FanPost

Roster Retool

OK,

So here are some blockbuster's that I think other teams would have to think about. Would you do it if you were the Wolves? The Celtics? The Raptors? Why? Why not?

Minnesota trade with the Boston Celtics: KAT & Teague for Irving and Tatum. If you're the Celtics, you might have trouble letting go of those two, but you're drooling over KAT's future and the present of KAT + Horford as your starting bigs. Tatum was a lot to give up, but as few players as there are with futures like Tatum, there are fewer like KAT.

Minnesota trade with the Toronto Raptors: Wiggins (after July 1) for Ibaka, CJ Miles and a number 1. Toronto does it to start prepping for the future, to bring home a Canadian son, and because Wiggins plays his best games against LeBron and that's exactly what you need. (I'm betting LeBron stays in the East at the very least, but who knows.)

Minnesota Starting 5
Irving
Tatum
Butler
Ibaka
Dieng

They should be able to play some modern basketball with that. A bench of Jones/Rose/Miles/Bjelica/Gibson is workable, too. I miss Towns already, but you stay future minded with Tatum, you gain a number 1, you suddenly have pretty good three point shooting, defense, and play-making to work with. You've built the present around Butler and the future around Tatum. You gain some assets, push a lot of risk onto other organizations, gain a bit more cap flexibility, and should be able to keep on winning at the same or better rate because Irving is better than Teague, Tatum is better than Wiggins, and Ibaka gives a little more from behind the arc than Gibson. In the short term, that offsets the loss of Towns. In the long term, you hope Tatum stays on track to be the kind of superstar that makes this trade a win-win. Tatum's game compliments Kyrie and Butler better than Wiggin's game as well.

Boston Starts
Teague
Hayward
Brown
Horford
KAT

Compare to:
Kyrie
Hayward
Tatum/Brown
Horford
Baynes

Looks like an upgrade to me overall.

Toronto Starts
Lowry
Wiggins
DeRozan
Siakam/Anunoby
Valenciunis

Toronto is light on Power Forwards, but you've got to do something and taking the chance that Andrew figures it out seems worth it to them. Plus, the East is just easier, so there is less risk if Andrew is slow to figure it out. And again if LeBron stays with the Cavs, motivated Wiggins has a track record of showing up against their nemesis.