Its Lottery Eve

[Duke13]

Poor Hinkie! I do feel bad for him. I get the skepticism of his plan, I actually agreed with it. I don't like the look of the Colangelo take over right when things are gonna start improving.

[Monster]

One other thing to consider with the Sixers is they have all the cap space in the world and basically a massive opportunity for any guard that wants playing time. I just saw an article that said they offered a package for Schroeder last year in a trade and are willing to pay $$$$$. It's gonna be interesting to see how things pan out over there.

[Duke13]

Anyone read Dunking With The Wolves. Article on drafting 5th. Apparently Chad Ford had a picking Dunn. I may need to get insider again to read all the speculation leading up to the draft. Here's the article.

http://dunkingwithwolves.com/2016/05/17/timberwolves-land-pick-5-in-nba-draft-lottery/

Good clip of Flip after last years lotto luck. Damn I miss Flip!!
https://amp.twimg.com/v/ae571057-0154-4c9f-a96b-69a2bb77ac90

[Phenom]

I can't see Bender getting by both Boston and Phoenix. They both just have so many guards and wings and are questionable up front. If he did slip to 5, I think he would be the guy. I would really like to see the shooting ability of a Hield or Murray here but I don't see Thibs going that direction. Those 2 will need to prove to him in workouts that they have the defensive chops that coach will want. I don't see that happening. I am not feeling Brown at this point but I think he is our darkhorse at this point. Maybe Thibs sees some Jimmy Butler in him.

That leaves Dunn who should get past Boston and Phoenix. He does have the defensive chops that Thibs will demand. He fills a huge void off the bench and could someday be good enough to replace Ricky if need be. In the meantime, he could even play with Ricky if the team goes small since they both defend. I love his competitiveness and think he would fit in very well with our young competitive team and intense coach. My early prediction is Dunn. We need to put any Ricky rumors to bed though. Thibs isn't handing the team over to a rookie and, again, the who says the Wolves can't have two good point guards? Its almost a necessity in the West anyway.

[Lipoli390]

There has been plenty of talk about the Wolves trading the pick. Jon K. Wolfson and Zgoda all lean that direction. Is that just what they think makes sense or is it some sort of info they have? At #5 I don't know if that appealing enough to get a player worth dealing. Depending on how is available at #5 a trade down I might be more willing to live with.

My thoughts are they just think it makes sense...we have learned already that Thibs is not going to let anything substantive slip out. I like trading the pick also, and think it's likely perhaps for the same reason those guys do:

1) the difference in talent in players slated to go 5-20 just doesn't seem to be that significant this year...trading a #5 for 2 first rounders seems to be the value play

2) there are several teams with multiple first round picks who are possible trading partners.

Long -- I can't say it makes sense to trade our pick without knowing who or what we get in return. So I'd say we should be open to trading the pick, but equally open to keeping it. It should depend entirely on what teams offer in return. I would simply say that we absolutely should not trade KAT, Wiggins or LaVine along with our pick. Those three have way too much upside and a lot of developing chemistry between them. Nor should we trade Rubio on the assumption that Dunn will become a better starting PG. I'm a big Dunn fan, but its a long road from being a projected pick in the 4-7 range and becoming a starting NBA PG, much less a really good one.

Who we might target as players or assets in return for our pick depends on what we're looking for.

If we're looking to upgrade our rebounding, then swapping our pick for Randle makes sense. He's a beast on the boards. But that move would probably drive Dieng out the door and I think that likelihood should be factored in. In my view, Dieng is way undervalued on this Board. He's a better rim protector than Randle and a much better shooter/more efficient scorer. Gorgui shows great intensity and hustle. Further more, Dieng and KAT have already developed really nice on-court chemistry.

If we're looking to upgrade our rim protection, then swapping our pick in a package for Noel could make sense. But look at his numbers compared to Dieng's and decide how much of an upgrade he'd be over Dieng. Again, I think Dieng would eventually leave if Noel were brought in as our starting PF. Maybe we'd be better off long term with Dieng at PF AND Dunn or Hield as part of our backcourt rotation.

