Minnesota Sports Forum

Which of the following players would be your first choice to add to the Wolves for next season, but only that one season? (Assume it's a one-year, after which you know the player would leave)

My vote was Kawhi.

Durant, Jokic and Luka were close behind. If I were selecting a player to add over the long term (a multi-year contract), my choice would have been Luka because of his age. Since we have KAT, Jokic didn't seem like the ideal fit. Moreover, like KAT, he's not a particularly good defender. Durant is arguably the best player in the game right now, but he's he's not the defender that Kawhi is and I question his durability over the course of a season. I didn't choose Giannis because of his poor free-throw and three-point shooting. Your best player needs to be able to hit his free throws and at least be a threat from behind the arc even if not particularly good at that range. Giannis is terrible in both areas.

Kawhi is clearly the best defender on my list. That alone makes him a perfect fit with KAT and DLO. I think he's also the best two-way player in the League and the most Jordan like in his killer mentality in the playoffs.

Another thing I like about Kawhi. After leading the Raptors to a title, he wanted to return to his home in Californian. Hard to blame him for that. What I like is that he chose to go to the Clipper when he clearly could have ended up with the Lakers. Instead of joining Hollywood's favorite child, he chose to join and lead LA's NBA stepchild - the underdog Clippers. Just one more thing to like about Kawhi.

I voted Kawhi too since I think he could fit in with Ant, DLO, and KAT. Giannis was a close second.

Id go Giannis because I think he and KAT would be a perfect front court pairing. If I was starting from scratch Id go Kawhi.

I would Add Chris Paul to the list assuming he stayed relatively healthy.

I align with Doper on this one. Giannis would be perfect next to KAT and he's the type of guy who is going to play most every game and would only make the locker room better.

So far, it's a close battle between Kawhi and Giannis. He would have been my choice if not for his poor free-throw shooting and the absence of any 3-point shot. That's where Kawhi has the edge with me. And while Giannis is a great defender, so is Kawhi. On the other hand, Giannis would definitely be a great fit with KAT, Ant and DLO.

The other reason to take Kawhi over Giannis is that he's already a two-time Finals MVP. If we only have one season to have a guy, he's got more Finals experience as the #1 option than everyone on Lip's list except for LeBron.

Doncic and Giannis may be better long-term fits if you are talking about someone you'd want for a 3,4, or 5-year stretch.

Is expected durability a factor in making this decision?