The Timberwolves made a trade today. And then they made another trade. By off-day standards, this was a lot of activity giving rise to a lot of internet discussion. So let’s sort it out and see what to make of everything that went down.
Trade Number 1
Wolves get:
Gary Neal
2nd Round Pick
Wolves send to Hornets:
Mo Williams
Troy Daniels
Trade Number 2
Wolves get:
Adreian Payne
Hawks get:
2017 1st Round Pick (lottery protected through 2020, after which it becomes a 2nd Round Pick)
Let’s get a few things out of the way before getting into the real meat of these transactions:
The Guards Swapping Uniforms
Mo Williams doesn’t matter to the Wolves. His contract expires at the end of the year and he was providing nothing of value to the development process of this young Timberwolves team. As a shooter, he might help the Hornets who are trying to make a playoff push.
Troy Daniels doesn’t matter. He’s an undersized shooting guard who could not, and never would crack a crowded wing rotation that includes Kevin Martin, Andrew Wiggins and Shabazz Muhammad, not to mention Zach LaVine.
Gary Neal — who I like for aesthetic, style-of-play reasons — also doesn’t matter. If his contract isn’t bought out before he ever dons a Wolves uniform, he’ll play out this season and become a free agent.
These three guards are eminently replaceable. None of them would or could impact the future of the Timberwolves franchise in a meaningful way. As for the “present,” well, they wouldn’t have much effect there, either. Not with Rubio back in the lineup to play point guard, and Martin, Shabazz, and Wiggins all in need of minutes on the wing.
The second round pick is an asset, which makes the Charlotte end of the deal a (very) minor win, in my opinion.
Now with that out of the way, the serious portion of today’s events: the trade for the Hawks rookie forward, Adreian Payne. And more controversially, the trading away of a (protected) first round pick to get him.
Some Timberwolves History
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