I like Flip's approach. He never looked to move any player or any pick. As he told me, he put a value on every player. He fielded offers and never dealt unless he got what he considered equal or better value in return. I'm counting on Thibs to continue that approach. That means approaching the draft on the assumption that we'll keep the pick and making a draft board list of players to take when we're on the clock. It also means keeping the phone lines open for offers and doing a deal only if we get an offer that would clearly make this team better long term.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

One other thing to consider with the Sixers is they have all the cap space in the world and basically a massive opportunity for any guard that wants playing time. I just saw an article that said they offered a package for Schroeder last year in a trade and are willing to pay $$$$$. It's gonna be interesting to see how things pan out over there.

If I put on my Colangelo hat and play the role of Philadelphia's President of Basketball Operations...

- Draft Brandon Ingram No. 1 overall. Not only do I feel like he's the best two-way, overall prospect in the draft, I think his mentality/personality fits what I'm building. Simmons, on the other hand, wants to go to Los Angeles in order to boost his impending shoe contract and essentially live in the limelight. I don't want that if I'm a decision maker in Philly. I also desperately need a legitimate, high profile wing prospect as I already have a handful of assets tied up at the PF/C position.

- I realize that Jahlil Okafor's a legitimate offensive weapon and the organization made the smart decision in drafting him a year ago, but I see an opportunity to move him and collect big time assets and the No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft. I can make a big mark on this team's future with a trade like this. Okafor to Boston for No. 3, No. 16, and their 2017 first-round pick WITH the option to swap picks for Brooklyn's 2017 first via Boston. That's quite the haul, but this is a big that is already one of the best low-post scorers in the league. I'm going to get my money's worth from a team that has the assets to make a deal and the courage to part with them.

- Draft Jamal Murray No. 3 overall. He's the third best player on my big board and at a position of need. This makes too much sense. My back court needs an overhaul and I get a player that can fill it up in a number of ways to go along with my 6'10 small forward. Those two could evolve into quite the dynamic offensive duo.

- Dario Saric wants to come over for the 2016-17 season and I have plenty of cap space and playing time to give him. I need to know if he's part of the long-term vision. He's pencilled in as my starting PF next to Noel in the front court.

- The only unknown in my starting lineup heading into next season is point guard. I need a distributor that can make the three at a high clip and defend at the lead guard position. My options are very limited because of the current situation and winning hasn't been the norm lately. I decide to throw $11M per year at Matthew Dellavedova to be my stopgap starting PG for next year with the idea that he'll be a very nice backup once I find my long-term option.

PG: Dellavedova
SG: Murray
SF: Ingram
PF: Saric
C: Noel

That team has three rookies in the starting lineup and will lose a lot of games, but at least there's a plan in motion with several high profile prospects and a unit predicated on three-point shooting and defense.

[Lipoli390]

It's fun to discuss trade ideas involving our upcoming pick and/or current players. And I'm intrigued by some of the ideas posted in this thread. But keep in mind that a lot of quality free agents will be available this summer from low end to high end of the price range. And we should have significant cap space to sign a quality FA or two to fill various needs.

Referring only to unrestricted FAs, when it comes to bigs, Noah would be a good target at the higher end of the price range. He brings defense and experience. And he's played for Thibs. At the lower end of the range is Cole Aldrich who would add size and rebounding to our rotation at the 4 and 5 spots. I think he's underrated. Bobby Knight raved about him coming out of college. And he's a home town kid as well. Other unrestricted FA bigs include Horford, Humphries, Mozgov, Varejao, Speights, Jordan Hill, Mahinmi, Mbah a Moute, Hassan Whiteside, Ryan Anderson, Chris Kaman, Biyombo, Luis Scola, JJ Hickson, Al Jefferson, Marvin Williams, Tyler Hansbrough, Roy Hibbert and Trevor Booker.

