Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman makes a case for the Thunder to trade Chris Paul to the Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins. Paul would elevate the team’s immediate ceiling in Minnesota, providing Karl-Anthony Towns with arguably the best point guard he’s played with at the professional level.
Tramel believes OKC may provide Wiggins with an environment that would allow him to improve. Wiggins has played under four head coaches in Minnesota and the organization doesn’t have the recent track record for developing players that OKC does.
Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:
- The Thunder have named David Akinyooye, Dave Bliss, Mark Daigneault, Brian Keefe, and Mike Wilks as assistant coaches, the team announces on its website. The group will join head coach Billy Donovan and assistant coaches Maurice Cheeks and Vin Bhavnani on the bench.
- The Timberwolves are close to adding Pelicans assistant Kevin Hanson to their coaching staff, as Chris Hine of the Star Tribune reports. Hanson spent the past four seasons in New Orleans.
- Tony Bradley, who was selected in the 2017 draft, had a Summer League that saved his roster spot on the Jazz, Tony Jones of The Athletic explains. Third-year first-rounders don’t typically play in the Summer League and the front office told the center that it wanted to see him be the best player on the team. Bradley shined and will be the third center behind Rudy Gobert and Ed Davis.
Hell no!!!
How about Teague and dieng for CP3?
Why? This year’s crop of expiring deals have less value than they have in the recent past.
Chris Paul is a top ten PG. The Thunder aren’t going to give him away.
Thunder can get under the cap tho and use that space whenever they feel.
Hey I’m all for them keeping CP3.. I think it’s cool that the owner didn’t give up a pick to move his contract.
Unfortunately tho they def should, as CP3 will inevitably get hurt again this year and contract will become unmovable
They want youngsters
Dude, Jeff Teague is already Chris Paul at this point in his career, minus the on-court yelling at teammates. And Teague has the same number of rings as CP3. You’d be adding basically a replica of Teague’s ’18-19 production at the cost of one of their only scorers. Why? Just to get out from Wiggins’ future contract years?
# of rings is virtually meaningless. All that means is that you were on great teams. John Stockton is who I consider the best PG of all time and he has zero rings.
Teague is nowhere close to Paul, now or ever. Like him or not, Paul is a top 10 PG of all time.
I agree about the rings. I’m just saying, at this point in Chris Paul’s career, he’s giving you the same kind of production you can get from Jeff Teague. Excellent passing/assists, good defense, some outside shooting. The only major difference (at this point) is that Chris Paul has the reputation as a on-court coach, but I feel like that might even be tempered by him not getting over the hump in LA with Blake Griffin, nor in Houston with James Harden. My question is, is it worth adding another Jeff Teague-like player with a massive contract and losing a highly productive (if inconsistent) player with a different/complementary set of skills? Seems really unwise, IMO.
….actually, looking at the metrics, Teague’s defensive rating was atrocious last year. Yikes.
never really watched Teague play but I assume CP3 is a better and smarter passer and just like he made Tyson Chandler.Deandre Jordan and Clint Capela I would assume he would help KAT reach the next level. SO if I were Minny I wouldn’t be too scared to trade Wiggins for Cp3 and then you SHOULD be able to flip Teague for a late 1.
Teague is terrible. You think they were a below .500 team last year because of jimmy butler and Karl towns, 2 of the best? It’s the incompetence of GMs and coaches Teague even has a roster spot
Too dumb to comment on
And yet you commented anyway. Kudos.
Wouldn’t be the worst trade. If you’re the Thunder you take on Dieng and get a few more picks.
I was thinking about a few picks going to MN if MN was foolish enough to make a swap for Paul.
Dumping Dieng would cost picks he is 100% useless.
Wolves only trade Paul is de deal is for Teague , Dieng and a second round pick no more
money doesn’t work
Teague is not really a hold up for two reasons. One, he is an expiring deal and capable of playing starter minute at PG. He will be easy to flip somewhere for a pick or a player.
Two, I have said since the day Paul was acquired that OKC and Minny should do a 3 team deal with Orlando that sends
Minn
Chris Paul
Jonathan Isaac
OKC
Andrew Wiggins
Markelle Fultz
Orlando
Gorgui Dieng
Jeff Teague
It gives Orlando the vets to compete with Miami for the division title. It gives Minnesota a young big next to KAT and a great PG to get them the ball. It gives OKC two former #1 overalls that have disappointed a bit, but still have a ton of potential. You could have a couple of picks moving here or there as well, but that’s for others to debate.
Orlando is getting completely screwed over in that deal…Yes, Orlando needs an improvement at the PG position, but Teague is not worth giving up Fultz, Isaac, AND taking on Dieng..
Isaac has reportedly made some good strides on improving his shot this offseason, and they love his versatility. Also, Orlando does not view Fultz as the lost cause most people view him as now. They’re very serious about putting in every effort possible to getting Fultz back healthy, both mentally and physically.
