Minnesota made it clear that they are looking towards the future, and right now the future looks bright. The plan started before the season when they traded away their star player, Kevin Love, for the first overall pick, Andrew Wiggins. The Timberwolves are now 11-41, the second worst record in the NBA. Their plan seems to be working as they will most likely have a top 5 pick in this upcoming draft; to go along with budding stars like Wiggins, Muhammad and Lavine. Minnesota continued to make their roster younger as they traded away 32 year old point guard Mo Williams to the Charlotte Hornets. The Timberwolves didn't stop there as they also added their fourth player from this year's draft, Adreian Payne.
The Timberwolves traded away Mo Williams, Troy Daniels and cash considerations to the Charlotte Hornets for shooting guard Gary Neal and a 2019 second round pick. This was the first trade of the day for Minnesota and one that could impact the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Hornets needed depth at point guard since Kemba Walker is expected to miss around five more weeks. Right now Brian Roberts is starting at point guard and with only a one game lead over Brooklyn for the final playoff spot, the Hornets, wanted to add depth fast. Williams will go back to the bench once Walker returns, putting him in a similar situation he was in in Minnesota. He started 19 games for an injured Ricky Rubio while in Minnesota this year and played well. Williams has had a good year so far, averaging 12.2 PPG, 6.4 APG and 2.4 RPG, including a 52 point game earlier in the year against Indiana. Mo Williams is past his prime and will be a bench player for the rest of his career, but I still think he is a good fit for Charlotte. He's proved that he can still play and score, what he does best. He is also a good locker room guy and will help a young Charlotte team get better. Williams may be the difference between them making the playoffs or not. He will have a lot of pressure and responsibility right away as he is expected to start until Walker returns. Charlotte also gets Troy Daniels, a shooting guard who hasn't gotten much playing time in his career. Daniels has only appeared in 19 games this season, averaging 8.1 MPG. It seems like Daniels will be at the end of the bench for his entire career and will probably be on multiple teams, this already his third in as many seasons. He was thrown into this trade to help balance out contracts, I doubt he will ever see significant minutes. The Timberwolves got a guard back after losing two, Gary Neal. The 30 year old guard is about to be on his fourth team in five seasons. Neal has never been fantastic but I think he is a solid bench player. Neal has played in 43 games this year, averaging 9.6 PPG in 21.7 MPG, but his best days were when he was a key contributor for the San Antonio Spurs early in his career. I don't see him being in Minnesota's long term future but I think he is a good guy to bring in and help younger guys like Zach Lavine and Shabazz Muhammad. The Timberwolves also recieved a 2019 second round pick. Second rounders are almost always useless picks and a crap shoot. I like the trade for both teams as Charlotte is currently the 7th seed in the East and the upgrade of Williams over Brian Roberts will help them stay in the playoff hunt until Kemba Walker returns, and the Timberwolves got younger and lowered their salary by a little.
There was a lot of hype around Adreian Payne coming out of Michigan State this past year, and a lot of people thought he was a steal at the 15th pick. He hasn't proved to be however as he has only appeared in three games due to injuries and the depth of the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks are now the best team in the Eastern Conference and have switched their goal from 'looking towards the future' to 'win now'. That led them to trade rookie Adreian Payne to Minnesota for a lottery protected 2017 first round pick. This is a perfect fit as Minnesota was considering drafting Payne 13th overall before selecting Zach Lavine. Payne also hasn't been able to prove himself in the NBA yet, but Minnesota will give him the perfect opportunity to play, make mistakes and learn. Payne is very versatile; he has a body of a 4 but can shoot like a 3. He is dynamic and if he can find his footing in the NBA he could become a key player for Minnesota in the future. The Hawks were smart with this trade as they are one of the deepest teams in the league, especially at forward, and have Walter Tavares overseas, who is 7'2", someone the Hawks think has a lot of potential. Trading Payne will open up a roster spot for him next year and will also open up a spot for this year, Ray Allen? There isn't much to analyze about this trade as it is clear why both sides agreed to the trade. The one main thing to analyze however is when the Hawks will get the T-Wolves draft pick. It may seem crazy but I could see them getting it in 2017. Even in a tough Western Conference I can see the T-Wolves making the playoffs in the near future with all the young talent they are storing. This was a busy day for Minnesota and may not be the end, I still think Kevin Martin is on his way out eventually. The Timberwolves may be one of the worst teams in the league this year but I would be surprised if it lasted much longer. The young talent that they have on their roster is astonishing and in my opinion have the most potential in the NBA over the next couple of years. Let's not forget they will most likely be getting another top five pick this year.
