Realistic Trades for #7

[Lipoli390]

Another thought. If the Spurs really do pursue Chris Paul, they'll have to clear a lot of cap space. That would put Dedmon in play as a possible FA for the Wolves. Thibs has identified interior defense and shot-blocking as to major needs and Dedmon would help there.

Again on Tucker. As Cool said, he's on the backside of an average career. I'll add that his career is one of intangibles. So hard to know exactly what you're getting. There are better choices that give us tangibles that we really need -- like Redick and his 3-point shooting. There are cheaper alternative defensive specialists on the backsides of average careers -- like Sefalosha. There are needle-moving vets like Millsap and Ibaka who will be max or near max players.

[Coolbreeze44]

Seriously, what's the appeal of PJ Tucker? He gives you almost nothing offensively. His athletic and defensive skills are eroding as i write this. You sign him to a 3 year deal and he will be 35 at the end of it. I realize there aren't a lot of options out there for us in FA, but I sure hope we can swing a little higher than PJ.

[TeamRicky [enjin:6648771]]

http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/how_the_boston_celtics_can_close_the_super_team_gap/s1_7899_24043081

This article says Anthony Davis relationship with NO is becoming increasingly strained. If we could trade for AD, I'd trade at least three (maybe all four) of the following for him: Wiggins, Zach, Dieng and 7 for AD. KAT and AD together would be the start of a young superteam and we could add free agents to fill the gap. I know its a pipe dream, but when has reality ever stopped people from posting ideas on this board.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Davis isn't going anywhere, and I think the idea of trading LaVine, Wiggins, Dieng, and No. 7 for him would be unwise for both parties. With that said, I realize how phenomenal a talent Davis is. That's just a lot to put forth, in my opinion.

[Monster]

Seriously, what's the appeal of PJ Tucker? He gives you almost nothing offensively. His athletic and defensive skills are eroding as i write this. You sign him to a 3 year deal and he will be 35 at the end of it. I realize there aren't a lot of options out there for us in FA, but I sure hope we can swing a little higher than PJ.

Toughness. I think that's the strongest appeal and this team has lacked it for what seems like forever. I'm not saying I want the guy but I'm just saying I think that's a major part of his appeal.

[WildWolf2813]

Seriously, what's the appeal of PJ Tucker? He gives you almost nothing offensively. His athletic and defensive skills are eroding as i write this. You sign him to a 3 year deal and he will be 35 at the end of it. I realize there aren't a lot of options out there for us in FA, but I sure hope we can swing a little higher than PJ.

I for one don't think it has to be Tucker, but if he's 35 by the end of his deal, who cares? When you're signing these vets, we gotta judge them not just on their performance, but also whether this team accomplished what they needed to accomplish, which is making the playoffs. If he plays a pivotal role in getting this team to the playoffs, mission accomplished, even if the back end of the deal sucks. Not just for Tucker but for anyone. To echo monsterpile's opinion, we need toughness. We need grit. I know guys here want a choir boy everywhere, but perhaps this team needs a dickhead who gives this team an edge, a guy who everyone hates, but you love on your team. I just don't see anyone on this roster who remotely brings that except for maybe LaVine and Dunn.

I just feel like Wolves fans have this vision of having a team of nothing but Wolves draft picks, all on the cheap, and making the playoffs without any outside help whatsoever and when everyone else sees that, they'll wanna come flocking here. It just does two things: 1: make the road so much harder and 2: it continues to push back the ETA for this team. When this team traded for Wiggins, some of us thought to ourselves, "hey in 2-3 years, watch out." Wiggins is gonna enter year 4 and we're still saying "hey in 2-3 years, watch out." I know if every year turns into another evaluation year, in 2-3 years, I may not care anymore if and when they finally arrive.

[Coolbreeze44]

No one has championed the need for toughness more than me. I've said it repeatedly, we need shooting and toughness. But my hope for this team isn't just to make the playoffs. If that's really your end game, then i can certainly understand why you would want to blow a large portion of your cap space on Tucker. He might help you squeak into the 7th or 8th spot. But in my opinion all of our moves should be made with the idea of contending in mind. And if you do that, the playoff appearances are going to come as a natural byproduct of those moves.

[Monster]

No one has championed the need for toughness more than me. I've said it repeatedly, we need shooting and toughness. But my hope for this team isn't just to make the playoffs. If that's really your end game, then i can certainly understand why you would want to blow a large portion of your cap space on Tucker. He might help you squeak into the 7th or 8th spot. But in my opinion all of our moves should be made with the idea of contending in mind. And if you do that, the playoff appearances are going to come as a natural byproduct of those moves.

Its kinda funny how we have latched on to certain guys as targets. What about a guy like Tony Snell?

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Wild and Kahns - I agree that this is the summer to spend money on free agents. I just disagree with those who think Tucker is the guy to help get us from 31 wins to the playoffs. And the money it will take to sign him probably won't leave much room for another quality free agent.

Tucker alone isn't going to get us from 31 wins to the playoffs. The only guys who might would be Paul George or Jimmy Butler or MAYBE Paul Millsap. And even then, the biggest factor is going to be the development of Wiggins and Towns and our team defense.

But assuming we're not going to get one of those top guys, I think Tucker could play a solid role for us. He defends multiple positions well and brings a lot of contagious toughness and hustle, as well as a decent 3 point shot, and those are the sort of things that could really help the young guys step up by relieving defensive pressure, setting the tone, and spacing the floor a bit. As for the cost, he's been making 5 million per so I doubt he's going to be that expensive, but I agree I wouldn't want to overpay him. I like Sefolosha, but Tucker has a better +/- stats (+4.2 to +1.7), a better three point shot, he can guard more positions, and he's even a year younger. Plus he's just tougher, and we really lack that.

Would I rather have Butler, George, Millsap, or Ibaka? Absolutely. Would Tucker be a starter for us as a real contender? No, probably (or at least ideally) not. But I do think he would be a reasonable signing to help carry some weight for the next couple years in a way that could help give our core (Wiggins and Towns mostly) the breathing room to develop, and he'd still be a valuable role player after that given his skill set.

I see a guy like Tucker as being a bit like training wheels for a bike, in a way. Our team is not yet ready to really ride on its own with all the young guys. Obviously, we've crashed a lot doing that already. In my view, Tucker could help keep us upright for a bit and help give us a bit of time and opportunity to get better to a point where we may not even need him. That's why he's kind of appealing to me as a realistic FA signing.

[Coolbreeze44]

No one has championed the need for toughness more than me. I've said it repeatedly, we need shooting and toughness. But my hope for this team isn't just to make the playoffs. If that's really your end game, then i can certainly understand why you would want to blow a large portion of your cap space on Tucker. He might help you squeak into the 7th or 8th spot. But in my opinion all of our moves should be made with the idea of contending in mind. And if you do that, the playoff appearances are going to come as a natural byproduct of those moves.

Its kinda funny how we have latched on to certain guys as targets. What about a guy like Tony Snell?

I like Snell a lot, but I hope the Bucks can keep him.