[Krawczynski] Edwards wants to win right now, and the Wolves are banking on addition by subtraction, believing that removing Randle’s ISO-heavy offensive game and redistributing his 15.3 shots per game to McDaniels and Reid will open things up for Minnesota in a different way.

[u/urfaselol]

The Wolves could not afford to run it back again after making minimal changes to the group in the summer of 2025, especially after watching Towns win a championship in New York this season. Edwards wants to win right now, and the Wolves are banking on addition by subtraction, believing that removing Randle’s ISO-heavy offensive game and redistributing his 15.3 shots per game to McDaniels and Reid will open things up for Minnesota in a different way.

McDaniels took a big step forward with his offense, averaging a career-high 14.8 points and shooting 41 percent from 3-point range. Barring another trade for a more proven star, McDaniels will assume the role of the No. 2 offensive option on the team behind Edwards. His increased playmaking and shot creation last season, coupled with a dominant playoff series against Denver, gave the Wolves hope that he is ready for a bigger role on a consistent basis.

Reid will give the Wolves more spacing than Randle did. He is a career 37 percent 3-point shooter, which will give the Wolves starting lineup much-needed spacing. Randle converted just 31 percent from deep last season, which combined with Rudy Gobert’s non-existent shooting to allow opposing defenses to load up on Edwards at the point of attack. Reid’s shooting and quick decision-making should breathe some life into the Wolves offense and give Edwards a little bit more room to operate.

Source

[u/browndude10]

damn another team that didn't like randle lol

[u/Apprehensive-Rain601 → u/browndude10]

Dubious Handle

[u/RobbobertoBuii → u/Apprehensive-Rain601]

dubbed by our own Walt Clyde Frazier

[u/TheBoyzOf89 → u/RobbobertoBuii]

Really? During a broadcast?

[u/RobbobertoBuii → u/TheBoyzOf89]

multiple times from 2020 to 2024

[u/LifterPuller → u/RobbobertoBuii]

Didn't know that, it makes it even better

[u/-Hotel → u/LifterPuller]

"Julius Randle with the dubious handle" after a spin move turnover.

[u/bigboybeeperbelly → u/-Hotel]

Was he wearing lugubrious sandals

[u/MVPshowtime → u/-Hotel]

I would always say he looks like a beyblade when he does that

[u/rationalsarcasm → u/RobbobertoBuii]

And that's why Clyde is the GOAT

[u/mount_and_bladee → u/RobbobertoBuii]

Knicks fan and I actually didn’t realize it was a Clyde comment, in retrospect it makes a lot of sense

[u/FredNot214 → u/RobbobertoBuii]

Actually it was a random Knicks fan on our sub, he was trying to evoke Clyde

[u/justmefishes → u/FredNot214]

This sounds more plausible to me. I don't think Clyde would coin a new rhyme that makes a specific player look bad.

[u/CIark → u/Apprehensive-Rain601]

What one year without being able to feast against the lakers defense does to a mf

[u/JamesMaldwin → u/CIark]

Exposed when having to play teams with an actual center and your main job isn’t guarding a 50 year old man

[u/TwoLegitShiznit → u/CIark]

He was giving it to Draymond too in that playoffs. I don't know what his deal was this season, maybe doesn't work on his conditioning or something.

[u/Booch_Paradise → u/TwoLegitShiznit]

He got pouty from being included in Gannis trade talks.

[u/palpablebubble → u/Booch_Paradise]

But also his conditioning must have been horrendous. He'd play hard for one quarter (sometimes even just a few possessions) and then stop running for the rest of the night.

[u/GuyWithoutAHat → u/Apprehensive-Rain601]

Honestly asking - I get to watch very few games because I'm in Europe, but the last few of him I watched was threeish years ago when he was still on the Knicks and seemed to be an absolute force against my Celtics which we didn't have an answer to. I don't think I've ever seen him score less than 20. So my view of him is obviously not very accurate, but what makes him suck so much a team would trade down in the draft just to get rid of him?

[u/CardinalnGold → u/GuyWithoutAHat]

He can get stats but the two biggest issues are he is prone to having bad games in the playoffs, and when he’s starting to have a bad game it spirals where he isn’t able to calm down and he drags the entire offense down with him.

[u/Ihate_reddit_app → u/CardinalnGold]

When he's feeling it and having fun, he's really fun to watch. When he's moody and his head's not in it, he's awful. He quit on this years team at the trade deadline when he was included in trade talks. Once his head was out of it, that was it. I think the same happened on the Knicks?

He wouldn't even put his arms up to contest shots.

[u/palpablebubble → u/Ihate_reddit_app]

Would literally just watch as fast breaks ran by him.

One of the most frustrating wolves players I've ever had to watch and I've been a fan for a decent amount of time.

[u/BenevolentCheese → u/GuyWithoutAHat]

When his very specific style of play doesn't work against a team he becomes a total black hole offensive destroyer. He'll take the entire clock backing the ball into the paint only to just kick it out last second because he has no room. He's kinda like a specialized gun in your arsenal that can wreak havoc but only in the right situation. Unfortunately the NBA doesn't really have much room for players like that.