The Timberwolves traded away Mo Williams, Troy Daniels and cash considerations to the Charlotte Hornets for shooting guard Gary Neal and a 2019 second round pick. This was the first trade of the day for Minnesota and one that could impact the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Hornets needed depth at point guard since Kemba Walker is expected to miss around five more weeks. Right now Brian Roberts is starting at point guard and with only a one game lead over Brooklyn for the final playoff spot, the Hornets, wanted to add depth fast. Williams will go back to the bench once Walker returns, putting him in a similar situation he was in in Minnesota. He started 19 games for an injured Ricky Rubio while in Minnesota this year and played well. Williams has had a good year so far, averaging 12.2 PPG, 6.4 APG and 2.4 RPG, including a 52 point game earlier in the year against Indiana. Mo Williams is past his prime and will be a bench player for the rest of his career, but I still think he is a good fit for Charlotte. He's proved that he can still play and score, what he does best. He is also a good locker room guy and will help a young Charlotte team get better. Williams may be the difference between them making the playoffs or not. He will have a lot of pressure and responsibility right away as he is expected to start until Walker returns. Charlotte also gets Troy Daniels, a shooting guard who hasn't gotten much playing time in his career. Daniels has only appeared in 19 games this season, averaging 8.1 MPG. It seems like Daniels will be at the end of the bench for his entire career and will probably be on multiple teams, this already his third in as many seasons. He was thrown into this trade to help balance out contracts, I doubt he will ever see significant minutes. The Timberwolves got a guard back after losing two, Gary Neal. The 30 year old guard is about to be on his fourth team in five seasons. Neal has never been fantastic but I think he is a solid bench player. Neal has played in 43 games this year, averaging 9.6 PPG in 21.7 MPG, but his best days were when he was a key contributor for the San Antonio Spurs early in his career. I don't see him being in Minnesota's long term future but I think he is a good guy to bring in and help younger guys like Zach Lavine and Shabazz Muhammad. The Timberwolves also recieved a 2019 second round pick. Second rounders are almost always useless picks and a crap shoot. I like the trade for both teams as Charlotte is currently the 7th seed in the East and the upgrade of Williams over Brian Roberts will help them stay in the playoff hunt until Kemba Walker returns, and the Timberwolves got younger and lowered their salary by a little.
There was a lot of hype around Adreian Payne coming out of Michigan State this past year, and a lot of people thought he was a steal at the 15th pick. He hasn't proved to be however as he has only appeared in three games due to injuries and the depth of the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks are now the best team in the Eastern Conference and have switched their goal from 'looking towards the future' to 'win now'. That led them to trade rookie Adreian Payne to Minnesota for a lottery protected 2017 first round pick. This is a perfect fit as Minnesota was considering drafting Payne 13th overall before selecting Zach Lavine. Payne also hasn't been able to prove himself in the NBA yet, but Minnesota will give him the perfect opportunity to play, make mistakes and learn. Payne is very versatile; he has a body of a 4 but can shoot like a 3. He is dynamic and if he can find his footing in the NBA he could become a key player for Minnesota in the future. The Hawks were smart with this trade as they are one of the deepest teams in the league, especially at forward, and have Walter Tavares overseas, who is 7'2", someone the Hawks think has a lot of potential. Trading Payne will open up a roster spot for him next year and will also open up a spot for this year, Ray Allen? There isn't much to analyze about this trade as it is clear why both sides agreed to the trade. The one main thing to analyze however is when the Hawks will get the T-Wolves draft pick. It may seem crazy but I could see them getting it in 2017. Even in a tough Western Conference I can see the T-Wolves making the playoffs in the near future with all the young talent they are storing. This was a busy day for Minnesota and may not be the end, I still think Kevin Martin is on his way out eventually. The Timberwolves may be one of the worst teams in the league this year but I would be surprised if it lasted much longer. The young talent that they have on their roster is astonishing and in my opinion have the most potential in the NBA over the next couple of years. Let's not forget they will most likely be getting another top five pick this year.
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