Dunking With Wolves
Fansided

A conversation about the Minnesota Timberwolves’ trade deadline

By Brendan Hedtke

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 8: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves greets D'Angelo Russell #0 of the Golden State Warriors during pregame warmups on November 8, 2019 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 8: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves greets D'Angelo Russell #0 of the Golden State Warriors during pregame warmups on November 8, 2019 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Minnesota Timberwolves, Juan Hernangomez
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – FEBRUARY 08: Juan Hernangomez #41 of the Minnesota Timberwolves catches the ball against the Los Angeles Clippers. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

BH (cont.): Now that the trade has happened for Russell, the biggest need in my eyes in a PF that can play next to Towns…However, I believe that player needs to shoot the ball for Rosas to draft him. Deni Avdija is someone that I would love to take and watch him develop. Jaden McDaniels is very intriguing for his defensive capabilities at 6-foot-10. That length and energy would help Towns down low, presumably. I’d be most interested in those two players, with this current roster. I’d love Hayes as well.

LaMelo Ball is very interesting as well. I know he is a question mark and people are all over the board on him, but I think he would be a great facilitator. Also, with the help of Vanterpool, I think he could develop some great defense with his length, just like his brother Lonzo.

Tyrese Halliburton is another player that I have had fun watching in college and wouldn’t mind seeing him in a Wolves uniform.

What do you think trading Jordan Bell, Noah Vonleh, and Gorgui Dieng means for the frontcourt for the rest of the year? I assume it means Naz Reid finds himself as the primary backup. Unless Ryan wants to go small ball style and put Spellman at the 5, which I personally doubt.

JB: The first two guys you mentioned make the most sense based on where the Wolves will likely find themselves in June. I’d be ecstatic to have Avdija or J-Mac. Avdija has massive offensive upside while the McDaniels has Jonathan Isaac-like defensive potential. LaMelo seems like a pipe dream at this point, but that would add a super intriguing wild card to the Wolves team next year.

As for the frontcourt, I think it’s going to to be the Naz Reid show at the backup center position. I can see Ryan throwing Spellman in as a small-ball 5 since he can hang and bang down low and he’s a big dude, but he is more comfortable on the perimeter and functions more as a stretch 4 with the current roster composition.

To wrap up, I think our overall rotation will be fluid, but consistently look a little something like this:

PG: Russell/Culver/McLaughlin
SG: Beasley/Okogie/Nowell
SF: Culver/Layman/Martin
PF: Hernangomez/Johnson/Spellman
C: Towns/Reid

I could very well see Johnson getting some run at a small-ball 5-spot as well. I think the spot that stands to fluctuate the most for the rest of the season is the 4-spot. What do you think?

BH: I think the rotations you mentioned are very similar to how I would expect them to play out for the rest of the year. Power Forward sure seems like the spot that is the most likely to see changes from game to game. I could possibly see Layman running minutes at the 4 along with the other three players that you mentioned. It for sure should be interesting to see how Ryan manages all of the players throughout this “tryout” phase of the season.

I’m finally excited to watch Timberwolves basketball again, which is huge. Ticket sales should go up as fan involvement increases with the new exciting roster. I’ll be interested to see how much the average attendance improves from now until the end of the year.

Well it was great to see another perspective from this wild trade deadline and it sounds like we have similar feelings about the direction of the team. Whether or not this roster equates to wins, it should be fun to watch.

JB: Absolutely my man, looking forward to the rest of the season!

Next. What the Wolves can expect from D'Angelo Russell. dark

How are you all feeling now that you’ve had time to process the events of the past week? Jack and I would love to discuss it with you on Twitter. You can find Jack on Twitter at @jrborman13 and you can always find me @B_HedtkeNBA.

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