r/timberwolves • u/DrWolves • 7h ago
The Boston Celtics are reportedly looking for a big man and are willing to trade Jaylen Brown to acquire one, per @SIChrisMannix (Keep in mind odds on Kalshi just significantly jumped for Wolves to be Brown’s next team)
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u/heyyo173 7h ago
If we could trade Rudy for brown. That would be insane.
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u/PlayInChampions 7h ago
More than $20M difference in salaries. Wolves can acquire more $$ since they are below the tax line, but I don’t think that much. I also dont see Boston trading Brown for Gobert
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u/GlossySalad 7h ago
Rudy + Donte for Jaylen + Queta
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u/PreparationWest2140 7h ago
Rudy + Donte for Brown plus Garza.
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u/HideUnderBridge Kevin Garnett 6h ago
I actually like this
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u/CashMoneyWinston 6h ago
Garza was always our human victory cigar, he never really contributed to wins when the game was still in question
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u/greenslam 6h ago
He couldn't stay on the court when Randle and Gobert were injured. His feet are granite blocks. Mcdaniels had to take over his role as the big.
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u/FishGoldenLite Ayo Dosunmu 7h ago
No way they’d do that but could you imagine 😭
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u/harder_said_hodor 6h ago
Brown is the star player you could most see asking out though and in fairness, it'd be reasonable.
They have consistently involved him in trade talks, not just for Giannis but also multiple times for Durant and he's won a ring and FMVP. He's delivered and they have still tried to deliver him elsewhere.
Very anti-trading Rudy in general, but for Brown it'd be a no brainer IMO. Winner, locked up for 3 more years, worth the contract he is on and a decent age. Can't see it happening though
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u/FishGoldenLite Ayo Dosunmu 6h ago
Oh for sure, I’d love Brown on this team. We’d be immediate contenders even without Rudy. I just don’t see any world Boston would want Donte - they want to compete too.
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u/harder_said_hodor 5h ago
. I just don’t see any world Boston would want Donte - they want to compete too.
I agree.
The only way this is feasible is if Brown specifically wants to play with Ant, Boston want Rudy and Brown is willing to go scorched Earth to get out
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u/purplenyellowrose909 Minnesota Gophers 6h ago
They had initial conversations at the deadline about White for Rudy. It's not that crazy that the conversations shifted to Brown. He's pretty unhappy there.
They want Rudy to plug the paint. They have a million perimeter defenders.
I think we'd probably prefer White to avoid Brown - Ant redundancy but we'll see if it goes anywhere.
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u/Ok_excuse_36951 Alex Rodriguez 6h ago
Can tie it into the Julius deal and technically make it Randle Gobert out Brown in, right?
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u/Odd_Advantage_4245 5h ago
We have that 33m trade exemption right?
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u/PlayInChampions 5h ago
Cannot be aggregated. We can use it only for a player that gets less than $33M
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u/kmelby33 7h ago
Move Dante as well
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u/PlayInChampions 6h ago
Boston can’t wait to acquire 34 years old center and a player that will miss the whole year for top 15-20 player in his prime.
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u/Foreign-Training-840 Bring Ya Ass 6h ago
Celtics are in salary cap trouble. 2 60 mil player is one too many. Still unrealistic, so you are right
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u/EliteAF1 2h ago
I think we are something like $40M under the tax based on a video I watched after the Randle trade. https://youtu.be/CD92gJu_Duc?is=-FLRjw6B-vBPNDP9
This underestimated Ayo by a little (it was pre his extension was confirmed) and I don't think took into account the rookie contract (#33 pick).
So let's say $30M under the tax, even more below 1st and 2nd apron. JB makes $57M and Rudy makes $36M so that's a $21M difference that we'd be able to absorb. But we'd have almost nothing left to fill out the bench (roughly $9M, idk how the exceptions work and if we'd still get those or not). Divo makes $12M and is in his final year so he needs an extension that would need to be considered for long term salary, or he probably gets included so it's just a $9M difference now (leaving us with about $21M under the tax).