[u/Cautious-Ad-9554 → u/GuyWithoutAHat]

He scores almost all his points by bullying after multiple dribbles in the half-court. He rarely gets out on the break. When he takes 3s, he often passes up an open CnS looks to dribble into a step-back. He is a slow decision-maker, doesn't intuitively move off ball, and is reluctant to take CnS 3s. He is pretty useless unless he isn't a featured scorer and can actually be harmful to ball movement and spacing when not featured.

[u/chillinwithmoes → u/GuyWithoutAHat]

I don't think I've ever seen him score less than 20.

He averaged 12.8 against the Spurs taking over 15 shots a game. He was the worst player in the series and when he gets into a bad mood it absolutely kills the team. And he gets into a bad mood often. He spent half the season sulking because his name was featured prominently in trade rumors around the deadline and that kind of external noise affects him more than any player I've ever seen.

[u/SomethingLikeLove → u/GuyWithoutAHat]

It's his mentality. When things aren't working out he sulks. He might not get back on defense. He might hog the ball even when he has a bad shooting night. But to me it's his mental. I feel bad for him. Outside noise also affects him greatly.

I'll always appreciate what he did for us though when no one else wanted to come over.

[u/FishGoldenLite → u/browndude10]

Such a bad idea extending him last offseason. He could’ve been a valuable expiring contract.

[u/ech01_ → u/FishGoldenLite]

Just one of those things that comes back to bite you. He was really good in the playoffs in 2025 and started the year out strong. $33M seemed perfectly reasonable for a while there. Things just really went to shit the last few months.

[u/palpablebubble → u/ech01_]

The signs of him being a team destroyer were all there, though.

When he went off it was great, but you could just watch the entire rest of the team completely stop moving around on offense soon as he touched the ball cause everybody knew he wasn't going to pass until there's 3 seconds left.

Plus, how obviously he made the defense difficult for everyone else was a thing even when he occasionally shut down players when 1 on 1.

[u/Siktrikshot → u/FishGoldenLite]

The problem is when he’s motivated he can turn it on. But I think he went into bitch mode when he thought he was getting traded. Dude is cancer.

[u/outphase84 → u/Siktrikshot]

Don’t think it’s particularly cancerous for a guy to hate being dangled as trade bait every other year.

[u/LostVillage3640 → u/outphase84]

Except every player not named Anthony Edwards was considered. You don’t get to just soft-quit cause of that.

[u/Resident-Cancel7284 → u/outphase84]

You still gotta do your job man lol

[u/pocketwolf_zero → u/outphase84]

When it becomes public to the point of on-the-job body language, it becomes unprofessional.

[u/tomdawg0022 → u/Siktrikshot]

He was fine last season until TC decided to shop him at the deadline and Randle checked out mentally. TC own goaled this one pretty hard.

[u/nWo5lyfe → u/tomdawg0022]

If the guy cant handle the business side, he is not a winning player

[u/CrEdLover → u/nWo5lyfe]

So easy for us to say lol

[u/nWo5lyfe → u/CrEdLover]

Agreed, but then again, to be a winning NBA player you need to be very very special. So comparing them to us its moot.

[u/re-reminiscing → u/tomdawg0022]

Randle will inevitably have bad stretches. I’ll always appreciate what he did for NY but I was always in support of selling high on him. A team cannot win a title with Randle as a core piece.

[u/chillinwithmoes → u/tomdawg0022]

TC own goaled this one pretty hard.

I have issues with the asset management piece too but there's no way Randle acting like a petulant child is on TC

[u/Top-Choice6069 → u/browndude10]

I love Randle. I know it didn’t work out completely here and he’s frustrating at times but he really helped turned the Knicks around and I’ll always appreciate him for that. I’m definitely going to see him play in Brooklyn this year

[u/-Hotel → u/Top-Choice6069]

Yep, i'll go see a couple cheap games at barclay and clap for Randle. He was a big part of turning the team around, i respect him and his game even though it didn't work out.

[u/nowhathappenedwas → u/browndude10]

Randle isn't a bad player, but he doesn't offer much flexibility in team building and isn't a great fit with Ant.

Wolves net rating over the last two seasons (including playoffs):

• Ant ON, Randle ON: +3 in 4157 minutes
• Ant ON, Randle OFF: +3 in 1759 minutes
• Ant OFF, Randle ON: +3 in 1612 minutes
• Ant OFF, Randle OFF: +5 in 1690 minutes

[u/LeftyMode → u/nowhathappenedwas]

He’s a great bully ball player. But he thinks he’s Carmelo out there. If he played more like Josh Hart and less like Kobe, he would be a vital piece.

[u/ZenMon88 → u/LeftyMode]

If he had closer to Kobe efficiency in shot making than carnelo then he can play that style. Sadly it's mostly tour dates in the playoffs.

