Minnesota Sports Forum

Monster wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2026 9:55 am

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2026 9:13 am

Monster wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2026 12:48 pm

My current comp for Kuminga is Kyle Kuzma. That's not exactly high praise but at the right price and in the right role Kuzma is a reasonably worthwhile player. If I could sign Kuminga for like 15 million a year it could really pay off. I'm not really dying to add him though. He doesn't seem to quite play big enough to be a PF and he isn't a good 3 point shooter. I mean...how much is a player like that good for? He definitely is talented though but I'll be cool with it when he picks someone else for the money. It's not exactly a Lebron decision type situation. Lol

Kuminga’s calling card is scoring and perimeter shooter. But as you pointed out, he’s not a good 3-point shooter. Since we’re not in a position to be highly selective with this last roster addition, we need to add a player who brings at least one proven high-level contribution. We wouldn’t get that from Kuminga. He has the talent to be a terrific scorer and perimeter shooter, but he hasn’t proven to be reliable on either metric. Otherwise, he’s a subpar rebounder and defender at his position. I’d still consider Kuminga at the vet minimum based on his potential, but I’d be cautious. Concerns about his inconsistent effort and attitude are big red flags. We had those things in a far more talented and productive player named Julius Randle and we got rid of him. Kuminga isn’t good enough to justify overlooking those red flags.

That’s why I keep coming back to Sochan. He’s proven that you can count on him to rebound and defender his position at a pretty high level. You can count on him to bring high energy and intensity when he’s on the floor. He wouldn’t spread the floor with his shooting to say the least, but neither would Kuminga unless he suddenly performs at a level he’s never done before in his 5 NBA seasons. He’s a better perimeter shooter than Sochan, but not good enough to make opposing defenses worry about him. If we prioritize adding a PF who can spread the floor with his perimeter shooing, the obvious choice among free agents is Kevin Love. He would also bring high level rebounding along with solid passing. The problem with Kevin is that he’s not mobile and not a good defender. He’s never been particularly mobile or a good defender and now he’s 37 years old, which exacerbates those weaknesses and makes him more injury prone. I’d be fine adding Love at the vet minimum to complete our roster and add rotation depth to the PF position. But at the vet minimum I still think Sochan is the better choice because of his mobility, speed, athleticism and ball-handling. I think he fits the overall nature of this guard-oriented team our front office has put together. In addition to all that, Sochan brings untapped upside.

If we can’t sign Sochan or Love at the vet minimum, I don’t see any other available free-agent PFs I’d be interested in signing except maybe Kuminga. But again, I’d be cautious about signing him. Maybe Olynyk because at least we know he could stretch the floor if he’s healthy.

When it comes to potential trade targets to fill the PF position, I don’t see any realistic options worth giving up both Green and TSJ. PJ Washington might be realistic but his contract would be an albatross. Toppin might be realistic and I like that we could likely count on him to bring offense and floor spreading. He’s also fast and mobile, which means he’d fit our style of play. But he’s a poor rebounder and defender at his position and he’s coming off a foot injury, which is highly problematic for a big guy. Moreover, we’d have to give up both Green and TSJ to get him. I’m not sure he’s worth it but at least he passes my test as a guy you can count on to bring at least one high level capability to the floor when he’s out there.

So here’s my summary of the potential PF acquisitions who pass my test:

Sochan: rebounding, defense, high energy, mobility/athleticism (contra - poor shooter)
Love: rebounding, perimeter shooting (contra - old, declining, poor defender but better than Olynyk)
Olynyk: perimeter shooting (contra - old, declining, poor defender)
Toppin: perimeter shooting, scoring, high energy, mobility/athleticism. (Contra - poor defender/rebounding; foot injury)

I think a guy like Trendon Watford is worthwhile to add to this list. We added Ball and have other ball handlers but really Ball is the only true PG on the roster (and Pullin as a 2-way) but a ball handling forward isn't a terrible option. He is a guy that signed on a 2-way as a rookie and played right away. He is a flawed guy too but there is something there and he has played a pretty healthy amount of NBA minutes.

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2026 4:07 pm Perhaps our front office is really serious about a sign-and-trade for Kuminga. Or maybe it’s on to Kevin Love, which is what I’d do.

60WinTim wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2026 4:19 pm

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2026 4:07 pm Perhaps our front office is really serious about a sign-and-trade for Kuminga. Or maybe it’s on to Kevin Love, which is what I’d do.

Or, trade Green and Donte for PJ Washington, which creates extra cap room and opens a roster spot to sign Love… The roster would be pretty balanced, giving Finch all sorts of options.

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2026 4:39 pm

60WinTim wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2026 4:19 pm

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2026 4:07 pm Perhaps our front office is really serious about a sign-and-trade for Kuminga. Or maybe it’s on to Kevin Love, which is what I’d do.

Or, trade Green and Donte for PJ Washington, which creates extra cap room and opens a roster spot to sign Love… The roster would be pretty balanced, giving Finch all sorts of options.

I would do that deal. It makes some sense for Dallas because they’d escape the long term cap implications of PJ’s contract. I don’t think TC would do that deal.

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2026 3:41 pm Shams Charania
Free agent forward Jeremy Sochan has agreed to a one-year deal to sign with the Portland Trail Blazers, agent Deirunas Visockas of Gersh Sports tells ESPN. Sochan -- who has averaged 9.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists entering his fifth NBA season -- finished 2025-26 on the championship Knicks.

BeenLurkin wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2026 5:08 pm I dunno, I’d rather not have a 6’7” power forward…cause you really need to be tall to play that position. Tall makes the most sense.

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2026 4:07 pm Perhaps our front office is really serious about a sign-and-trade for Kuminga. Or maybe it’s on to Kevin Love, which is what I’d do.