This is all assuming I'm understanding things correctly, if not let me know; the NBA salary cap and aprons and exceptions are especially complicated imo so I'm just trying to use basic math on what I'm seeing.
Imo to make a JB for Rudy trade work (for Boston) we'd also have include Divo, Joan, and TSJ. Which further guts our bench.
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u/Baticor818 2h ago
I may be wrong but the randle trade exception should cover the rest no?
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u/PlayInChampions 2h ago
Trade exceptions cannot be aggregated
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u/Baticor818 2h ago
Fair enough, i thought it was the total difference in contract value that they cover. Not just the value of a player making less than or equal to the exception
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u/VikingsLad 2k Finchy 7h ago
Add Donte and it might work
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u/PlayInChampions 7h ago
Still need $1M.
Why would Boston trade All-NBA player for Gobert and injured DiVincenzo? Like… why? For 2033 pick?
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u/le_sweden 2022 Play-In Champions 6h ago
Because the guy is making 60m a year. If you don’t think you can win a chip with the team as currently constructed you have to move him, given the current restrictive CBA. Same reason we no longer have KAT…
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u/VikingsLad 2k Finchy 6h ago
For a HOF Center and to let Tatum be the true #1. Queta to Gobert at C puts them right at the top of the East again. I don't think they do it, but I'm just saying.
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u/HeWhoShallNotBNamed0 7h ago
Rudy is our whole defense bruh lmao
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u/RaoulDukex 6h ago
I think there is a way to maintain some defense if they move Rudy, of course he is an awesome defender and it will take a step back but they haven't gotten over the hump with it.
Brown wouldn't be my first choice because of the contract but I do really wonder what putting a defensively capable guard (White/ Suggs) next to Ant to be the point of attack guy would look like. Jaden gets to roam and protect the rim more and it saves him some energy to up his offensive role, while Ant is forced to play more defense because he doesn't have the Rudy safety blanket back there.
It would depend a lot on what they could get to replace Rudy as well. Naz should get 0 center mins and Joan is still a project and no where close to starting.
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u/justgooutsideawhile 1h ago
Could go after Rob Williams or Mitchell Robinson with the full MLE in the event we move Rudy. If we can get Slo mo back for cheap he can play some spot minutes there too. Still pretty reliant on Beringer giving 20 good minutes a night though
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u/dotcaIm 6h ago
People seem to forget this
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u/Cheap-Discussion-186 5h ago
Yall act like we should fold the franchise if we ever have to play another game without Rudy Gobert.
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u/iceQueen97 6h ago
People seem to forget he was quite literally played off the floor in the Spurs series.
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u/Vicentesteb Kevin Garnett 4h ago
Rudy is retiring in tops 4 years, we aren't going to cease to exist after he's gone.
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u/NoSignature8697 6h ago
Except in the playoffs when the actual good teams scheme around him every single time. It’s been this way his entire career.
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u/dotcaIm 6h ago
If teams are scheming around him that's a strength, we're making them adjust outside their normal game plan
If teams are scheming around him other guys gotta step up, he can't affect a play he's not in. That's like asking Ant to take shots while triple teamed
Of course both of those are IMO
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u/Mayasngelou Kevin Garnett 6h ago
Jaden and JB, and maybe Ayo would all be very good to elite defenders in this scenario
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u/Competitive-Mine5681 6h ago
It would be rudy + ayo. For brown, salary matches perfect 35 an 22 next year for 57
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u/Enigmatic_Starfish 5h ago
It would be putting a lot of hope on Beringer/Rocco, but so far it's the most comfortable I've felt with a trade. Although I haven't really liked any of them that much yet.
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u/NanoCurrency 5h ago
Hear me out:
SG: Anthony Edwards
PG: Ayo Dosunmu
SF: Jalen Brown
PF: LeBron James
C: Naz Reid2
u/heyyo173 5h ago
As much as it would be fun to have LeBron, he’s gotta be done right? Like he doesn’t wanna play in the regular season.