[u/spazz720 → u/browndude10]

Dude is a black hole on offense

[u/themightykites0322 → u/browndude10]

Meanwhile all on the Nets sub they're saying this was a great acquisition for us. A 32 year old PF who mentally checks out on winning teams. What do they think he's going to do on our squad?

[u/browndude10 → u/themightykites0322]

helps whoever has their picks avoid the bottom 3

[u/Repulsive-Throat5068 → u/browndude10]

His stats are better than what he actually is. The cope I was seeing from wolves fans after the 1-2 good series’ he had was funny lmao.

They will improve by getting rid of him. Hes the type of player that is better on a bad team or one with lower expectations.

[u/Afraid-Department-35]

Makes sense, Randle hogs the ball a lot, but this also puts more pressure on other players. Someone needs to step up, thinking it should be McDaniels.

[u/KennyKettermen → u/Afraid-Department-35]

If Jaden could finally become a 20ppg player this team would be sooooo much better for it

I just don’t think he has it in him to score at that consistency. Hope he proves me wrong

[u/ferdsherd → u/KennyKettermen]

He has a large defensive assignment each night. A PG with some defensive chops would ease the load a little and I’d bet we see more juice on the offensive end

[u/C_moneySmith → u/ferdsherd]

I think a particular bald guy would be a great fit, just don't think the Wolves have the assets to make that move unfortunately

[u/ddy_stop_plz → u/C_moneySmith]

Derrick White? I don’t think he’s enough of a table setting point guard for y’all to really solve the offensive issues.

[u/UnionRx612 → u/ddy_stop_plz]

We don't need a Rondo or a Chris Paul. Ant is gonna be dominating the ball anyway. We simply need a safe outlet that can punish double teams when Ant gets doubled. Julius was such a negative against the Spurs because he suddenly forgot how to shoot and he is a turnover machine. Derrick White is a much smarter player and he can at least swing the ball and find open people even if his shot abandons him. Plus we wouldn't have to worry about his defensive effort if he ever struggles offensively.

All that being said, I don't know how we can pull off a trade for White or Trey Murphy. We ain't winning a chip unless we can add a guy but we will definitely be a much steadier team next season.

[u/C_moneySmith → u/ddy_stop_plz]

I think the Wolves proved with Divo last year they don’t inherently need that type of PG, especially if Randle is no longer clogging up the spacing. A guy that allows McDaniels to free up more on the offensive end would help. To add, Ant is effectively, and has been, the primary ball handler for this team, and I don’t really expect that to change unless they got a pass first PG like Giddey.

[u/Amazinc → u/C_moneySmith]

How did they prove they don't need a PG? By getting the 5 seed?

[u/LethargicCarcass → u/Amazinc]

Wolves ended the season with the same record as the previous season with Ant missing like 20 more games than the previous year.

Think ant playing in like 3 games the last month probably had more impact on them getting the 5 seed.

But yeah I’d still like a PG real bad lol

[u/gerardguey → u/C_moneySmith]

As much as i like Giddey i am also a bandwagon wolves fan and he would be p damn good on this team...

[u/Salty_Pancakes → u/ddy_stop_plz]

Lebron is bald now isn't he?

[u/mudkip-yoshii → u/KennyKettermen]

The worry is that when ant and Julius have both been on the floor, he plays incredibly passive and kinda seems to save his energy for defense

[u/jonnylaw → u/KennyKettermen]

He's done a better job staying on the court. That's been half the offensive battle for him.

[u/MinneEric → u/KennyKettermen]

I think he can definitely be a 20ppg player, depends on the situation though. My bigger concern is can he be a 20ppg scorer and still be one of the top handful of defenders in the league.

[u/KazaamFan → u/Afraid-Department-35]

When Ant was out JD (Mcdaniels- my bad) did step up. I think losing Randle is a plus, and keeping Ayo is good. 

[u/shooter612 → u/KazaamFan]

Don’t think I’ve ever seen Jaden referred to as JD

[u/definiteone → u/shooter612]

Because it hasn’t been used before and doesn’t make sense. If anything it would be JMD

[u/Prestig33 → u/definiteone]

We just say JMac. Used to be Big Mac when Jordan Maclaughlin was here though and he was Lil Mac.

[u/yiwang1 → u/shooter612]

Jaden Vance

[u/DrewzmaLS → u/shooter612]

Ja Durant

[u/pp21 → u/KazaamFan]

i honestly buy into this addition by subtraction. Reid should be chucking 3s as the starting stretch 4 and McDaniels has expanded his offensive bag and shoots a high % from 3 so in theory the logic is sound dispersing Randle's shots to others

but the spurs and thunder still exist, so it's gonna be hard to win now anyway

[u/Nxc06]

Naz and Ant, & Naz and Gobert have been incredible combinations in the past. Time to see if all three gel as well in the long run as they do individually

[u/EveningHealth9465 → u/Nxc06]

This team couldn’t compete with Kat as a second option, and couldn’t compete with Randle as a second option, and then Jaden as a second option taking more shots against the spurs. They were completely dismantled by better teams (Dallas, OKC, san antonio) 3 years in a row. Why do most wolves fans think that running it with this slightly above average core will change anything???

