Big Timberwolves trade
BREAKING: The Charlotte Hornets are trading star guard LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030) and three second-round picks (2029, 2032, 2033), sources tell ESPN.
At the very least it seems better than the Gobert deal.
Speaking of hoops, anyone watch the draft?
Yeah, me neither.
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”
Shakespeare
That is a big deal...Connelly remaking the team that could not get to the finals. Reid is a fan fave, so that kinda sucks. The hope is Ball and Ant make this a better team....
Now about Gobert?
Not sure Twolfies are done with their remake yet.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Addison catching a stray.
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”
Shakespeare
comet52 wrote:
I don't follow the NBA any more. Is this a good deal for the Wolves?
Supposedly they wanted a complimentary guard to pair with Ant.
Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly has for years been searching for a co-star to team with All-Star guard Anthony Edwards, trying to land the likes of Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo in recent months. But the team's hole at point guard was glaring, especially after guard Donte DiVincenzo ruptured his Achilles during the playoffs last season.
The team's core now will be its 24-year-old backcourt of Edwards and Ball and 25-year-old wing Jaden McDaniels. All three are under contract through the 2028-29 season.
Please God, just one Lombardi before I die.
The charlotte reddit board is on fire. They basically gave up a to be starter and a 1st to get a young star.
They better hope it works because they have no draft for the next decade.
purplefaithful wrote:
That is a big deal...Connelly remaking the team that could not get to the finals. Reid is a fan fave, so that kinda sucks. The hope is Ball and Ant make this a better team....
Now about Gobert?
Not sure Twolfies are done with their remake yet.
Ant needed that ball handler point. I don't hate the deal, it is exactly what we needed. We will have to go out and find some size, however.
as if I needed another reason not to tune in.... the Ball circus coming to Minny, Vikings might as well go trade for Shitter Sanders too to complete the shit show.
Why isn't Chuck Foreman in the Hall of Fame?
JimmyinSD wrote:
as if I needed another reason not to tune in.... the Ball circus coming to Minny, Vikings might as well go trade for Shitter Sanders too to complete the shit show.
You don't see much of that anymore with the Ball shit. I think it has really calmed down.
JimmyinSD wrote:
as if I needed another reason not to tune in.... the Ball circus coming to Minny, Vikings might as well go trade for Shitter Sanders too to complete the shit show.
Canthony wrote:
You don't see much of that anymore with the Ball shit. I think it has really calmed down.
I enjoyed watching Naz's game, from an entertainment and leadership aspect, I think they fucked up here by dealing him.
Why isn't Chuck Foreman in the Hall of Fame?
JimmyinSD wrote:
I enjoyed watching Naz's game, from an entertainment and leadership aspect, I think they fucked up here by dealing him.
It sucks Naz was included. I was too disappointed. I am also on the side that he was a bit overrated and overhyped by the MN fans. We were missing that ball handling PG. Why Kyrie could have been a great fit for one year. I don't hate the trade. We have a PG that can run the court. BJ Armstrong and Ron Harper in that same role made a career off it. If Ball can fall back into a role like that, we may have something.
Don't like this trade at all for Wolves, they were building a great nucleus, do not think Ball and the circus he will bring in is going to be a good fit. Also consistent injury history. Disappointed in the new ownership.
With a “healthy” Ball, the Wolves will have one of the best backcourts in the NBA.
I liked Naz, but I preferred his game to be more inside than shooting 3s as much as he did. Ball is a better shooter outside than Naz and as mentioned a perfect ying to Ant’s yang. At least we kept McDaniels.
I was fine losing Randle and he looked like crap in the post season, like he couldn’t care less. The Wolves do need to fine a swing 4/small 5 to replace him IMO, but Joan may be that guy. He’s raw, but very talented and drafted last year.
I also really like Ayo Dosunmu as a spell for both guards and a massive bench depth player or 6th man. Conley, if he is still playing, will give the Wolves four very strong guards, which will be needed due to injuries from the two starters.