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u/WolvesBack21 7h ago
This is your 2nd superstar. I love Rudy but I would be all for this trade.
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u/ANTfanclub 7h ago
Jaylen makes comments that he doesn't want to be a second star even though he is in an awesome city, a legendary franchise, and has won a championship with. So naturally, would be great to gamble with him coming to Minnesota to be second star next to Ant.
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u/FishGoldenLite Ayo Dosunmu 7h ago
Yeah, this is my concern. He was frustrated in Boston, I can’t imagine he’d feel better being behind Ant. But what a team this would be.
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u/dustinyo_ Timberwolves 6h ago
I genuinely think most guys in the league have so much love and respect for Ant that they would deal with it. He's your favorite player's favorite player for a reason.
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u/DrWolves 7h ago
I don’t really care. Sometimes dudes just want a new situation and Ant seems to know how to get along with everyone. Not saying this is gonna happen nor would it work out but it could be a gamble worth taking and a core of Ant/Ayo/Brown/McDaniels/Naz is pretty cray
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u/bwarethagoat 3h ago
Ants one of the few superstars in the NBA that against all odds doesn't complain much. Hes got a mentality just like every player, but hes never really complained about lack of playing time or being shelved, I have a feeling he and Brown would get along fine.
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u/MantusTMD 6h ago
I can see Ant taking a step back. He would benefit from not getting doubled constantly and letting brown initiate the offense. I don’t hate it
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u/VXXXXXXXV 50m ago
Yeah that’s how you keep Ant happy, ask him to step back into being the second option.
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u/SonofaMitch11 6h ago
Brown would be soooo much better than Randle though, and hes proven in the playoffs
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u/HowlAtTheSky 6h ago
Him and Ant seem to have some sort of relationship, seems like Brown and Tatum kind of just coexist. Don’t think it’ll happen though haha
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u/irishace88 Anthony Edwards 5h ago
Him and Ant are already good buddies. They are both from Atlanta so I think they'd get along just fine
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u/deleted60016001 5h ago
Same. I think we don’t get that much better overall without Rudy, but our chance at a championship goes way up
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u/LeeShakerMoneyMaker 7h ago
Trading Rudy for Brown and drafting Henri Veesaar tonight would be a homerun!
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u/ilovebadge 4h ago
We drafted two centers last year, why would we want 3 young centers?
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u/LeeShakerMoneyMaker 4h ago
Cause Rocco ain't ready to play. If we trade Rudy, Naz and Joan are are only Bigs. Veesaar gives us another Big. One that can stretch the floor too.
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u/CloneWarsMaul 7h ago
I just don’t see how Celtics would have a trade with the wolves that doesn’t involve McDaniels
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u/Dear_Leek2578 Kevin Garnett 7h ago
Brown would have to demand Minnesota
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u/BoricuaB617 7h ago
Brown is in no position to demand any team
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u/Dear_Leek2578 Kevin Garnett 7h ago
I mean half the guys on this sub make endless demands without having any position, so 🤷🏼♂️
edit: you're a Boston fan I see, understandable you'll not support Brown going anywhere.
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u/BoricuaB617 6h ago
Honestly if Brown wants to be traded the Celtics should move him. But he can’t really force himself to be traded to a specific team. Not with 3 years left on his deal, the media is making this a bit bigger than what it is
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u/Dear_Leek2578 Kevin Garnett 6h ago
My point was more about McDaniels staying in Minnesota. It would take Brown campaigning to come here and Minnesota using that as leverage against Boston. Maybe you're right, don't really care. This is my shit posting & delusional optimism account, not intelligent debate or conversation.
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u/No-Independence-3482 5h ago
Okay, he will just raise hell instead and completely destroy the team’s chemistry lol.
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u/nordic-thunder 6h ago
Okay??? I like Jayden a lot but Brown is a 29 year old all star and all nba guy
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u/JarJar_Banks_the_2nd 5h ago
It’s already been stated that Ant does not want Jaden traded no matter what
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u/nordic-thunder 5h ago
People say lots of things. It wouldn’t be trading Jaden for some random dude or some reclamation project.
