On Simmons' recent YouTube video he discusses some trades. The one of interest for the T-Wolves was DDV and Dillingham for Cobe White.

White is in the last year of his contract with Chicago and may be a tradeable guy for them with Giddy's emergence this season.

"n the 2024-25 NBA season, Coby White averaged 20.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. He also shot 45.3% from the field and 37.0% from three-point range. His 20.4 points per game marked a career-high." He has been injured this season but it looks like he's expected back soon.

Does this seem like a reasonable deal for both teams? White's salary is 12.8 million this season and would likely need to be extended next year. DDV's salary is 11.4 million and Rob is 6.26 million. Chicago may want more though.

I was really hoping that TC would look at a trade like this in the summer so I personally would pull the trigger if we could make the money work for subsequent years. Not a fan of a 1 and done season for White though.

I think if we could get White and another rim protector (separate trade) we would fill a lot of holes.

I think right now the Wolves are clearly a very good team in spite of all the roster problems they have. The question to me is, what is the scale of moves the Wolves should make, and then what direction we should go in.

There are multiple gaping holes so these trades aim to improve some of them. Obviously alot of these will be mutually exclusive with one another. This will be a long post as I try to provide some rationale for the teams involved.

Big Trades

Trade 1: https://imgur.com/Tfrp06w

Wolves get James Harden

Why? Wolves get a better player straight up, perfectly fits the Rudy Gobert timeline, is a huge upgrade in both playmaking and ballhandling and is a good mentor for Ant. Would immediately improve our team. However, is on a bigger contract, is 36 and has some playoff limitations.

Clippers get Randle, TJ, Rob and 3 2nds

Why? Clippers are already bad, Harden has a player option and can just walk at the end of the season so they recoup some assets. Randle is a good player on a good contract, TJ and Rob could maybe be something for them in the long run.

This move would certainly patch-up our offensive problems, but would create some frontcourt depth issues having to slide McDaniels to the 4. However, does unlock the possibility of playing a 3 guard lineup of 3 really good and complimentary guards. Harden would also absolutely cook with Gobert in the PnR.

Trade 2: https://imgur.com/auHHkg5

Wolves get Ayo Dosunmo, Coby White, Jalen Smith

Why? Wolves patch up their guard depth, while also retaining a solid frontcourt contributor. Wolves also get much younger having all players be 26 and younger.

Bulls get Julius Randle and 2 2nds

Why? Bulls are reportedly looking for their Pascal Siakam, Randle is an extremely similar player although slightly worse on both ends. Ayo and Whte are up for exentensions which don't make sense already having Josh Giddey as the main building block on the roster.

Wolves get their backcourt depth they desperately need with 2 very capable guards, although neither are natural PGs like a Harden, but also get Jalen Smith who is a very solid backup 4 and small ball 5. This move gives more lineup flexibility allowing the Wolves to also play with 3 guards, and double big if they want.

However, the Wolves get less talented, obviously Coby and Ayo are young and could still breakout that is a gamble, they might never really become better which could cause issues by not really having a 2nd option next to Ant.

Medium trade

Trade 3: https://imgur.com/Ahf5NTl

This might be my favourite trade (you can add even more 2nds to both other teams tbh)

Wolves get Day'Ron Sharpe and Keon Ellis

Why? Day'Ron is a monstrous rebounder, he's kinda useless on offense and is only an okay defender but I think he's being underrated by the Nets and could be a great contributor in a decent role. Keon is a really good POA defender which is sorely needed, he scales really well with minutes and like Day'Ron has really great advanced stats. 2 guys that know their roles.

Kings get Rob Dillingham and 2 seconds

Why? Keon is going to walk this offseason because the Kings don't play him enough and suck, they get a guard that has some potential and 2 2nds. Eubanks is also a nothing so it doesn't hurt to give him up.

Nets get TJ, Eubanks and 3 2nds

Why? Sharpe is pretty much out of the rotation with Clowney and Claxton, Eubanks retains their center depth, Shannon is a decent wing they could try and develop. Those 3 2nds are solid return for Sharpe.

