 or 5 Plan B's in the works in the (more likely than not) event that James elects to go elsewhere.

And the other thing we can be almost 100% certain of: the Plan B move he eventually makes will be something nobody has mentioned here in all the pages of conjecture! Just look at the moves he has made that, as smart as we are as a group, nobody here anticipated: trading for Rudy, trading for Conley/NAW, trading KAT for Randle/Donte, trading Naz+ for LaMelo Ball, signing Trey Lyles instead of the 20-25 candidates that we bandied about here...whew!

So it seems almost pointless to offer any conjecture about how he is going to bring in a PF to start not named LeBron, but I'll offer a wild guess. As much as we would love for him to land a PF without giving up a top 6 or 7 player (like trading Green and TSJ), my sense is he is going to go bolder like he always does, and do something that we haven't discussed here. So here is my prediction: LeBron is not going to sign with us, and despite his best efforts, no other team bites on what TC is willing and able to offer to secure a starting PF. So we start the season with a mix and match strategy at PF...a little Shannon, a little Lyles, a little Clark, a little Jaden, a little (gasp) Ant...puts a lot of pressure on Finchy to find the right matchup every night, especially since his nature is to roll out his 5 best players every night If it works, terrific...don't make any moves. But if it doesn't, I think he is forced to look at his most attractive asset at a current position of strength for us, and move Ayo in mid December for a very good starting PF. I hope not, because he's one of my favorite guys on the roster both from a basketball and personality standpoint.

But heck, he traded Naz didn't he? This would not be nearly as controversial as that.

I actually wasn’t shocked we traded Naz. But I’m willing to bet you any amount you choose that the Wolves will not trade Ayo by the trade deadline.

[AussieWolf3]

Finch said he doesn’t envision Jaden starting at PF. Hmm. Does that mean he envisions Green, Edwards or TSJ starting there? I really doubt it. Finch’s comment is telling because it indicates the Wolves organization does not share the view of Q and others on this board that we’re fine moving forward with the current roster. Obviously, if LeBron signs here he will be our starting PF. But if LeBron goes elsewhere then I think it’s inevitable the Wolves will trade for a starting PF and I don’t think they’ll wait until after the season starts.

I’m troubled by the need to trade for a PF because it will obviously involve trading Josh Green AND one of our other wings, most likely TSJ. This team needs three-point shooting. Ant, Ball, Jaden, Ayo and Green are the only guys we can count on to hit threes. TSJ has the most 3-point potential among the others. After watching the terrible shooting from Isaiah Evans so far in Summer League we clearly can’t count on him. If we trade Green and TSJ then we’re counting on Clark and Evans for three point shooting and I don’t like that bet.

Lip, it does seem quite clear to me from Finchy's and TC's comments that they are not at all comfortable with Slim as the everyday PF...it's not a knock at all on Jaden, it's just that they love him at SF. TC knows he has to find a starting-level PF somehow, and it has to be agonizing for him to have his hands completely tied as he waits for LeBron. But don't think he's just sitting on his tied hands...knowing TC as we do, he probably has 4 or 5 Plan B's in the works in the (more likely than not) event that James elects to go elsewhere.

And the other thing we can be almost 100% certain of: the Plan B move he eventually makes will be something nobody has mentioned here in all the pages of conjecture! Just look at the moves he has made that, as smart as we are as a group, nobody here anticipated: trading for Rudy, trading for Conley/NAW, trading KAT for Randle/Donte, trading Naz+ for LaMelo Ball, signing Trey Lyles instead of the 20-25 candidates that we bandied about here...whew!

So it seems almost pointless to offer any conjecture about how he is going to bring in a PF to start not named LeBron, but I'll offer a wild guess. As much as we would love for him to land a PF without giving up a top 6 or 7 player (like trading Green and TSJ), my sense is he is going to go bolder like he always does, and do something that we haven't discussed here. So here is my prediction: LeBron is not going to sign with us, and despite his best efforts, no other team bites on what TC is willing and able to offer to secure a starting PF. So we start the season with a mix and match strategy at PF...a little Shannon, a little Lyles, a little Clark, a little Jaden, a little (gasp) Ant...puts a lot of pressure on Finchy to find the right matchup every night, especially since his nature is to roll out his 5 best players every night If it works, terrific...don't make any moves. But if it doesn't, I think he is forced to look at his most attractive asset at a current position of strength for us, and move Ayo in mid December for a very good starting PF. I hope not, because he's one of my favorite guys on the roster both from a basketball and personality standpoint.

