Time to talk offseason.

[Wolvesfan21]

I would consider a KAT for Trae or Dejonte, but at the end of the day I'd probably choose to run it back. Watching Trae throw 10 lobs a game to Gobert would be cathartic to watch after witnessing it done to us all game every game by Luka. Naz is the guy I would prefer to move the most if anyone, love the guy but we know his warts and his value right now is by far the highest it's ever been.

You think we could get a couple 1sts for him and a downgraded player? I would consider it for the long term. Most the guys in his salary bracket are fairly big downgrades. I still think Naz has more upside to go though too. Mostly on defense and rebounding. He shown some in the playoffs, so it makes me hesitant to sell a proven player for unknown picks.

[Lipoli390]

I would consider a KAT for Trae or Dejonte, but at the end of the day I'd probably choose to run it back. Watching Trae throw 10 lobs a game to Gobert would be cathartic to watch after witnessing it done to us all game every game by Luka. Naz is the guy I would prefer to move the most if anyone, love the guy but we know his warts and his value right now is by far the highest it's ever been.

You think we could get a couple 1sts for him and a downgraded player? I would consider it for the long term. Most the guys in his salary bracket are fairly big downgrades. I still think Naz has more upside to go though too. Mostly on defense and rebounding. He shown some in the playoffs, so it makes me hesitant to sell a proven player for unknown picks.

I wouldn’t move Naz. He’s become a really good offensive player. Meanwhile, his defense has improved markedly since being moved to PF. He’s still only 24 with a great worth ethic and a track record of improvement year to year. When you’re building around the 22 year old Ant you don’t trade guys like Naz and Jaden. There are only two players on this roster with high value who the Wolves should consider trading - KAT and Rudy. As I’ve said, I’d be inclined to keep both and run it back next season but TC should certainly explore the market for those two.

Trading KAT or Rudy should have a dual purpose. First, it should be designed to reduce our payroll below the 2nd apron. Second, it should bring back a starting PG or wing who can take some of the shot creation burden off Ant’s shoulders. MJ had Scottie Pippen and wouldn’t have won six titles (maybe not any) without Pippen sharing both the defensive and offensive burden as another ball-handler/shot creator. As great as Luka Doncic is as at creating offense, he needed Kyrie to get the Mavs into the NBA finals. Jason Tatum has Jaylen Brown. Actually, he also has Derrick White and Jrue Holiday.

A higher end target would be DeJounte Murray. He’s a proven shot creator who also defends and is still relatively young and therefore someone who can team with Ant for the long haul. But I’m not sure there’s a realistic KAT or Rudy deal that brings him here. A lower-end target would be Fultz in a sign-and-trade. Atlanta has room to absorb substantially more salary than they take in, which would allow the Wolves to substantially reduce their payroll below the 2nd apron. One hypothetical deal would be trading Rudy in exchange for (1) Carter Jr.; (2) Fultz (at $10-15M per year); (3) Orlando’s or Denver’s 2025 1st round pick (top 5 protected) and a future 2nd round pick. Benefits to the Wolves: (1) substantially reducing payroll well below the 2nd apron and probably blow the 1st apron; (2) getting a talented relatively young PG to take some of the shot-creation burden off Ant and leaving us less reliant on the aging Mike Conley short term and long term; and (3) replacing Rudy with a better offensive center who is still good defensively and a lot cheaper than Rudy. Benefit to Orland: getting an elite defensive center with lots of playoff experience to pair with their offensive-oriented star PF (Banchero) and help their young rising team take it to the next level in the playoffs.

[Wolvesfan21]

I would consider a KAT for Trae or Dejonte, but at the end of the day I'd probably choose to run it back. Watching Trae throw 10 lobs a game to Gobert would be cathartic to watch after witnessing it done to us all game every game by Luka. Naz is the guy I would prefer to move the most if anyone, love the guy but we know his warts and his value right now is by far the highest it's ever been.

You think we could get a couple 1sts for him and a downgraded player? I would consider it for the long term. Most the guys in his salary bracket are fairly big downgrades. I still think Naz has more upside to go though too. Mostly on defense and rebounding. He shown some in the playoffs, so it makes me hesitant to sell a proven player for unknown picks.

