Minnesota Sports Forum

I wonder if after the season Chicago would bite on a trade of Butler for Wiggins + our pick?

I know they won't want to trade with Thibs, but that is pretty good value for Butler. The Bulls tried the quick fix with Rondo/Wade, but it is unsurprisingly not working. They are going to have to get younger. Meanwhile Butler is exactly what the Wolves need. A tough veteran guy who plays defense, can score, and is in his prime.

Wile, if it's a top 5 pick I don't do that deal.

Duke13 wrote:Wile, if it's a top 5 pick I don't do that deal.

Yeah, I would hesitate if it is that high. My concern is that Wiggins is starting to remind me of Rudy Gay. I hope he doesn't end up there, but if the Wolves think he is going to they need to move him while his value is still relatively high. I don't want to pay the max to Rudy Gay 2.0.

It is likely all academic anyway since (1) I don't think Taylor would agree to trade Wiggins and (2) I think the Bulls would rather stab themselves in the eye with a hot fork than help Thibs.

Love Jimmy Butler, but I wouldn't think about moving Andrew Wiggins and a top-five pick for him right now.

Lol. Think you're right about the Bulls stabbing their eye out. I also share the same concern with Wig, very frustrating!!

Camden wrote:Love Jimmy Butler, but I wouldn't think about moving Andrew Wiggins and a top-five pick for him right now.

What about a swap of picks?

Remember, the Wolves can't trade this year's pick anyway, right?

Camden wrote:Love Jimmy Butler, but I wouldn't think about moving Andrew Wiggins and a top-five pick for him right now.

Let's say Dunn has an improved second half of the year and settles down offensively into "adequate". We already know he has the potential to be an elite defender - I mean DPOY potential in my opinion. That means Rubio gets traded or made into a very strong backup if we can't get good value from him on the trade market.

Dunn
LaVine
Butler
KAT
Dieng

Now THAT could be the type of two-way team that could take the big leap we all keep expecting!

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

Camden wrote:Love Jimmy Butler, but I wouldn't think about moving Andrew Wiggins and a top-five pick for him right now.

What about a swap of picks?

Remember, the Wolves can't trade this year's pick anyway, right?

Can trade it after we pick it, right?

Q12543 wrote:

Camden wrote:Love Jimmy Butler, but I wouldn't think about moving Andrew Wiggins and a top-five pick for him right now.

Let's say Dunn has an improved second half of the year and settles down offensively into "adequate". We already know he has the potential to be an elite defender - I mean DPOY potential in my opinion. That means Rubio gets traded or made into a very strong backup if we can't get good value from him on the trade market.

Dunn
LaVine
Butler
KAT
Dieng

Now THAT could be the type of two-way team that could take the big leap we all keep expecting!

Exactly. Then let Bazz/Rush/JLIII walk, sign Taj Gibson, sign or trade (Belly/Ricky) for some 3&D wings for off the bench.

Even with as bad of a record as we have this season, our three 21-year olds haven't been the biggest problem, in my opinion. Do they have problematic areas? Absolutely, some bigger than others, and I'd venture to say that nearly every star player had weaknesses at that age. I think the surrounding pieces need to be a lot better, and we currently have placeholders that would be better used in different roles, or even different teams.

I'd still be more interested in adding a productive veteran at power forward -- Paul Millsap or Serge Ibaka would be a beautiful addition to the roster. We can debate about Gorgui Dieng to the moon and back, but I refuse to waver on my stance that he's a damn good bench big that's starting out of necessity.

Next, I believe we cannot go another off-season without addressing our backup wing spot. Shabazz Muhammad is simply not getting done, to say it nicely. Brandon Rush has not shown his worth to this team either. That means that current starters Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins are forced to play more minutes, and consequently must be productive in those minutes or else we're susceptible to losing as we've seen. One more legitimate wing would go a long way for this team. Since I hate to see people mention problems without proposed solutions, here's mine. I'd be very aggressive in my pursuit of Kyle Korver. He can't command an exceptional amount of money on the free market because of his age (35), but he is good enough that he should still look to get paid over the next couple of years, which *could* take him out of contending teams' plan. That'll be on him. I do know, however, that he enjoyed playing for Tom Thibodeau and has since given him a ton of credit for his defensive improvement as a player.

As for our point guards situation, it's in the air. Is Ricky Rubio good enough to lead this group? Is Kris Dunn ready to play a significant role on a team looking to win games? The options outside of what we currently have are thin, but there are a few. Unfortunately, they all come with *some* risk. For now, let's say we stand pat with what we have.

Is Team A better than Team B for the current time being AND the future, hypothetically?

Team A:

PG: K. Dunn / (?)
SG: Z. LaVine / (?)
SF: J. Butler / (?)
PF: K. Towns / N. Bjelica
C: G. Dieng / C. Aldrich

Team B:

PG: R. Rubio / K. Dunn
SG: Z. LaVine / K. Korver
SF: A. Wiggins / K. Korver
PF: S. Ibaka (or P. Millsap) / G. Dieng
C: K. Towns / G. Dieng / C. Aldrich

I love the balance, depth, and potential that Team B has. That would be my direction, though it's not a given that it happens by any means.