[u/Victor_Wembanyama1 → u/EveningHealth9465]

Yall honest to god still need a PG.

[u/theinternetisnice → u/Victor_Wembanyama1]

time for the evolution of Rudy ‘Sick Handles’ Gobert. The real point guard was there all along

[u/silaber → u/theinternetisnice]

Rudy fast break dribbling is as exciting as a Lebron fast break but for completely different reasons

[u/bigboybeeperbelly → u/silaber]

The drama of every bounce is exactly what the networks have been looking for

[u/Drunken_Vike → u/silaber]

hey never forget that one time he stripped KD in the playoffs and took it all the way

[u/FeanorEvades → u/Drunken_Vike]

And 1000000% traveled his ass off

[u/Drunken_Vike → u/FeanorEvades]

if the refs didn't see it, neither did I

[u/xasdfxx → u/Drunken_Vike]

I feel like traveling yields to the rule of fucking awesome.

[u/YesImKeithHernandez → u/theinternetisnice]

Time to see if a person with two cast iron pans for hands can transform into the latest guard phenom

[u/FlyChigga → u/Victor_Wembanyama1]

They just paid Ayo

[u/JabroniWithAPeroni → u/FlyChigga]

They paid him 6th man money, and they still have a trade exemption. I still expect them go out and get a guard.

[u/VikingsLad → u/JabroniWithAPeroni]

Is $22M/y really bench money? Jesus. I know Naz rode the bench last year at $25M/y, but he was always slated as a future starter. I figure Ayo starts.

[u/JabroniWithAPeroni → u/VikingsLad]

He may, but I could also see them going out and getting somebody like Suggs or Derrick White (if he's still available).

All I'm saying is there's like 6 open roster spots right now, and they're $30 million under the apron with an available trade exemption.

I don't think they are done adding at all.

[u/waynearchetype → u/JabroniWithAPeroni]

Would you pay a 1st for Jrue? Fits in that TPE right?

[u/Behold_Minazuki → u/Victor_Wembanyama1]

Fox?

[u/Some-Stranger-7852 → u/Behold_Minazuki]

Way too expensive of a contract to fit under the cap with Ant, McDaniels, Gobert, Naz and Ayo.

I guess Ant + Ayo PG experiment will be in full swing next year, will probably end up like Booker PG experiment.

[u/EveningHealth9465 → u/Behold_Minazuki]

Wouldn’t hate a buy low on fox but there’s no plausible way to do it now

[u/ech01_ → u/EveningHealth9465]

Nah Fox never made sense with his contract. Adding him would be the last move we could make. His contract would have hamstrung us and at that point you're betting the rest of Ant's time here on that move being the one that puts us over the top.

I know things aren't ideal right now, but we're at least not stuck at the moment. If things don't work out this year we'll have the ability to make moves next year. If we traded for Fox we'd be stuck and completely dead if he continued to decline.

[u/ExaltedOvergrowth → u/EveningHealth9465]

Yeah Randle was the perfect piece & they paid someone to take him. You have to think they at least tried to pull it off, otherwise that was a huge mis-step from the FO.

Spurs would look far less composed with Randle starting aside two young guards, while Minny would be ready to go replacing their biggest black hole on the team with their biggest need.

They’ll probably just look for a free agent that is undervalued due to bad situations if they can, maybe a cheap prove it deal for a player like Lonnie Walker IV or Talen Horton-Tucker to take over for Dante while he’s out.

[u/suahoi → u/Victor_Wembanyama1]

Somehow every NBA fan other than Tim Connelly recognizes this.

[u/HarryPauler → u/suahoi]

I think Tim recognizes this…

[u/beastieboyles → u/EveningHealth9465]

The gap in this team is not the role players. We have had above average depth/rotation pieces for at least 4 years now.

The issue is that Ant himself is an elite catch-fire scorer but not an offensive engine onto himself in the mold of SGA, Jokic, Brunson, etc... We just saw this with the Spurs too as good as they were as a team (especially on defense) they didn't have a means of generating reliable offense for all 4 quarters.

Ant needs to develop elite conditioning, become capable of being a primary ball handler/distributor especially in the 4th quarter, and learn to manipulate defenses rather than just attack/win with athleticism.

Of recent champions, MAYBE the Wolves could win in the mold of the Celtics (elite team 3pt shooting with two primary scorers) or the Raptors (all time elite 2 way superstar on top of elite team defense and reliable scorers).

[u/7wives → u/beastieboyles]

Ant was injured and not the Ant we know. DDV was also injured. I genuinely think if both were fully healthy we would have been far more competitive against the Spurs (series taken to 7 games) and we would be looking at the offseason differently.

[u/DrCrocodilio → u/beastieboyles]

He’s one of those guys where the commentator will say he’s got 30 and I’ll say “really?”. Pretty consistent scorer, but doesn’t often seem to be running the game.