I wouldn’t move Naz. He’s become a really good offensive player. Meanwhile, his defense has improved markedly since being moved to PF. He’s still only 24 with a great worth ethic and a track record of improvement year to year. When you’re building around the 22 year old Ant you don’t trade guys like Naz and Jaden. There are only two players on this roster with high value who the Wolves should consider trading - KAT and Rudy. As I’ve said, I’d be inclined to keep both and run it back next season but TC should certainly explore the market for those two.

Trading KAT or Rudy should have a dual purpose. First, it should be designed to reduce our payroll below the 2nd apron. Second, it should bring back a starting PG or wing who can take some of the shot creation burden off Ant’s shoulders. MJ had Scottie Pippen and wouldn’t have won six titles (maybe not any) without Pippen sharing both the defensive and offensive burden as another ball-handler/shot creator. As great as Luka Doncic is as at creating offense, he needed Kyrie to get the Mavs into the NBA finals. Jason Tatum has Jaylen Brown. Actually, he also has Derrick White and Jrue Holiday.

A higher end target would be DeJounte Murray. He’s a proven shot creator who also defends and is still relatively young and therefore someone who can team with Ant for the long haul. But I’m not sure there’s a realistic KAT or Rudy deal that brings him here. A lower-end target would be Fultz in a sign-and-trade. Atlanta has room to absorb substantially more salary than they take in, which would allow the Wolves to substantially reduce their payroll below the 2nd apron. One hypothetical deal would be trading Rudy in exchange for (1) Carter Jr.; (2) Fultz (at $10-15M per year); (3) Orlando’s or Denver’s 2025 1st round pick (top 5 protected) and a future 2nd round pick. Benefits to the Wolves: (1) substantially reducing payroll well below the 2nd apron and probably blow the 1st apron; (2) getting a talented relatively young PG to take some of the shot-creation burden off Ant and leaving us less reliant on the aging Mike Conley short term and long term; and (3) replacing Rudy with a better offensive center who is still good defensively and a lot cheaper than Rudy. Benefit to Orland: getting an elite defensive center with lots of playoff experience to pair with their offensive-oriented star PF (Banchero) and help their young rising team take it to the next level in the playoffs.

There is a chance our defense could still be very good if Rudy left but everyone else stays. Just the culture of playing defense at an elite level (which Rudy helped tremendously with) I think is ingrained in our guys now. I could be fine with trade of KAT or Rudy. But like you, I'd prefer to see this team run it back with it's main core.

I also agree that Naz even has looked better on defense this year. I heard him say in an interview before that he didn't like playing defense till this year. I think when you have so many guys playing hard you simply have no option but to do so as well. That is the thing we call culture. Starts with the top guys like Ant and Rudy, Jaden, etc... They put in the effort you can't let them down. So you play max effort too.

[Lipoli390]

You think we could get a couple 1sts for him and a downgraded player? I would consider it for the long term. Most the guys in his salary bracket are fairly big downgrades. I still think Naz has more upside to go though too. Mostly on defense and rebounding. He shown some in the playoffs, so it makes me hesitant to sell a proven player for unknown picks.

I wouldn’t move Naz. He’s become a really good offensive player. Meanwhile, his defense has improved markedly since being moved to PF. He’s still only 24 with a great worth ethic and a track record of improvement year to year. When you’re building around the 22 year old Ant you don’t trade guys like Naz and Jaden. There are only two players on this roster with high value who the Wolves should consider trading - KAT and Rudy. As I’ve said, I’d be inclined to keep both and run it back next season but TC should certainly explore the market for those two.

Trading KAT or Rudy should have a dual purpose. First, it should be designed to reduce our payroll below the 2nd apron. Second, it should bring back a starting PG or wing who can take some of the shot creation burden off Ant’s shoulders. MJ had Scottie Pippen and wouldn’t have won six titles (maybe not any) without Pippen sharing both the defensive and offensive burden as another ball-handler/shot creator. As great as Luka Doncic is as at creating offense, he needed Kyrie to get the Mavs into the NBA finals. Jason Tatum has Jaylen Brown. Actually, he also has Derrick White and Jrue Holiday.