But heck, he traded Naz didn't he? This would not be nearly as controversial as that.

I actually wasn’t shocked we traded Naz. But I’m willing to bet you any amount you choose that the Wolves will not trade Ayo by the trade deadline.

If a move isn't done before the season starts, I might take that bet.

Ayo may be a bit of an odd man out with the most trade value if they really wish to pursue a starting caliber 4

[Lipoli390]

I know it's only summer league and it's only "back stiffness", but does Joan missing 2 consecutive games and Rocco's futility on defense (last night he made Garza look like Wemby!) increase the urgency for TC to bring in some size? I was hoping that Rocco might be the answer if either or both of Rudy and Joan were out, but his defensive struggles against summer league "talent" makes that unrealistic right now...goodness, if he can't stop a Chinese center who averaged a whopping 2.2 PPG last season, how is he going to look against true NBA centers? Does Lyles start in that scenario at center? Jaden???? With our current lack of depth at the "big" positions, we need both Rudy and Joan to stay healthy. Let's hope the back stiffness is nothing.

I don’t think there’s any more urgency than there was before Summer League. I don’t think they were counting on Rocco at all next season. Beringer’s back stiffness in July shouldn’t have any bearing on the team’s thinking about October and beyond. The concern should be, and probably is, a potential injury to Rudy that puts him out for an extended period of games. I like the idea of looking to Beringer as our #2 center and stepping in as our #1 if Rudy goes down. Yet, I’d prefer not to count on Joan and it’s not because of his back stiffness; it’s because he’s barely 20 years old with very little NBA experience. That’s why I wanted the Wolves to sign Drummond. I thought we could use a truly big backup veteran center who can rebound at a high level, bang around in the paint and provide a steady veteran presence in the event Rudy isn’t available. I’m not sure who’s left on the free agent market who could fit that bill. Meanwhile, the Wolves appear focused on adding another PF, starting with LeBron. Unfortunately, we only have enough cap room to sign one more player and that means, absent a trade, the Wolves will have a choice between signing a PF or a C. Kelly Olynyk can play both positions but I just don’t think he has anything left in his tank.

[FNG]

Lip, it does seem quite clear to me from Finchy's and TC's comments that they are not at all comfortable with Slim as the everyday PF...it's not a knock at all on Jaden, it's just that they love him at SF. TC knows he has to find a starting-level PF somehow, and it has to be agonizing for him to have his hands completely tied as he waits for LeBron. But don't think he's just sitting on his tied hands...knowing TC as we do, he probably has 4 or 5 Plan B's in the works in the (more likely than not) event that James elects to go elsewhere.

And the other thing we can be almost 100% certain of: the Plan B move he eventually makes will be something nobody has mentioned here in all the pages of conjecture! Just look at the moves he has made that, as smart as we are as a group, nobody here anticipated: trading for Rudy, trading for Conley/NAW, trading KAT for Randle/Donte, trading Naz+ for LaMelo Ball, signing Trey Lyles instead of the 20-25 candidates that we bandied about here...whew!

So it seems almost pointless to offer any conjecture about how he is going to bring in a PF to start not named LeBron, but I'll offer a wild guess. As much as we would love for him to land a PF without giving up a top 6 or 7 player (like trading Green and TSJ), my sense is he is going to go bolder like he always does, and do something that we haven't discussed here. So here is my prediction: LeBron is not going to sign with us, and despite his best efforts, no other team bites on what TC is willing and able to offer to secure a starting PF. So we start the season with a mix and match strategy at PF...a little Shannon, a little Lyles, a little Clark, a little Jaden, a little (gasp) Ant...puts a lot of pressure on Finchy to find the right matchup every night, especially since his nature is to roll out his 5 best players every night If it works, terrific...don't make any moves. But if it doesn't, I think he is forced to look at his most attractive asset at a current position of strength for us, and move Ayo in mid December for a very good starting PF. I hope not, because he's one of my favorite guys on the roster both from a basketball and personality standpoint.

But heck, he traded Naz didn't he? This would not be nearly as controversial as that.