Possible unrestricted FA targets for the SF or guard positions include Hinrich, Bazemore, Evan Turner, Batum, Courtney Lee, Jeremy Lin, Aaron Brooks, Richard Jefferson, DJ Augustin, Barbosa, Brandon Rush, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Green, Brandon Bass, Mike Conley, Luol Deng, Gerald Green, Bayless, Mayo, Vasquez, Norris Cole, Eric Gordon Aaron Afflalo, Randy Foye, Brandon Jennings and Jared Dudley.

I'm not suggesting that all these players would be affordable, interested in coming here or worth signing. But given that we're an attractive destination as a team on the rise, then depending on how much cap space we have, a significant number of these FAs should be attainable if we want them. My targets would be Noah or Cole up front. I also like a lot of the guards and wings.

Bottom line is that, in light of this large quality FA pool, the Wolves front office should think twice before giving up any assets in exchange for players to fit around the core we already have.

[Monster]

It's fun to discuss trade ideas involving our upcoming pick and/or current players. And I'm intrigued by some of the ideas posted in this thread. But keep in mind that a lot of quality free agents will be available this summer from low end to high end of the price range. And we should have significant cap space to sign a quality FA or two to fill various needs.

Referring only to unrestricted FAs, when it comes to bigs, Noah would be a good target at the higher end of the price range. He brings defense and experience. And he's played for Thibs. At the lower end of the range is Cole Aldrich who would add size and rebounding to our rotation at the 4 and 5 spots. I think he's underrated. Bobby Knight raved about him coming out of college. And he's a home town kid as well. Other unrestricted FA bigs include Horford, Humphries, Mozgov, Varejao, Speights, Jordan Hill, Mahinmi, Mbah a Moute, Hassan Whiteside, Ryan Anderson, Chris Kaman, Biyombo, Luis Scola, JJ Hickson, Al Jefferson, Marvin Williams, Tyler Hansbrough, Roy Hibbert and Trevor Booker.

Possible unrestricted FA targets for the SF or guard positions include Hinrich, Bazemore, Evan Turner, Batum, Courtney Lee, Jeremy Lin, Aaron Brooks, Richard Jefferson, DJ Augustin, Barbosa, Brandon Rush, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Green, Brandon Bass, Mike Conley, Luol Deng, Gerald Green, Bayless, Mayo, Vasquez, Norris Cole, Eric Gordon Aaron Afflalo, Randy Foye, Brandon Jennings and Jared Dudley.

I'm not suggesting that all these players would be affordable, interested in coming here or worth signing. But given that we're an attractive destination as a team on the rise, then depending on how much cap space we have, a significant number of these FAs should be attainable if we want them. My targets would be Noah or Cole up front. I also like a lot of the guards and wings.

Bottom line is that, in light of this large quality FA pool, the Wolves front office should think twice before giving up any assets in exchange for players to fit around the core we already have.

Great post. Like I've said the Wolves are in a great spot to draft for the most talent. Maybe that means trading down and getting 2 players instead of 1 but they are in a good spot and I do think there will be a talented player at 5 they can take or maybe get value out of it by moving down. I don't see the Wolves moving one of their current players though with the exception of Payne. Lol

[Monster]

Post draft lottery write up out of Chicago with signs that Jimmy Butler is the man in Chicago.

http://trib.in/1W1eEpC

[slimcalhoun27 [enjin:6640095]]

What happens if Ingram, Simmons, Bender, and Murray are all off the board when the Wolves come up? I personally am not in love with Bobby nor feel Dunn is a step up from Rubio. I love the idea of trading back.

Who is calling the Wolves for #5? What can the Wolves get for it?

Lip, your FA list is great, but you missed one of my hidden gems and that is Gerald Henderson. Would his skill set be ideal for the Wolves?