A higher end target would be DeJounte Murray. He’s a proven shot creator who also defends and is still relatively young and therefore someone who can team with Ant for the long haul. But I’m not sure there’s a realistic KAT or Rudy deal that brings him here. A lower-end target would be Fultz in a sign-and-trade. Atlanta has room to absorb substantially more salary than they take in, which would allow the Wolves to substantially reduce their payroll below the 2nd apron. One hypothetical deal would be trading Rudy in exchange for (1) Carter Jr.; (2) Fultz (at $10-15M per year); (3) Orlando’s or Denver’s 2025 1st round pick (top 5 protected) and a future 2nd round pick. Benefits to the Wolves: (1) substantially reducing payroll well below the 2nd apron and probably blow the 1st apron; (2) getting a talented relatively young PG to take some of the shot-creation burden off Ant and leaving us less reliant on the aging Mike Conley short term and long term; and (3) replacing Rudy with a better offensive center who is still good defensively and a lot cheaper than Rudy. Benefit to Orland: getting an elite defensive center with lots of playoff experience to pair with their offensive-oriented star PF (Banchero) and help their young rising team take it to the next level in the playoffs.

There is a chance our defense could still be very good if Rudy left but everyone else stays. Just the culture of playing defense at an elite level (which Rudy helped tremendously with) I think is ingrained in our guys now. I could be fine with trade of KAT or Rudy. But like you, I'd prefer to see this team run it back with it's main core.

I also agree that Naz even has looked better on defense this year. I heard him say in an interview before that he didn't like playing defense till this year. I think when you have so many guys playing hard you simply have no option but to do so as well. That is the thing we call culture. Starts with the top guys like Ant and Rudy, Jaden, etc... They put in the effort you can't let them down. So you play max effort too.

A good friend of mine is originally from here but lives in New England. He’s a Wolves fan a huge NBA fan generally. He’s one of the better basketball minds I know. I was talking to him the other day and he said it’s interesting that Rudy won defensive player of the year because he considers Jaden McDaniels the best defender on the Wolves. Jaden has always been a naturally terrific defender. Ant has always had the potential to be an elite defender and now he appears to be living up to that potential starting this past season. Ant and Jaden both have the physical gifts to be great defenders so it’s just a matter of commitment and experience.

[kekgeek]

Ant needs to develop an offensive passing connection with Rudy.

Ant assisted to 8 players in the playoffs. Rudy was 7th out of 8 in assists from Ant (Monte Morris 8th)

Rudy scored from a pass from 6 different players this offseason. Ant was 5th out of 6 on this list. With Rudy, Ant PnR out most common actions they need to find a way to create a connection offensively.

Also the Karl to Ant assists in the playoffs were non existent. Only 4 assists came from a Kat pass to Ant.

[Q-is-here]

Ant needs to develop an offensive passing connection with Rudy.

Ant assisted to 8 players in the playoffs. Rudy was 7th out of 8 in assists from Ant (Monte Morris 8th)

Rudy scored from a pass from 6 different players this offseason. Ant was 5th out of 6 on this list. With Rudy, Ant PnR out most common actions they need to find a way to create a connection offensively.

Also the Karl to Ant assists in the playoffs were non existent. Only 4 assists came from a Kat pass to Ant.

Yet here are the top three player pairs for offensive ratings in the playoffs for the Wolves vs the three worst:

Rudy/Jaden - 120.6
Rudy/Ant - 120.3
Rudy/NAW - 120.0
-----------------------
SloMo/KAT - 101.7
SloMo/Ant - 102.2
KAT/NAZ - 103.6

So while I couldn't agree more that it would be nice if Ant could find Rudy on his rolls (this has been an on going problem dating back to last season), the bottom line is the offense is still pretty damn good with those two on the floor together.

By the way, the Doncic/Irving pairing has an O-rating of 118.5 in the playoffs. Irving/Lively seems to be their best at 119.3. Yet the Wolves top pairings with Rudy in the mix are all better!

[Q-is-here]

Kek, While I'm skeptical that Ant will get much better at finding Rudy on his rolls in a way that actually leads to an easy bucket versus a turnover (which is why Ant has stopped trying for the most part), I DO think there is juice to squeeze out of the Ant and KAT two man game.

I think they have tried for two seasons to get Ant better at his pocket passing and lob game for Rudy with limited success. It's time to put that on the backburner and go to work on the KAT/Ant two-man game where due to prioritizing Rudy and KAT's injuries they haven't explored enough yet.