Three problems with Ball:
1) defense is not strong
2) his dad is a problem (I don’t think he’s done being a loser)
3) averaging 54 games a season
I also like Isaiah Evans pick, 33 this year from Duke. He’s a shooter and has improved his game getting to the rim.
Why did the Timberwolves make the trade?
Tim Connelly has always been one to zig where other teams, fans and the social media crows may zag.
He did so in pairing Rudy Gobert with Karl-Anthony Towns, a move that defied conventional NBA logic but resulted in the Wolves reaching the conference finals.
The trade that nets LaMelo Ball marks another one of these kind of moves. The best way to sum it up after speaking with sources is this: the Wolves, through their scouting and intel gathering on Ball for years, formed a much different opinion than the public perception of Ball. They're betting they're correct.
Where the NBA at large may see an unserious player who has never made the playoffs, the Wolves have learned Ball is a great teammate, can have a positive impact up and down the organization and has a competitive fire yet to fully emerge.
Where fans might see a selfish player, they see someone whose facilitation and point-guard abilities were the engine that fueled one of the best offenses in the NBA a season ago — while Ball saw some of his personal numbers like points and shot attempts go down.
The Wolves also weren't going to just throw their hands up and cede the Western Conference for the next few years to Oklahoma City and San Antonio. Instead, the lessons they learned from their playoff series losses to those two teams have informed the moves they have made. Julius Randle, a non-factor in those series, is no longer on the team. They needed more ball handling and play creation. They got LaMelo Ball.
There is downside to any move, and the Wolves cashed in the only prized draft asset they had remaining — a 2033 first-round pick. But they also see downside in doing nothing in optimizing the prime of Anthony Edwards. They're not as concerned about their lack of future draft capital because if it doesn't work out, they feel they can recoup picks.
Agree or disagree, this was the path they chose, and they feel pretty confident they're right when the rest of the league or public perception thinks they're wrong.
They couldn't engage on a multi-year, draft-filled reboot of their franchise the way the Thunder or Spurs did. This is their path to roster-building, the way the Knicks built a title winner mostly through trades.
Even though reports of the trade talks emerged late Wednesday night, the deal has been in development for a week to 10 days, a source said. The Wolves re-signed Ayo Dosunmu as a key piece to all this in order to give them flexibility in closing lineups and to take over as a starter if Ball, who has missed significant chunks of time in his career, gets injured for stretches.
They are in the luxury tax again, something ownership signed off on again, and there may not be any more splashy significant moves as they round out the roster with minimum players. But the offseason is unpredictable, and it's already been an adventurous few days in this offseason.
Strib
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball seem like a good basketball fit
In every move the Timberwolves make, they view it primarily through one prism: “How is this helping Anthony Edwards?”
That has been the guiding mantra of Tim Connelly’s front office from the time he took the job in 2022. Never has that been more clear than this most recent trade of LaMelo Ball and Josh Green for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three second rounders and three pick swaps.
Think about the season Edwards had a year ago. He handled the ball more than at any point in his career. While he had a very good year on offense, that took a toll on him in other areas. He put a lot of effort into offense that his defense suffered.
Creating open looks for himself was a chore, even if it was a chore he largely accomplished. Edwards is an elite catch-and-shoot three-point shooter (49.6% last season on such looks). He always has been great in that area, and that’s something both Chris Finch and Tim Connelly spoke about getting more of out of Edwards this coming season.
The Ball trade seems to complement Edwards in the areas he needs help. His new backcourt mate can handle the ball and take that pressure off him, freeing up Edwards to take more catch-and-shoot looks while also providing Edwards less of an excuse to take plays off defensively.
Edwards prefers to play slow, but Ball, especially if he is on the floor with Ayo Dosunmu, is going to push the tempo. Ball, at 6-foot-7, also gives them another athletic, tall guard to combat those from Oklahoma City and San Antonio. There are certainly questions about the fit on defense and Ball’s durability, but on paper, he and Edwards seem like an excellent fit.
STRIB
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
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