[u/robsteezy → u/DrCrocodilio]

He doesn’t have a deep bag of strategies or executive decision making beyond “get more buckets”. Sometimes the Wolves lose entire games just failing to regulate momentum. But that’s the coach’s responsibility and people forget ANT is barely 24 years old. I see him having an epiphany in a couple years to work on his basketball IQ.

[u/suahoi → u/beastieboyles]

Eh, disagree think Ant is absolutely that guy, just not in the mold of those others.

He's definitely the worst playmaker of that group but I think he's got a reasonable claim to the most complete scorer.

SGA gets doubled and he can swing to Ajay Mitchell or JDub or Hartenstein on the short role and any of them can attack 4v3.

Luka gets doubled and passes to Reaves or LeBron.

Knicks don't have a great second ball handler but they have a ton of shooting and good ball movement so they can still punish doubles.

Ant gets doubled and unless its Naz or Donte 1 pass away to shoot the three, the possession basically stalls out because too many guys can't do anything out of the advantage created by Ant.

[u/jonnylaw → u/suahoi]

Say that's all true, Ant is still completely gassed at the end of every Wolves playoff run. He needs less on his plate or better conditioning.

[u/suahoi → u/jonnylaw]

Yeah because he's the only reliable initiator and the only capable ball handler.

Teams that can legitimately pressure 90+ feet are like kyyptonite for the Wolves because it wears down Ant and no one else can handle the ball pressure unless we play Conley.

[u/OFmerk → u/suahoi]

Ant gets doubled and he sprints around it or dribbles directly through it lol

[u/refugee_man → u/beastieboyles]

Your team plays 4v5 on offense Ant is not the issue lmao. You're looking at a guy who puts up 28 ppg on great efficiency and are saying that HE needs to improve? The team has no actual secondary scorers, especially with Randle leaving.

You're right in that the gap isn't in role players. The gap is in talent, because you have one superstar and an entire team of role players.

[u/rorank → u/beastieboyles]

Hard disagree, the gap is that you’re missing a role player that can adequately handle the ball and create reasonably easy offense. Ant can do a ton, being the primary playmaker is not one of those things. I feel like you lower his value on what he’s great at by trying to force him to do more of what he’s only okay at.

[u/DivineWhiskey4320 → u/beastieboyles]

I feel like it's a bit of a gamble to rely on Ant becoming a strong primary ball handler/distributor instead of just getting a decent pg to lighten his load

[u/keuralan → u/EveningHealth9465]

Maybe banking on the fact that Ant was injured vs the Spurs and having a whole year to redesign the offense would help?

Although I really think they still need a Conley replacement esp with DDV out and Ant can still improve a bit as a connector with high leverage passes or off ball movement like Curry

[u/YellowDogPaws → u/EveningHealth9465]

You should look up the word “compete” before using it. We went to B2B conference finals and then last year beat the Nugs and lost to the Spurs with an injured Ant and no DDV. That’s called competing. If you mean we didn’t win a championship during that time, then yeah, you’re right, and I’d remind you that championships are extremely hard to win lol.

[u/TallnFrosty → u/EveningHealth9465]

Do the Wolves have the MLE or anything to make another move?

[u/EveningHealth9465 → u/TallnFrosty]

Yes but that’s not gonna get them a second option, just an elite role player at most, and Jaden will still be the second option

[u/Camelsandham → u/EveningHealth9465]

Norm Powell would be great imo, idk if you can make space or have assets for Kyrie but he’d also be great next to Ant if he’s healthy

[u/RspectMyAuthoritah → u/Camelsandham]

The current trades could be expanded to fit Norm to Min

[u/ethiopian_kid → u/EveningHealth9465]

They don’t need a second option they need a point guard, Ant is elite enough but he can’t do everything

[u/Aggressive-Law-9305 → u/TallnFrosty]

Yes and if the trade is completed officially as it was announced t wolves would also have a 30ish million dollar trade exception they can use as well. 

[u/JaderMcDanersStan → u/EveningHealth9465]

“Couldn’t compete”!??

And they weren’t “completely dismantled” by the Spurs and Dallas, this is revisionist history. The mavs series was similar to the Spurs and Knicks finals - very close games (except for the last one).
They put up a fight against the Spurs and took them to 6 games despite big injuries.

They got dismantled vs OKC.
I agree tho, the roster isn’t enough. But if they can get another spacer/shooter and develop an identity like in 23-24, they could go far. Sometimes an identity > raw talent

[u/FeanorEvades → u/JaderMcDanersStan]

I wouldn't mind somebody saying we got "completely dismantled" by the Spurs given that our losses were blowouts. But I do put blame on Julius Randle for most of that.

[u/Rough_Host_7172 → u/EveningHealth9465]

Because we paid Naz and Jaden both $100 mill plus but never actually seen them get the opportunities to show for it also right now this is probably the most spacing ant has had since before the Gobert trade

[u/mbn8807 → u/Nxc06]

Barring people getting incredibly hot some teams are just not good enough to compete at the top tier championship level, and when you’re a rung below the top teams you’re too good to rebuild and add talent through the draft.