[Wolvesfan21]

I wouldn’t move Naz. He’s become a really good offensive player. Meanwhile, his defense has improved markedly since being moved to PF. He’s still only 24 with a great worth ethic and a track record of improvement year to year. When you’re building around the 22 year old Ant you don’t trade guys like Naz and Jaden. There are only two players on this roster with high value who the Wolves should consider trading - KAT and Rudy. As I’ve said, I’d be inclined to keep both and run it back next season but TC should certainly explore the market for those two.

Trading KAT or Rudy should have a dual purpose. First, it should be designed to reduce our payroll below the 2nd apron. Second, it should bring back a starting PG or wing who can take some of the shot creation burden off Ant’s shoulders. MJ had Scottie Pippen and wouldn’t have won six titles (maybe not any) without Pippen sharing both the defensive and offensive burden as another ball-handler/shot creator. As great as Luka Doncic is as at creating offense, he needed Kyrie to get the Mavs into the NBA finals. Jason Tatum has Jaylen Brown. Actually, he also has Derrick White and Jrue Holiday.

A higher end target would be DeJounte Murray. He’s a proven shot creator who also defends and is still relatively young and therefore someone who can team with Ant for the long haul. But I’m not sure there’s a realistic KAT or Rudy deal that brings him here. A lower-end target would be Fultz in a sign-and-trade. Atlanta has room to absorb substantially more salary than they take in, which would allow the Wolves to substantially reduce their payroll below the 2nd apron. One hypothetical deal would be trading Rudy in exchange for (1) Carter Jr.; (2) Fultz (at $10-15M per year); (3) Orlando’s or Denver’s 2025 1st round pick (top 5 protected) and a future 2nd round pick. Benefits to the Wolves: (1) substantially reducing payroll well below the 2nd apron and probably blow the 1st apron; (2) getting a talented relatively young PG to take some of the shot-creation burden off Ant and leaving us less reliant on the aging Mike Conley short term and long term; and (3) replacing Rudy with a better offensive center who is still good defensively and a lot cheaper than Rudy. Benefit to Orland: getting an elite defensive center with lots of playoff experience to pair with their offensive-oriented star PF (Banchero) and help their young rising team take it to the next level in the playoffs.

There is a chance our defense could still be very good if Rudy left but everyone else stays. Just the culture of playing defense at an elite level (which Rudy helped tremendously with) I think is ingrained in our guys now. I could be fine with trade of KAT or Rudy. But like you, I'd prefer to see this team run it back with it's main core.

I also agree that Naz even has looked better on defense this year. I heard him say in an interview before that he didn't like playing defense till this year. I think when you have so many guys playing hard you simply have no option but to do so as well. That is the thing we call culture. Starts with the top guys like Ant and Rudy, Jaden, etc... They put in the effort you can't let them down. So you play max effort too.

A good friend of mine is originally from here but lives in New England. He’s a Wolves fan a huge NBA fan generally. He’s one of the better basketball minds I know. I was talking to him the other day and he said it’s interesting that Rudy won defensive player of the year because he considers Jaden McDaniels the best defender on the Wolves. Jaden has always been a naturally terrific defender. Ant has always had the potential to be an elite defender and now he appears to be living up to that potential starting this past season. Ant and Jaden both have the physical gifts to be great defenders so it’s just a matter of commitment and experience.

I consider rebounding a big part of overall defense. Contesting shots and making it tough is big for sure. But if you don't rebound the miss you don't get the ball. Jaden needs to rebound better, I don't think he deserved All Team defense to be honest because of it.

Having both Rudy and KAT gobble up a bunch certainly leaves less for Jaden, but he for sure can do more. He had a zero rebounds game this season and a weak avg per game. For a guy his height that is just not acceptable playing big minutes. There are guards who averaged over 10 a game in a season. Don't tell me he can't do better.

[TheFuture]

I would run it back.

If the team were to trade KAT then I would call Memphis. Add him with Morant, JJJ, Bane and they are a problem. So you gain some leverage.

I would ask for Kennard, Clarke, Smart, #9 + a future swap. They'd be stupid to not take it, and we would be stupid to not ask for it.

[Coolbreeze44]

What are the chances of getting Jaquez and Herro from Miami for KAT or Rudy?