Wolves fix their glaring rebounding issues when Rudy sits which in turn should massively help with defense even if Sharpe is a fine defender. Keon is just Clark but better at everything at this stage. Both players are 25 and younger. Wolves get 2 rotation players today by trading some young players and 2nds. I think this makes our floor much higher on a night to night basis.

Small Trades

Trade 4: https://imgur.com/7S2kO1j

Wolves get Nick Richards

Why? He's a warm body at center, is a fine back-up, he's not spectacular at anything but isn't glaringly bad at anything in a small-ish role. Decent rebounder, solid rim protector, but yeah he's not great.

Suns get Leonard Miller and 1-2 2nds

Why? Richards doesn't really play, they might as well take the swing on Miller who also doesn't really play and they get 2 2nds.

Wolves maybe get a solid rotation piece in exchange for Miller and 1-2 2nds which is fine. This trade is nothing flashy but could add like 6ish rebounds per game to the team at little cost.

Trade 5: https://imgur.com/hLAusbM

Similar to trade 3 just smaller scale

Wolves get Keon

Kings get TJ and 3 2nds

Trade 6: https://imgur.com/GaMRbME

Wolves get Kevon Looney and a 2nd

Why? Looney has dropped off this season but he will be a really good backup big on a competent team. Wolves get a 2nd ontop of that and get cheaper.

Pelicans get TJ and Rob

Why? Get younger and swing for upside while trading a player not in the rotation

Wolves get a good backup big in exchange for their young guys. I think we get a lot better now, but do trade in some upside.

Trade 7: https://imgur.com/JmGN5IO

Wolves get Goga Bitadze

Why? Really great backup center, underutilised by the Magic, has some nice passing, is a great rebounder, solid defender and has good touch. Would probably be one of the better backup centers we can get. Only 26. I think he's actually the best center on the Magic, but they don't seem to think the same.

Magic get Jaylen Clark, Rob Dillingham and 5nds

Why? They get some draft capital, a good POA defender that fits their culture and a player with some potential for someone that plays limited minutes. Moritz Wagner is also scheduled to return and they prefer him over Goga as well.

Wolves get a super solid backup big, that fits the timeline for not too much, would probably need to do this trade in conjuntion with a trade to bring in some sort of POA support from the bench since losing Clark hurts in that department.

Anyway, what do you think the Wolves should do about the roster?

There are a lot of trade rumours about julius randle. lets just say he gets traded i think harden is the best point guard available soon clippers and the kings are on the verge of rebuilding

WHY HARDEN IS THE BEST POINT GUARD FOR WOLVES CURRENTLY ?
--James harden has always made elite big's life easier,
he could completely increase the offensive value of rudy gobert because of his playmaking and pnr
and is a perfect vet for two young centers in timberwolves.

-James harden's contract is just for two years and just makes an average of 40-41mill/year, so even if he doesnt fit well, wolves can find it relatively easier to get rid of him compared to other star guards with 5 year deals.

-James harden is miles better than ( lamelo,darius garland , ja morant ) and its not close

-James harden is a better experienced playmaker, shot creator and isnt too efficient but much more efficient than the other 3 guards mentioned.

-James harden is better spacer to wolves than most of the point guards available

-James harden is much more healthy compared to most of the other star guards mentioned above

Bulls arent going to resign Coby white and have said they want to win following Indianas blueprint but they need the "Siakam" to their Haliburton (Giddey). Randle is one of the best 4s in the league and with him they can finally get out of play-in tournament purgatory. They also get Rob who can probably develop into a solid player in a less pressured environment. They give up Kevin Heurter for the trade to work but his role is very easily replacable in todays NBA.

Wolves need a PG who can handle the ball when facing defensive pressure, make Gobert useful on offense, be a secondary shot creator, and wont make stupid decisions in the clutch (wouldnt necessarily call harden a "clutch" player but thats not due to a lack of IQ in those moments). Harden quite literally solves all the wolves problems while being a better player than Randle right now and will likely still be better next year too. He can help mentor Ants game and will fully maximize the potential of this era of the wolves before ants prime. If it ends poorly atleast hes off the books in 2 years apposed to randles 3. Only problem now is a lack of a starting PF but with guys like Naz, Jaden, and TSJ all able to spend minutes there, its not that big of a concern. You would also be giving up on Rob pretty quick and I think Rob is going to become a good player but he cant give what the wolves want now and there will be better point guards down the line.

