I just thought of this trade idea and I'm trying to figure out who says no.
Timberwolves get Giannis.
Milwaukee gets Anthony Edwards.
Yes, Ant Man will be only 25 in a few months. But Giannis almost assuredly (if healthy) get Minnesota to the WCF for the next three years.
Milwaukee gets a stud who has just entered his prime. But he's not an MVP-level player. All-NBA 2nd team sure. If the Bucks can clear some salary over the next year or two and sign a free agent, get lucky with this year's 1st rounder, they could build something.
Minnesota gets possibly three cracks at a title over the next three years. They might need to trade Randle for more help at guard, but that's doable.
It works in the NBA trade machine.
No way would I trade Ant for Giannis. I am reluctant to trade Jaylen Brown for Giannis. Nevermind Ant who is several years younger than Jaylen and consistently plays at a higher level than Jaylen.
Ant is on a par with Tatum. Only younger at 25 years old (to 28yo). As you say, a top 10 player in the league already. Minnesota could have 8-10 years of All-NBA play from Ant.
Giannis is too old. Too much of an injury risk.
I guess it's how you view the importance of "finally winning it all." A lot of people would prefer to just be in the mix, maybe get to the conference finals every now and then over the course of a star player's career. Heck that could be 12 really fun years.
But others want to win, even if it's at the expense of the future. Look at what the Raptors did when they traded for Kawhi.
The T-Wolves aren't going anywhere in the Western Conference in the next five years with the way the Spurs and Thunder look.
But if they traded for Giannis, and he stayed healthy, they could absolutely vie for a championship in the next 1-3 years.
I guess this is me
But I love following the team, whether it's good, sucks, a contender or an also-ran. What interests me is the journey - every season has its own storyline. The final destination is a bonus - a very important one, mind you, but it's not the be-all end-all to me. If they win it's awesome, if they lose my world doesn't end
I used to be a win at all costs, losing is a wasted season...but then I met a guy from Yorkshire, England, who cheered for the Leeds United soccer team. His team realistically have zero chance of winning the Premier League. They are what you call Premier league minnows. They can only spend like $80m on their player wages...for comparison Arsenal, who just won the Premiership today, spent @260m, Manchester City $306m, Liverpool (owned by John Henry) $244m, Man Utd $222m, Chelsea (owned by Todd Boehly) $213m...even a mid-tier team like Everton spends $100m.
I asked him how he can support his team when he knows they have literally zero chance of winning the Premiership, ever (unless they get bought out by a rich American or Arab). He says it's the team his dad, and his dad's dad, and his dad's dad supported, and it's not about winning the premiership, it's about community, family, belonging...about the rivalries with Man Utd (Yorkshire vs Lancashire, the Wars of the Roses), and about avoiding relegation back to the Championship, which they were promoted from in recent years and were once relegated back to. Apparently they were good a long time ago but haven't been good in 30 years, but their support at Elland Road remains strong.
Talking to him made me think about all the little stories and narratives within a season, that are interesting, and what a shame it would be if none of it meant anything because the team didn't win a championship. So I started to follow those little stories in each season, to see where they would go. Which players would develop? Could someone like Jaylen step up? How would Brad manage resetting the repeater tax?
I do realize I'm an extreme outlier when it comes to this...in our country we're taught that winning isn't everything, it's the only thing, and anything else is a failure. No prizes for second place, no prizes for participation. But just as we don't always come out on top in the game of life, I think there's still joy to be had relating that to sport as well
But back to the topic...I probably wouldn't trade for Giannis if I were Minny, I would stick with Ant and have more years of contention. The goal of any front office is to try to have enough financial flexibility that they can be considered when these sweepstakes come around. That's what their FO should be building to, if they're not at that position yet. Plus Ant is their best player...at best we have someone equal to Jaylen, at best we have someone better
Topic: Myles Turner: Giannis always late, "shows up whenever he wants" (Read 4940 times)