I actually wasn’t shocked we traded Naz. But I’m willing to bet you any amount you choose that the Wolves will not trade Ayo by the trade deadline.

If a move isn't done before the season starts, I might take that bet.

Ayo may be a bit of an odd man out with the most trade value if they really wish to pursue a starting caliber 4

Aussie and Lip: once you guys decide on the wager amount (Lip has said any amount is okay with him), I'm happy to hold onto the cash for you guys until the trade deadline .

Lip, I'm wondering why you think an Ayo trade would be more shocking than the Naz trade. I liked the Naz trade, but it surprised me a lot...like all TC's moves do! Naz was arguably one of the two most popular players on the roster (maybe even the most popular), a uniquely skilled stretch 4, he was going to be a certain starter for the first time in his career, and he was one of the few bigs on the roster. Most of us here are quite high on Ayo and loved the trade that brought him in, but his skillset is not unique like Naz's and he plays a position at which we have more depth than the 4/5. I suspect that TC and Finchy like him a lot but don't consider him untouchable, and if he plays well the first 3 months of the season, his trade value on 12/15 should be quite high. Again, I would prefer to keep Ayo...but he may be the price we have to pay to bring in a higher level big man if the mix and match strategy at the 4 proves to be unsuccessful.

[rapsuperstar31]

Not sure if this got talked about, but it sounds like Trey Lyles got the partially guaranteed contract like Bones got last year. Guaranteed for 1.5 million, and would be fully guaranteed if we don't waive him by January 10th.

From Spotrac.
"Trey Lyles signed a 1 year, $3,876,529 contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, including $1,500,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $3,876,529. In 2026-27, Lyles will earn a base salary of $3,876,529, while carrying a cap hit of $2,449,421 and a dead cap value of $1,500,000."

[Monster]

Not sure if this got talked about, but it sounds like Trey Lyles got the partially guaranteed contract like Bones got last year. Guaranteed for 1.5 million, and would be fully guaranteed if we don't waive him by January 10th.

From Spotrac.
"Trey Lyles signed a 1 year, $3,876,529 contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, including $1,500,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $3,876,529. In 2026-27, Lyles will earn a base salary of $3,876,529, while carrying a cap hit of $2,449,421 and a dead cap value of $1,500,000."

That's a pretty good deal for Lyles.

[Monster]

I actually wasn’t shocked we traded Naz. But I’m willing to bet you any amount you choose that the Wolves will not trade Ayo by the trade deadline.

If a move isn't done before the season starts, I might take that bet.

Ayo may be a bit of an odd man out with the most trade value if they really wish to pursue a starting caliber 4

Aussie and Lip: once you guys decide on the wager amount (Lip has said any amount is okay with him), I'm happy to hold onto the cash for you guys until the trade deadline .

Lip, I'm wondering why you think an Ayo trade would be more shocking than the Naz trade. I liked the Naz trade, but it surprised me a lot...like all TC's moves do! Naz was arguably one of the two most popular players on the roster (maybe even the most popular), a uniquely skilled stretch 4, he was going to be a certain starter for the first time in his career, and he was one of the few bigs on the roster. Most of us here are quite high on Ayo and loved the trade that brought him in, but his skillset is not unique like Naz's and he plays a position at which we have more depth than the 4/5. I suspect that TC and Finchy like him a lot but don't consider him untouchable, and if he plays well the first 3 months of the season, his trade value on 12/15 should be quite high. Again, I would prefer to keep Ayo...but he may be the price we have to pay to bring in a higher level big man if the mix and match strategy at the 4 proves to be unsuccessful.

I'm not sure what other than Trading Edwards of McDaniels would actually shock me by Connelly at this point. I was surprised at him trading Naz but for Lamelo you had to trade something of value.

To me the guys that have value on the roster to trade for a different player are Ayo and TSJ. Ayo has more value right this moment but has more salalry. What if TSJ shows out and looks like a high end rotation player or starter and need to have the ball in his hands? Do you trade him or Ayo? There is certainly a world where they can keep both but...trading one of them could certainly make sense. Keep in mind Ayo got a pretty nice contract and only a couple teams could give him that deal. The Wolves trading him to a good situation and getting back a player they want/need could be a good outcome for Ayo as well. I don't think the plan is to trade him though but it would not shock me. I think a few things would have to play out for that to happen.