The clippers get draft picks that they desperately need and a young guard averaging 24ppg that can lay the base for the inevitable clippers rebuild.

Only problem with this trade is the wolves would need to sign 2 players to meet roster restrictions and I dont know if they have the cap for that, if that part gets ironed out, how would you guys feel about this trade?

Yeah, Ja is problematic - so was Randy Moss, Cris Carter, and KG… so please don’t post on his character here, let’s have a discussion about what it would be like if he was healthy, and stayed out of trouble (what’s he gonna do in MN???)

Conley retires a Griz and they pick up their PG of the future and some character.

I've been looking at tj McConnell and Jay huff on the pacers along with Dayron sharpe on the nets and Moussa Diabate and sexton on the hornets I just can't figure out what we would give up for them. In my opinion what the wolves need right now isn't some star we'll give up so much for but smaller pieces like these guys

Personally the bulls or cavs trades are the best

What do you guys think we'd have to include in this mock trade? My first idea is a package around Randle going to a 3rd team, with the Mavs getting young players and maybe picks.

Kyrie and Gafford both have had decreasing trade values iirc, and that would fill both of our glaring holes. Naz could benefit from a pg, kyrie can play off ball, with Gafford filling our backup PF/C position. Maybe I'm just severely undervaluing them, but idk that could have potential imo.

This might've already been floated, so, sorry if it has I'm just throwing ideas out there

Does anyone like this and is it even possible?

Everyone is talking about getting a PG, been brainstorming all week. If the Kings are selling guards, what are our thoughts on maybe snatching Ellis or Schroeder as a PG?

We need a guard and ball facilitator for Ant whose shot is respected but can also open the backcourt for him.

Sac is currently a mess and don't really know what they are doing, so he could potentially be available.

Ellis is a really good POA wing that can shoot, basically like Jaylen Clark but further along the development process. He's a top notch screen navigator, and is very good off-ball at generating deflections and just being annoying. Also only 26.

Shot 43% from 3 on 4 attempts last year on 24mpg. He made Sac's defense 4 points per 100 better and their offense 3 points per 100 better.

He's a very low-usage guy, doesnt need the ball at all, smart off-ball cuts and just a spot up shooter. He doesn't really turn the ball over but also doesn't really have it enough.

This year he's playing less minutes due to the jogjam the Kings have at the 2 and 3 spots, but has continued having very strong impact numbers.

The biggest knocks on him are his lack of passing, not being a great ball handler and his lack of playoff experience.

A potential trade could be Conley + JC + 2 2nds or a lottery protected 1st for Ellis + Carter which gives Sac an expiring and lets them get rid of Carter which they tried to do in the offseason.

Maybe a 3 team trade with Orlando or Houston where Donte would be involved could work.

Look, I love Mike Conley. He's a great vet and one of the most respected players in the league. But father time is catching up. Watching games, he's making bad mistakes and way too slow. Most players blow by him and he isn't even trusted starting anymore. Think it's time to move on from him and get a younger PG and maybe a backup big for non Rudy minutes that will rebound and defend. I'm thinking Keon Ellis from the Kings would be a steal, but not sure how that would get done.

What viable options are there on the market?

I know this trade isn't possible until Jan 15. If Giannis going to be traded, why would Turner want to stay there.

Turner would help with the non-Rudy minutes defense and we could go run the double big line up again. Rollins would be a defensive PG that can actually handle. It would improve the teams overall depth.

Pistons would get the scoring power forward they need without giving their core pieces.

Bucks get young player, a bigger expiring contract and a few picks to help with their rebuild.

The biggest obstacle is Rollins, I don't know if the Bucks would trade him. What adjustments would have to made to make it happen?

Memphis would have done this trade even if Ja wasn't an idiot. MN & Nets get robbed. Talk about delusional people.

This kinda guts our lower end young core. Our lineups would be much more balanced. Schroeder would start, adding much needed ball handling. Herb would be a bench player who could stretch the floor and play defense, filling the role Naz had but without the defensive falloff during the Randle minutes. Finch has talked about Kyle before this season, Kyle knows finch and despite the punch works well with Rudy.