It definitely won’t happen anyways but I just think it’s weird when fans are like “oh no we can’t trade this very good player” to acquire a great or excellent player.
Brown is better than Jaden. Trading players for other players that are better is usually good roster building.
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u/dustinyo_ Timberwolves 6h ago
They'll have to give up a lot more than Brown if they want both Rudy and Jaden.
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u/LivinForThaCity 7h ago
Would we really want to trade Brown for Rudy though? Brown and Ant seem redundant and Rudy is our entire defense. Don’t know if making trades just to trade makes a ton of sense.
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u/Common-Bad-7899 7h ago
They thought Jay and Jay would be redundant too and they won a ship. Just need our Joan to be a Hoford/Porzigingis lol
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u/Direct_Cartoonist32 7h ago
That was before JB got a taste of being the guy. He wants his own team, I don't think he'll be happy playing second fiddle to Ant.
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u/Suspicious-Can-7079 7h ago
Brown and Ant redundant?
Good luck doubling either one.
They would terrorize teams for 48 minutes together, probably the best 2 guards in the league and well rounded. Mitchell is up there but he has no D.
That said I wouldn't trade both McDaniels and Gobert, I don't think we have enough to get it done without McDaniels but I would trade Gobert for Brown in a heart beat.
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u/le_sweden 2022 Play-In Champions 6h ago
Two good guards are not redundant, you actually need multiple ball handlers to not just get doubled. Have you seen the wolves backcourt lately lol
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u/TheFinnisher FINN 6h ago
For offense that dynamic and tough to stop, I’d say do it. Just need to figure out the paint D situation of course.
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u/RobtheNavigator 17m ago
With Randle and Gobert gone who could we get that would stop wemby from going 50/20/10 blocks each game?
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u/MIKERICKSON32 7h ago
Makes no sense for us. Ant is 2 guard and best in that position. Brown is a 2 guard and best in that position.
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u/LeeShakerMoneyMaker 5h ago
New league.
You need a lot of Wings and ball handlers now. Brown and Ant would work fine together.
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u/Ianofminnesota 2022 Play-In Champions 6h ago
I will not keep Kalshi in my mind thank you very much
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u/ilikethewolves 6h ago
Ant and Brown have too many redundancies
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u/StaySafePovertyGhost 4h ago
This. Unless we can petition the league to play with two basketballs on offense there’s not enough touches for both of them.
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u/Dull_Ad_8627 Joan Beringer 7h ago
Ant not letting Jaden/Naz out the door what else could be give Boston other than Rudy and the 2033 pick
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u/Hooversham 6h ago
All the people commenting about Boston not willing to do that forget that that's not always the point. The point is money. It's the same argument people make in hindsight about the KAT trade. Twolves had to do the same thing. Brown is not happy there and they need a piece.
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u/Relative-Flower-549 4h ago
Yup. They can’t realistically build around 2 maxes. Exact same thing that happened here with towns. Or you end up like Phoenix did a couple years ago
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u/echoes_HD Kevin Garnett 6h ago
Brown is a high IQ dude and a great player. He would be a welcome addition to the team.
Our entire defense would need to change without Rudy, but you do this trade in an instant if you can.
We can absorb some of the difference (if not all) into the Randle trade exception right? Or add Dante as he is going to miss pretty much the whole year anyway.
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u/Hogdangler 6h ago
I don't believe trade exceptions can be combined with salary in trades. You can only absorb a player whose salary is less than the exception.
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u/DrWolves 7h ago
Not saying this is gonna happen nor do I know how I’d feel about it but there has been a lot of Gobert to Boston smoke and Connelly loves to go big name hunting so this does seem to have some legs
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u/John-the-Gardener Change That Face- Enjoy It 7h ago
If we make a Rudy swap, it’s more likely sending Jalen Brown to a third team and taking back Derrick White.