Internally, Orlando thinks they can “fix” Fultz, and they’ve placed their bets that he’s going to be their starting PG moving forward. In fact, even if Fultz’s shot doesn’t completely improve, he is still a very solid, young option for the Magic as their PG. To maximize his potential, he would obviously need to rediscover his range, help spread the floor, and be seen as a threat to shoot in PnR situations. Even still though, he has a high basketball IQ, and he would be able to grow and develop alongside Orlando’s young core. He can drive and kick to Orlando’s bigs, or hit their perimeter shooters as he’s slashing towards the basket. Plus, he’s also a fairly good perimeter defender.
Regardless, even in a perfect world, Orlando still needs another quality, reliable PG, but this deal simply wouldn’t be in their best interest. Very creative though, and I will say it’s a lot more thoughtful, and makes a lot more sense than most of the trades proposed on here!!
They aren’t getting screwed, they would be giving up long term upside for short term improvements. Teague and Dieng are better than Fultz and Isaac right now. The younger duo MIGHT be better later, but honestly they could both be out of the league in a couple of years too.
Orlando is in an interesting position. The Southeast Division is up in the air completely. Washington and Charlotte are not likely to do much this season. Atlanta is a team on the rise, but might still be a season away from being really good. Miami has Jimmy Butler, but really not much else. With this deal, Orlando would be the best team on paper in the division. Yes, it might hurt them long term, but right now is looking like a better long term team regardless of the deal. And Miami will always be a prime FA destination. This might be Orlando’s best playoff opportunity.
I agree it is a gamble, but I think it is one worth taking.
I have to agree with bravesfan Orlando getting the loosing end of that deal and OKC making out like bandits on it so there would have to be a pick heading ORL way which I don’t think they really want they would probably prefer a player to help ensure a playoff birth. if anything I think a
MIA OKC MIN deal would be interesting.
That’s a PUTRID deal for Orlando.
Man, I gotta say, that trade only happens if the ORL front office is trying to incite a rebellion. ORL gives up Fultz and Isaac to get back Jeff Teague and Gorgui Deng?? That would be trading two barely 21-year-old *potential* all-stars for what is essentially the worst possible outcomes of themselves in ten years. And OKC getting Andrew Wiggins AND Markelle Fultz for Chris Paul and his massive contract?? Teams are actually talking about needing OKC to include picks in any trade in which they take on Chris Paul and his contract, never mind giving up two high-talent young guys.
Potential All Stars? I think you might be guilty of hyperbole there. Yes, they were high draft picks, but neither has even shown enough to be considered a starter in the league yet.
The whole point is that next year might be their best chance at the playoffs for the foreseeable future. Even if Fultz and Isaac both live up to their potential, which at this point is a very unlikely scenario, they are not likely to be better than Atlanta’s Young/Collins, both of whom has shown far more in the NBA thus far.
As far as OKC goes, neither Wiggins nor Fultz has been worth the salary they will get in 2019-20. The potential is there for improvement definitely, but both players are relatively more overpaid than Paul. Fultz has an almost $10 million salary this year and has barely even played in the league.
Everyone is just guessing that Paul will continue to deteriorate, but what if getting away from Harden will actually refresh him? To be honest, I believe the chances of Paul having another All Star season is far more likely than either Fultz or Isaac ever having one.
You cannot be serious, man? Fultz hasn’t had the chance yet as a result of the injuries, so maybe you right… But how on earth can you say Wiggs hasn’t done anything to prove that he can be a starter in the league, seriously? 19.4PPG during his 5 seasons, with the pre-Butler season posting 24PPG… by your logic no more than 20-40 players in the league have done enough to be starters… Yeah his contract might not be the best, but that is not on him at all.
Lol.. Fultz is the BIGGEST thief in all of sports. He will get in the court until Orlando picks up his 4th year option. Then hell shut it down. 40M stolen. Zero Heart or Desire to play this kid is just there to get thr free money.
Orlando would need at least a first if not more. But none of this matters because it wouldn’t work financially. Each team is over the cap so the salaries need to match. Orlando wouldn’t be sending out enough to take on the 36 million of dead weight being sent their way
It will take at min. a lightly protected 1st to dump Diengs 2 yrs of nothing. Hes worse than Biyombo and Mozgov
So Orlando is supposed to be on board with moving 21 year old top picks for Teague and Dieng?
LOL
Orlando also dealt a 1st for Fultz.
Would love to see Wiggins put into the Heat Rehab program. Somehow don’t think Butler would be real thrilled with that idea.
How about this 3 team deal.
Wolves
Fournier, Olynik
Magic
Teague, Waiters, Layman
Heat
Covington, Fultz
Wolves start Culver at PG.
Culver, Fournier, Wiggins, KAT
Olynik backs up KAT
Magic get a PG and a playoff team.
Heat can pair Covington, Butler and maybe, a big maybe, finish up the Futlz rehab project.
All straight up, no picks needed.
The Wolves would never do this deal, they value Covington a lot more than your trade suggests. Also Culver is not a PG. Trading Teague without getting a PG back would only leave them Shabazz Napier as their only PG on the roster.