Minnesota Sports Forum

Looking ahead to the day after this year's NBA lottery draw. As expected, the Wolves did not land a top 3 pick, which means the Wolves pick is headed to Golden State. Rosas has just hired you as his second in command and asked you to identify 5 current NBA centers or power forwards, other than John Collins, who you would recommend pursuing as good, realistic trade targets in exchange for Beasley or DLO. In assessing whether a target would be realistic, Rosas tells you that any such trade will NOT include KAT, Ant, McDaniels, Naz Reid or a future 1st. But everyone else on the roster is fair game and Rosas says he's open to trading multiple players or acquiring multiple players and/or future picks.

Here's a list of some NBA bigs who come to mind. Vote for the five you would recommend pursuing and then explain why. If you have someone in mind who's not on the list tells us who he is. Even better of you can propose a specific trade or two:

3 names I've thought of recently that are not in on your list.

Porzingis: reports are coming out that him and Luka are not getting along. He is hurt a lot but he still spaces the floor great and is a good rim protector.

Lauri Markannan: minutes are decreasing with the bulls. A sign and trade with Rubio i think is possible.

Thad Young: He has been good this year. Rubio would help the bulls if they decide if they want to go with Marrkanaan long term

James Johnson: Good vet that has some playmaking our current 4s do not have. (The cheap option)

Both Turner and Nance would be nice fits. I wonder if Nance and Russel have much chemistry/ like each other enough from their days in LA together. There have been rumors of Sabonis being available for years now, I'm not sure if we need his scoring but the rebounding would be nice to have and he is a great passer for his size. Sabonis would cost quite a bit to trade for. I've always wanted Nerelens Noel on our team, he is averaging 3.3 blocks adjusted per 36 minutes this year. I've liked Favors in the past but he is getting up there in age. If Bagley could be had for a 2nd, I would take a flyer on him. I'm really hoping we do end up with a top two pick in this draft though. Mobley would be incredible from a fit stand point, and Cade is going to be a superstar.

Other guys I would add to this list that haven't been mentioned:

Paul Milsap
Kelly Olynyk
PJ Tucker
Nerlens Noel

If the price is right:
Bjelica
Mo Harkless
Taj Gibson
Khem Birch

Might be worth taking a flyer on:
DJ Wilson
Georges Niang

Most of these names aren't going to excite people (many don't exactly excite me either) but there are a couple names I listed that could have a legit impact and not cost much money and wouldn't cost any assets either.

I think if I can't find the right deal for the guy I think can be the answer or have a solid chance of being the answer I might try and add a vet FA that's does something different or is more proven than the guys we have and then find a way to get a draft pick or take a flyer on a young player that COULD be the guy.

Ultimately I don't see an obvious answer to this quandary but I like how Lip started this thread setting us up to really look at a lot of various options.

Isaiah Stewart or Myles Turner.

kekgeek1 wrote:3 names I've thought of recently that are not in on your list.

Porzingis: reports are coming out that him and Luka are not getting along. He is hurt a lot but he still spaces the floor great and is a good rim protector.

Lauri Markannan: minutes are decreasing with the bulls. A sign and trade with Rubio i think is possible.

Thad Young: He has been good this year. Rubio would help the bulls if they decide if they want to go with Marrkanaan long term

James Johnson: Good vet that has some playmaking our current 4s do not have. (The cheap option)

Interesting ideas, Kek.

We'd probably have to give up too much to get Porzingis and I have doubts about him given his inability to stay healthy.

Lauri M would be an interesting target and potentially gettable without giving up too much. But he doesn't offer rim protection or defense and we need one of both of those attributes next to KAT.

I've always liked Thad Young. He's a good defender, but he's not a rim protector and he'll be 33 at the start of next season. I'd want a more physical presence next to KAT. On the other hand, it shouldn't take much to get him.

I really like your idea of James Johnson as a cheap alternative option. He's a guy potentially gettable as a free agent.

Turner, Nance Jr., and Holmes for me.

All three are seasoned players but in KAT's "window". All three can play some defense. All three would take some pressure off KAT by guarding the big bruisers that KAT often struggles with. I know Nance is more of a 4 than a 5, but he has the chops to guard pretty much anyone.

I like that Finch is experimenting with Naz and KAT, but they aren't really complimentary IMO. They kind of overlap in that neither are good defensively and both are maximized by being a first or second option when on the floor. That's why Naz being KAT's backup is such a good fit.

KAT/Turner + Naz/Vanderbilt would be a great 4-man big rotation.

Q12543 wrote:Turner, Nance Jr., and Holmes for me.

All three are seasoned players but in KAT's "window". All three can play some defense. All three would take some pressure off KAT by guarding the big bruisers that KAT often struggles with. I know Nance is more of a 4 than a 5, but he has the chops to guard pretty much anyone.

I like that Finch is experimenting with Naz and KAT, but they aren't really complimentary IMO. They kind of overlap in that neither are good defensively and both are maximized by being a first or second option when on the floor. That's why Naz being KAT's backup is such a good fit.

KAT/Turner + Naz/Vanderbilt would be a great 4-man big rotation.

That's exactly where I'm at, Q. My top three targets would be Turner, Holmes and Nance Jr. in that order of preference.

I actually think a deal for Turner would be the easiest. I'd offer DLO straight up for Turner. I think Indiana is one of the few teams that would be interested in DLO. He'd fill a need at PG and fit their pick-and-roll style of play. He'd also be reunited with his backcourt mate, LaVert, from DLO's best season. Meanwhile, it's been reported several times over the past year that Indiana would like to move Turner. The Wolves would get an elite rim protector to pair with KAT. Turner's weakness as a big is rebounding, but KAT's elite in that area. So I see Turner as a nice complement to Towns. The Wolves would also save salary in the deal.

Holmes is a free agent after this season. I think he's unrestricted. We won't have the cap space to sign him as a free agent, so our only chance of getting him would be a sign-and-trade. But I don't see the Kings having any interest in DLO or Beasley since they're already set in their backcourt. We'd have to get a third team involved - maybe Indiana.

I think DLO or Beasley would be too much in a straight-up deal for Nance Jr. And I don't see Cleveland having any interest in either one given that they already have Sexton and Garland. But maybe they'd be interested in taking a flier on Culver. But again, maybe we could get a third team involved in a more complicated deal that would bring in Nance Jr. and another valuable asset or two in exchange for Beasley or DLO.

Kevin Love isnt on this list? Go Wolves!! Hahaha.

FWIW Kings fans absolutely LOVE Holmes. They basically consider him part of their core. I could never figure out why in the past that guy didn't get a little more more money and more run he seemed to play reasonably well. Idk if the Kings love him or not or are smart enough to keep him. I read the other day they turned down a chance to get something from Atlanta in the Bogdovic situation.