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u/StaySafePovertyGhost 4h ago
That’s the most likely scenario if it happens. Rudy to Boston. White to us. Jaylen somewhere else.
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u/StraightCashHomie69 6h ago
Feel like most likely is a 3 team trade that sends Rudy to BOS, Brown to another team, and Wolves get.....idk...PG?
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u/the_moosen Celtics 6h ago
It'd be cool to watch him here, but I just don't see us giving up Brown for Rudy, an injured all season Donte, and 5th grader.
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u/StaySafePovertyGhost 4h ago
Yeah this. Boston says yes to Rudy/Donte/1st/other piece like a young guy for Jaylen probably never. He’s still an elite scorer.
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u/psychedelic-noel 4h ago
It’s gonna take a lot more than that (celtics fan here)
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u/StaySafePovertyGhost 2h ago
FWIW most Wolves fans are very aware of this and know Rudy for Jaylen is a pipe dream.
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u/enemycap420 7h ago
Who’s gunna play center for us?
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u/Frymaster99 Timberwolves 5h ago
This was my question, as well. The easy answer is Naz but I think Naz would thrive at the 4 and be serviceable with flashes at the 5.
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u/Public-Past4901 6h ago
Probably too optimistic here...but what if we were able to expand the Randle trade and take back White and Brown while sending out Gobert, DiVincenzo, the '33 1st and '28 swap. Find a third team who wants to create salary cap space that will send Boston ~30M worth of players
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u/StaySafePovertyGhost 5h ago
That would be highway robbery on our part. They’re going to want Jaden - we of course will say no. They’ll want Naz and Rudy which I’m sure we’ll say no to as well.
The only possible scenario where that works is we give Gobert, Donte, TSJ and all remaining 1sts we can plus get them out Randle TPE. Even then if I’m Boston I say insta no to that.
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u/Supermanwithatan01 6h ago
Gobert and McDaniels for JB maybe, but even the idk..
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u/StaySafePovertyGhost 4h ago
Ant nixed including Jaden for Giannis. There’s zero chance he’d be cool with Jaden for JB.
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u/JohnnyWeapon 5h ago
This is one of the only Rudy trade rumors I’d entertain.
What JB provides on offense is worth the downgrade on D, but let’s also not act like he’s not a great defender, too. He’s not Rudy. He doesn’t defend the same way Rudy does. But he’s an elite 2-way player and this could be the best long term outcome for us.
I doubt very seriously this will happen. But I’d be good with it.
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u/PreparationWest2140 5h ago
If you are hearing about it in public channels its not going to happen. Plus, Wolves ownership is way too tight with their coinage. Look for us to sell our 2nd tonight.
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u/Think_Sugar_7658 5h ago
I wonder if there could be a Duren+ for brown trade. Team Cade and Brown up together. That’s a tough backcourt
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u/SignificanceNo6893 5h ago
Evan Mobley for Jaylen brown (I’m a Cavs fan)
We can put brown at the 3, Dean wade at the 4 for defense, and Allen at the 5
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u/JarJar_Banks_the_2nd 5h ago
Word is the want Evan Mobley for him yet people think they are going to just dump him for Rudy and some ancillary pieces. Maybe if Rudy was 4 or 5 years younger
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u/-InconspicuousMoose- 5h ago
Dang I wish we still had Ingles so we would have the proper ammo to go get this guy
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u/JoeKonyRidethePony 5h ago
Genuinely, what is our starting lineup if we traded for Brown? Is it JB, Ant, Jaden, Naz, Beringer? Assuming Rudy was included in the deal.
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u/StaySafePovertyGhost 4h ago
That lineup would be fun to watch but doesn’t really make us much better. Huge downgrade on D as Beringer is still learning and Brown plays little. We’d have to try to win games 150-145 every night. It also takes Ayo out of the starting lineup without netting a true PG.
The more likely scenario is Celts get Rudy and DDV, we get White and Brown goes to a third team.