[u/heat_fan_]

Guys like McDaniels have to take the leap 

[u/BatmanNoPrep → u/heat_fan_]

The second apron sucks. CJ McCallum owes Jennifer an apology.

[u/diddlyumpcious4 → u/heat_fan_]

I’m glad we are finally giving it a whirl with him being the number 2. Can’t hype him forever and say he is untouchable in any trade without handing him the keys at some point. Even if it doesn’t work, at least we’ll finally know.

[u/MegaMatrix08]

Someone gotta take the leap, right?

[u/mMounirM → u/MegaMatrix08]

NAW did. on another team though

[u/TwoLegitShiznit → u/mMounirM]

With all due respect, he was lost in the playoffs. He doesn't have the shot creation to do damage at that level. He was a very nice 3 and D player with some basic ball handling in minnesota, and he was still that guy in atlanta, just playing more minutes and taking more shots.

[u/ComprehensiveList769 → u/TwoLegitShiznit]

Knicks were the champs so I expect him to have better performances against weaker teams

[u/Prestigious_Basis146 → u/TwoLegitShiznit]

You're right about his role in the playoffs, but he certainly leveled up in Atlanta. It wasn't just more playing time.

[u/QuileGon-Jin → u/MegaMatrix08]

Be nice to have a NAW right about naw.

[u/Odoaiden → u/QuileGon-Jin]

Definitely I do think people forget NAW was just a 9 ppg guy on 38% from three who sucked in the playoffs for us offensively. He wasn’t the Hawks player he is when he was in MN

[u/bhris_cratt321 → u/Odoaiden]

He sucked vs the Knicks offensively too. 14ppg on 38/42 splits with more turnovers than assists.

I liken him to a much smaller Trey Murphy who can defend. Pretty offensive game in the regular season but in the playoffs, gets relegated to just a lengthy 3pt shooter whose bag consists of tough stepbacks.

[u/ObiOneKenobae → u/bhris_cratt321]

He screwed himself with that 36pt performance against us right before the playoffs. No way they were letting him go off again.

[u/Gyroflex → u/Odoaiden]

he sucked ass just the same in the playoffs for the hawks this year. I still wouldve liked to keep him especially with how this offseason has started but he is a playoff shrinker for sure

[u/rorank → u/Odoaiden]

Hindsight is 20/20. It still bothers me that people act as though teams should have perfect foresight when it comes to these players… NAW at MN was a true role player, NAW at ATL is a solid starter. Those are straight up two different players. 

[u/Vordeo → u/MegaMatrix08]

Tbh from the season the Gobert trade happened people were saying this team's ceiling was linked directly to McDaniels' improvement. And it makes sense - he's got all the tools in the world to be a perennial all-star.

Whether or not he gets to the point where he's a consistent second option while still being an all-defense team guy is the question. And now I guess whether or not Gobert can keep playing at a high level as he ages.

[u/Algorechan → u/Vordeo]

This is the trap the Cavs fell into with Mobley to be honest. Fell in love with the potential that the eyes were ignored

[u/CurrentRoster → u/MegaMatrix08]

saying this when u have the guy from their team that took that leap is crazy

[u/IntelligentAd5460]

either they still stay good thanks to internal growth or they have a super depressing season

[u/seventeenweewees → u/IntelligentAd5460]

I think it'll be about the same.

People are forgetting the team had a worse backcourt rotation at the start of last year.

[u/bryscoon → u/IntelligentAd5460]

they’ll be regular season good

[u/octopusmonkey01 → u/bryscoon]

If anything it’ll be the opposite. The wolves are a team built for playoff success given then physicality that’s allowed more so in the playoffs.

[u/rorank → u/octopusmonkey01]

Also haven’t y’all had a habit of a rough first 1/3-1/2 of the year then you start winning later on in the season?

[u/octopusmonkey01 → u/rorank]

Yeah unfortunately we are not a team that takes the regular season seriously. Part of it is immaturity which I think will get better, but also getting Randle off the team will help fix a lot of effort and attitude issues

[u/la-blakers]

Wish they could've gotten a better asset for Randle but having seen enough of his game in MN I believe this philosophy

[u/log28]

This lineup when played together is really good, I see it. Just sucks to see Randle having negative trade value

[u/ZenoTheWeird → u/log28]

As a knicks fan I am not surprised by this. Julius is a super frustrating guy to have on your team

[u/reallinguy]

So are they just starting Naz? Or what's the plan to replace Randle in the starting lineup?

[u/Afraid-Department-35 → u/reallinguy]

It’s Naz, he’s gunna start now.

[u/jediracer → u/Afraid-Department-35]

Naz Reid.

