Minnesota Sports Forum

https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/ ... 296025007/

Interesting take.

Henry Abbott was told by one person that the Wolves, Heat and Knicks are on Giannis short list.

If Giannis were to put his thumb on the scale for these teams, the Wolves would be able to beat a NY package and could compete with Miami player package but not the pick package.

Phenom wrote: ↑Wed Jan 28, 2026 6:16 am Henry Abbott was told by one person that the Wolves, Heat and Knicks are on Giannis short list.

If Giannis were to put his thumb on the scale for these teams, the Wolves would be able to beat a NY package and could compete with Miami player package but not the pick package.

It would take convincing Milwaukee that Jaden is a franchise centerpiece, which isn't too big a stretch. I'd hate to see him leave but a healthy Gannis is worth losing Julius and Jaden. Just don't know how the roster works with Gannis and Rudy.... I mean, well it doesn't....

Hard to see the Wolves being able to pull it off without ending up with a hollow roster ala the Lakers after the Donnic trade

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 28, 2026 7:59 am

Phenom wrote: ↑Wed Jan 28, 2026 6:16 am Henry Abbott was told by one person that the Wolves, Heat and Knicks are on Giannis short list.

If Giannis were to put his thumb on the scale for these teams, the Wolves would be able to beat a NY package and could compete with Miami player package but not the pick package.

It would take convincing Milwaukee that Jaden is a franchise centerpiece, which isn't too big a stretch. I'd hate to see him leave but a healthy Gannis is worth losing Julius and Jaden. Just don't know how the roster works with Gannis and Rudy.... I mean, well it doesn't....

Hard to see the Wolves being able to pull it off without ending up with a hollow roster ala the Lakers after the Donnic trade

I agree with your conclusions, Aussie. As dominant a player as Giannis is, his fit with Rudy would be bad. Plus he's 31 and oft injured. Not worth giving up two starters including a promising young player in Jaden.

FNG wrote: ↑Wed Jan 28, 2026 8:09 am

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 28, 2026 7:59 am

Phenom wrote: ↑Wed Jan 28, 2026 6:16 am Henry Abbott was told by one person that the Wolves, Heat and Knicks are on Giannis short list.

If Giannis were to put his thumb on the scale for these teams, the Wolves would be able to beat a NY package and could compete with Miami player package but not the pick package.

It would take convincing Milwaukee that Jaden is a franchise centerpiece, which isn't too big a stretch. I'd hate to see him leave but a healthy Gannis is worth losing Julius and Jaden. Just don't know how the roster works with Gannis and Rudy.... I mean, well it doesn't....

Hard to see the Wolves being able to pull it off without ending up with a hollow roster ala the Lakers after the Donnic trade

I agree with your conclusions, Aussie. As dominant a player as Giannis is, his fit with Rudy would be bad. Plus he's 31 and oft injured. Not worth giving up two starters including a promising young player in Jaden.

Well to be fair, I did say and do think he would be worth losing Ju and Jaden. I'm also curious about how much of the missed injury time is due to... Well not wanting to play for that awful team.

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 28, 2026 7:59 am

Phenom wrote: ↑Wed Jan 28, 2026 6:16 am Henry Abbott was told by one person that the Wolves, Heat and Knicks are on Giannis short list.

If Giannis were to put his thumb on the scale for these teams, the Wolves would be able to beat a NY package and could compete with Miami player package but not the pick package.

It would take convincing Milwaukee that Jaden is a franchise centerpiece, which isn't too big a stretch. I'd hate to see him leave but a healthy Gannis is worth losing Julius and Jaden. Just don't know how the roster works with Gannis and Rudy.... I mean, well it doesn't....

Hard to see the Wolves being able to pull it off without ending up with a hollow roster ala the Lakers after the Donnic trade

Also we'd have to maintain playoff seeding with a very thin roster while Giannis is recovering from his calf strain, which could take weeks. And it doesn't seem like Ant's toe infection has run its course.

I know we lack draft capital, but would Milwaukee look at someone like Beringer as the equivalent of a high first round pick? I'd hate to lose him, but that's the kind of player we'd have to be willing to part with (along with Jaden) to make any deal realistic.

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Wed Jan 28, 2026 8:19 am

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 28, 2026 7:59 am

Phenom wrote: ↑Wed Jan 28, 2026 6:16 am Henry Abbott was told by one person that the Wolves, Heat and Knicks are on Giannis short list.

If Giannis were to put his thumb on the scale for these teams, the Wolves would be able to beat a NY package and could compete with Miami player package but not the pick package.

It would take convincing Milwaukee that Jaden is a franchise centerpiece, which isn't too big a stretch. I'd hate to see him leave but a healthy Gannis is worth losing Julius and Jaden. Just don't know how the roster works with Gannis and Rudy.... I mean, well it doesn't....

Hard to see the Wolves being able to pull it off without ending up with a hollow roster ala the Lakers after the Donnic trade

Also we'd have to maintain playoff seeding with a very thin roster while Giannis is recovering from his calf strain, which could take weeks. And it doesn't seem like Ant's toe infection has run its course.

I know we lack draft capital, but would Milwaukee look at someone like Beringer as the equivalent of a high first round pick? I'd hate to lose him, but that's the kind of player we'd have to be willing to part with (along with Jaden) to make any deal realistic.

Oh I would hate to lose Jaden and Joan!
Honestly my biggest curiosity is who else the Wolves would get- can they acquire players on the margins of the deal that would be useful rotation players?

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 28, 2026 9:00 am

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Wed Jan 28, 2026 8:19 am

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 28, 2026 7:59 am

It would take convincing Milwaukee that Jaden is a franchise centerpiece, which isn't too big a stretch. I'd hate to see him leave but a healthy Gannis is worth losing Julius and Jaden. Just don't know how the roster works with Gannis and Rudy.... I mean, well it doesn't....

Hard to see the Wolves being able to pull it off without ending up with a hollow roster ala the Lakers after the Donnic trade

Also we'd have to maintain playoff seeding with a very thin roster while Giannis is recovering from his calf strain, which could take weeks. And it doesn't seem like Ant's toe infection has run its course.

I know we lack draft capital, but would Milwaukee look at someone like Beringer as the equivalent of a high first round pick? I'd hate to lose him, but that's the kind of player we'd have to be willing to part with (along with Jaden) to make any deal realistic.

Oh I would hate to lose Jaden and Joan!
Honestly my biggest curiosity is who else the Wolves would get- can they acquire players on the margins of the deal that would be useful rotation players?

On paper Ryan Rollins would make a lot of sense, but he was a serial shoplifter until caught about a year ago. And if he has turned things around from a character perspective, I would think the Bucks would want to hold onto him since he's still young and improving.

AJ Green is DDV-light, so I don't really see how he'd help us much.

There is Kevn Porter Jr., but he has a checkered past as well and is currently hurt.

Then you have his two brothers - one on a two-way and the other signed to a normal deal for just this season- that we'd probably be forced to take on by his agent in order to consumate the deal.

Yeah....not sure we can get any added real help.

Luka, Jokic, Giannis. Only players I'd be willing to include Jaden for and have felt that way for a few years now, I cant believe there's actually a chance!

The interesting thing with the Giannis and the Bucks is that their next two 1st round pick have pick swaps where they receive the lesser. 26 ATL hold rights to swap and 27 NOP hold rights to swap. So there is less incentive to tank short term.

That's where players like Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert might be somewhat intriguing to them.