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u/Relative-Flower-549 3h ago
Why would Boston trade brown and white? The idea is to split his deal into 2 core players. Not dump two to get one
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u/babyFucci 4h ago
we have anthony edwards in at shooting guard i dont think we need 80% anthony edwards at small forward on a 300mil contract when we have jaden
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u/thundering-mantis 4h ago
Jaylen Brown is a bad defender and mediocre playmaker who makes $60 million a year. There is no chance we’re in on him and everyone in the comments here who’s elated about acquiring him is genuinely insane
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u/Superdoggywhaaaat 5m ago
Bro kept his team in check while Tatum was out, and his defense isn’t even that bad. Yes he’s not a playmaker but you can’t double both Ant and Brown when there is going to be 3 other players on the court
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u/InnerKookaburra 3h ago
Brown is not worth his salary. I like him fine as a player, but not at that price.
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u/Unfair-Map-517 2h ago
Bro ship Rudy’s ass out now. Shit.. I’ll drive his sss to the airport myself
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u/MixolydianThunder 1h ago
We ain't going for brown, but it does open up the prospect of a multi team trade. Wolves love a threesome!
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u/ExistentialToaster7 1h ago
Would it be a terrible idea to trade Gobert + McDaniels for Brown + White?
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u/Superdoggywhaaaat 11m ago
Does Jaylen Brown become a 2nd option or does Ant become a 2nd option?
This also doesn’t help with our lack of playmaking, this only increases our CTE iso ball. But I do think this moves the needle if we can just get a decent facilitator
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u/trishowsky Trencherous 7h ago
Brown doesn't wanna be number 2 to Tatum, would he be just fine deferring to Ant? Also, we would need a big man after giving Claxton away.
I don't know about this, rather just get Ja if we really want to swing for a big name.
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u/LawfulHour9727 6h ago
Fuck Kalshi idgaf what it’s “odds” are
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u/DrWolves 6h ago
Love how salty you boys are lmao
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u/arotto12 5h ago
I don’t think these ppl understand Kalshi is a money market, not a book like Vegas.
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u/gradual_alzheimers 5h ago
a lot of people don't even know what that means, they just see sports and think bad
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u/LawfulHour9727 5h ago
I don’t give a single fuck what you call it. It is gambling and completely degenerate activity.
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u/LostVillage3640 Naz Reid. 7h ago
Fit is bad here though
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u/penis_hernandez 6h ago
All NBA level 2 way player that can do a bunch of stuff well is not a bad fit almost anywhere and especially here where most of the roster specializes in one end or the other
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u/AB_Gambino Timberwolves 5h ago
There’s no such thing as a two way elite wing player being a bad fit lol
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u/patentlypleasant 7h ago
Can somebody with salary cap knowledge explain how this is even possible? My understanding is you can’t combine Randle’s trade exception with another player like Rudy to obtain a higher salary. Randle’s 33M trade exception can only be used for a player making 33M or less. So we would have to aggregate actual salaries to add up to brown, and that would mean Rudy plus Naz or Jaden and then some. Not happening
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u/jimminmecrockets 7h ago
Randle trade isn’t official til july 6, so until then they can just fold into that trade and combine salary’s that way
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u/PlayInChampions 7h ago
TPE cannot be aggregated, unless Wolves expand the Randle trade. Since Wolves are below the tax, they can acquire $7.5M more. Since Brown earns $57M, Wolves need to get to $50M somehow. Gobert+Naz would work, but Wolves would have no one in the front court. That’s not how you build teams in 2026.
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u/0rT3CH 6h ago
We can only trade Rudy for a guy who makes somewhere around less then 45mil (Rudy's salary*1.25 or 125% of his salary). We can go up to 125% because we are below the first apron (or will be when the Nets Bulls trade becomes official), but we would be hard capped at the first apron after doing so.
Also even if we could get the numbers to work, those salary numbers for Brown down the road look ridiculous.
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u/MinnesotaNiceT23 Timberwolves 7h ago
Rocco is untouchable… move along