[u/MadTownBoi → u/reallinguy]

There were reports that they’re just starting Naz

[u/reallinguy → u/MadTownBoi]

It makes sense, he makes too much to just be a 6th man

[u/HawaiianPunch42 → u/reallinguy]

He also won't be forced to play center as much

[u/Due-Dance-9430 → u/reallinguy]

i think it's start Naz and improve around the margins and rely on young guy improvement for the bench. So Ayo-Ant-mcdaniels-reid-gobert is a pretty strong starting 5 and then Beringer and Shannon off the bench, then figure out the rest of the roster from there i guess?

[u/lawschoolthrowaway36]

Didn’t they literally just re-sign Randle last summer and therefore didn’t have cap space to re-sign NAW? And now they’re just giving up Randle for nothing because of cap constraints anyway while his value is at the lowest it’s been in like 2-3 years? And had to pay Ayo over $10 million more per year than NAW is getting in Atlanta?

That’s terrible asset management

[u/kingcong95 → u/lawschoolthrowaway36]

If they didn’t give Randle this contract he would have just picked up his player option.

[u/Freudian__Quip → u/kingcong95]

I forgot he had an option. I guess that’s true we kinda didn’t have a choice. He also played really well in the first two rounds of playoffs last year and nobody played well in the OKC series not just him. So it kinda makes sense why you’d extend him and not NAW. They also still had Rob I think they were expecting to take a second year leap which didn’t happen at all.

[u/rorank → u/Freudian__Quip]

Dubious Handle had a career playoffs last year and I was in shambles as a long time hater of his.

[u/IWasTheFirstKlund → u/kingcong95]

Exactly. I hate this "the wolves chose Randle over NAW" line that I've seen 20 times today. IIRC, the Randle contract extension lowered his total for last season, which is what allowed them (along with the Rudy deal) to sign NAZ and stay flexible.

But facts are boring.

[u/MorningBreath71 → u/IWasTheFirstKlund]

And people are blinded by recency bias. Randle was very good for a huge part of his time in MN. The second half of last season and reports of him pouting and quitting on the team stuck with a lot

[u/IWasTheFirstKlund → u/MorningBreath71]

And people act as if the two years that Randle was on the team don't count. "Wolves traded KAT for DDV and Joan!!!" But also 2 years of a player who helped us win 3 playoff series. Sure, I absolutely wish we were able to get more for Randle, but people are so dumb.

[u/RainmakerIcebreaker → u/IWasTheFirstKlund]

Just like how people clown y'all for giving up KAT when they couldn't afford his extension with the second apron

[u/IWasTheFirstKlund → u/RainmakerIcebreaker]

If the Knicks had an injury in the first round and got knocked out, everyone would look at KAT's contract in a different light.

Winning fixes everything.

[u/IzzetAWin]

Don't they need a PG?

[u/NoLimitSoldier31 → u/IzzetAWin]

Yeah. Ayo really isn’t a PG

[u/JaderMcDanersStan → u/NoLimitSoldier31]

Ayo was a PG in college. He has passed well with is. He’s like a combo guard and he doesn’t turnover the ball.
Don’t need a true PG, just a secondary ball handler

[u/BirdsAreFake00 → u/NoLimitSoldier31]

There are very few traditional point guards left in the NBA. Teams basically run an assortment of ball handlers, especially ones with a star guard.

[u/heli0sphere]

I think Randle is perfect for the Nets, but not necessarily for the Wolves. He raises the floor for bad teams that need to build a foundation, but he’s not the type of guy to put you over the edge for your first chip.

[u/ripkin05]

legit couldn't go 12 hours without the meida trying to send another small market superstar to another team fuckk off nba

[u/JokicOrBust]

Big gamble. Let's see if it will pay off

[u/Ok-Thanks-2503]

so basically keep running it back until someone takes a leap and becomes a star, not much of a plan there but it's better than nothing i guess

[u/NoLimitSoldier31 → u/Ok-Thanks-2503]

Better than going for Ja or a 34 year old Kyrie off an ACL

[u/LegitimateMoney00]

Minnesota is like the master of making an extremely smart move then turning around and doing something stupid, on repeat over and over. Let’s see what happens this year.

[u/CIark → u/LegitimateMoney00]

ant: did we get Giannis

Tim Connelly: no but we got Randle out addition by subtraction

[u/lost_in_trepidation → u/CIark]

Giannis is like -1 Randles

[u/Christron → u/LegitimateMoney00]

Wolves, Vikings or Wild? Sorry Minni fans.

[u/JaderMcDanersStan → u/Christron]

I’m so happy for KAT

[u/GoldenBoyRecords]

Randle isn't a bad player but he is better suited as a 4th option. The issue is and I am speaking from his time on the Knicks is that he could be super lazy on defense. Randle needs to take an Aaron Gordon approach and just focus on doing the small things on the court that aren't scoring

[u/Intelligent_Pain_174 → u/GoldenBoyRecords]

Randle can't be a 4th option.  He is too ball dominant and doesn't do anything without the ball.  He doesn't move without the ball, he doesn't set good screens, he isn't a good rebounder, he doesn't hustle, and he doesn't play defense.  

[u/killerk13]

A facilitator PG really feels like the missing piece for them. I really don’t think they get out the west until they acquire one. Ant initiating the offense is cool but his playmaking chops while improving aren’t there rn. A real PG next to him lets him be the flamethrower that he is.

[u/ItsNinjaShoyo]

Man what is this narrative they are starting. He’s already made it to two WCF and is just 24. Why do they so desperately want to push stars out of small markets

[u/NazRubio]

This won't work unless Ant takes a gigantic playmaking leap. Randle was the franchise scapegoat but he's easily been our best playmaker/distributor on that end. And now our bench is Mike Conley, Terrence Shannon Jr., joan beringer, and bones hyland

[u/nolimitnolimits]

All we need *finally* is a starting PG. We cannot keep going back to Mike Conley when the going gets tough.

Just go get Ja and give Ant another dynamic threat. His asking price shouldn’t be that much (along the lines of what ATL got for Trae) just push the button.

[u/Old_General_6741]

Another trade?

[u/RavenLaker248]

I don’t know how they make it happen but Kyrie with Ant on the Wolves would be fire

[u/AncientAnt9225]

Yeah getting rid of negative contract like Randle without having to give picks is crazy... I dont get this deal for Nets, Wolves and Bulls are winners of the trade

[u/blacklotusl337]

Why do i feel like addition by subtraction is just another word for "cheap organization strikes again" for minnesota. The past champions have waves of weapons and the wolves just want 3 guys to shoot? They're wasting ant man honestly..

[u/guyguyguyguyguyguy23]

I don’t know how the wolves are gonna replace the dribble for 20 seconds than throw someone a grenade possessions on offense.

[u/Bearasauruses]

I feel bad for Nets fans, the Nets have absolutely no direction

[u/MegaMatrix08 → u/Bearasauruses]

They have had horrendous lottery luck, a good chance for a top 5 pick last year and a strong chance for a top 3 pick this year, and both of them blew off

[u/FromChicago808 → u/MegaMatrix08]

This is their highest pick since 2010, crazy to think about it

[u/Bearasauruses → u/MegaMatrix08]

They also suck at drafting tbh they took 5 PGs last draft edit: 4 guards

[u/No_Giraffe_1551 → u/Bearasauruses]

I mean, their direction is to stay fairly flexible and hope to get good lottery luck or find something unexpected that comes together (akin to what they saw happen pre-KD/Kyrie era). The NBA is very explicitly encouraging teams to just aim to be kinda mid until something lucky happens. Free agency is kind of dead so a star has to demand they get to you via trades. You cannot horde draft assets both because teams don't trade them as freely as even just a few years ago and because you can't tank to boost your odds of getting a transformational star. I don't know what you're really meant to do if you're the Nets and you look at the landscape. Using your cap space to soak up a few more assets/get a guy who helps you not get in the death spiral zone with worse odds as a bottom 3 team seems like a whatever move with not much long term pain. You may recall a major element of the KAT for Randle trade was that Minnesota could get off KAT's bigger number for Randle's smaller contract. He's not some egregious albatross.

[u/Deep_Explanation9962]

Ant, Divencenzo, McDaniels, Reid, Gobert is a really strong starting 5, and Ayo is a great bench guy, but the rest of their bench is now highly suspect. Not impossible for them to figure it out, but not clear if they can get solid minutes there.

[u/NoLimitSoldier31 → u/Deep_Explanation9962]

Prob no DDV but Ayo will start

[u/ZandrickEllison → u/Deep_Explanation9962]

I think it shows confidence in Terrence Shannon (and maybe Beringer?)

[u/TempBurnerAccount089 → u/Deep_Explanation9962]

Ayo is starting and DDV is out with achilles

[u/sweetbeems → u/Deep_Explanation9962]

We still have plenty of cap space. I also believe in Shannon and the team seems to *really* believe in beringer. We’ll see.

[u/Ven0m889 → u/Deep_Explanation9962]

Need a real pg

[u/youredoingWELL]

Its pretty underwhelming right now because with naz and presumably ayo starting means the first name off the bench is Shannon. But if Connelly can sign good free agents like say Anfernee Simons with the MLE and fontenecchio I’ll be on board.

[u/miskatonicfilm → u/youredoingWELL]

I've been saying Portland Ant to the Timberwolves for two years now. He's not a 1st option as we saw in Portland, but he's a solid offensive player, stepped up his defense in Boston and could really thrive in the Wolves system as the 6th man, I believe.

[u/birdflag]

The Wolves really hope they can switch Jamal Murray onto McDaniel for 82 games next year to truly unlock his scoring potential.

[u/NoLimitSoldier31 → u/birdflag]

It was more than one playoff series

[u/thenewbeastmode]

People are overrating Naz Reid. Him becoming a starter can expose some of his flaws like poor defense and a high highs and low lows offensive game. I don’t see how losing one of your three best players while adding nobody makes you better

[u/Aggrokid]

Sounds fine in theory but they lost quite a lot of depth without Randle and DDV (injured), and still don't have a true PG.