Timberwolves continue tank - trade Budinger to Pacers

[PhoSita]

To be honest I think some of this stems from the fact the NBA is very top heavy and 7 game playoff series make the playoffs have very very few upsets.

Agreed, I think that is a big part of it. 

The other big part of it is that the draft can make a huge difference for a team on the borderline like that.  Draft position means more in the NBA than in any other major sport.

[pearljammer10]

This is not a tank trade. If anything trading Budinger will help the Wolves win more games. Budinger is a irrelevant veteran who is eating up minutes for their younger guys, guys who sure they might be younger but all already much better and more valuable than Budinger. Plus he has been oft injured the last two season.

And the biggest thing that I havent seen anybody mentioned is that Budinger asked Minnesota to be traded to a more veteran team so that the wolves could focus on their youth movement. (per ESPN). I mean, there is nothing about this that says Minny is tanking.

[slamtheking]

I wouldn't say it's them tanking as much as it is they are creating more minutes for Wiggins and Muhammad because they are better than Budinger.

Good trade for the Pacers. Adding some nice role players to put next to George.

Wiggins started every game last year for the Wolves and Muhammad is a SG.  Budinger was a quality bench player.  they didn't need to move him to create more minutes for those two.  It was a move to save money and they got nothing of value at all in return.

Budinger can play both positions if his team needed him to. He was expendable. There's no need to make a big deal out of this. At all.

I didn't.  Just pointing out that a team that tanked last year is letting its veterans go in free agency or trading them for nothing, and is thus continuing its tank.

you're going to need to provide an explanation as to why Budinger was that valuable to Minny to even have a chance of convincing anyone that this is a move to set that team back for tanking.  Minny should have not problems replacing an oft-imjured minor contributor.

[Moranis]

I wouldn't say it's them tanking as much as it is they are creating more minutes for Wiggins and Muhammad because they are better than Budinger.

Good trade for the Pacers. Adding some nice role players to put next to George.

Wiggins started every game last year for the Wolves and Muhammad is a SG.  Budinger was a quality bench player.  they didn't need to move him to create more minutes for those two.  It was a move to save money and they got nothing of value at all in return.

Budinger can play both positions if his team needed him to. He was expendable. There's no need to make a big deal out of this. At all.

I didn't.  Just pointing out that a team that tanked last year is letting its veterans go in free agency or trading them for nothing, and is thus continuing its tank.

you're going to need to provide an explanation as to why Budinger was that valuable to Minny to even have a chance of convincing anyone that this is a move to set that team back for tanking.  Minny should have not problems replacing an oft-imjured minor contributor.

He has more value than the player they acquired that they are going to cut.  Minny didn't even get a 2nd round pick.  Budinger played 20 minutes a game for Minnesota last year.  He played in almost every game.  This wasn't some end of the bench guy.  He was traded so they could save money and will be a worse team because of it (though they are going to bad anyway).

[Endless Paradise]

Chase Budinger getting traded being an example of tanking strikes me as an absurdly strange hill to die on, but whatever.

[konkmv]

Wiggins martin towns rubio pekovic..... tanking?

[BudweiserCeltic]

I'm rooting for Minnesota, it'll be great if they pick outside of the top-12, and sends us their 1st round pick next year.

[PhoSita]

Chase Budinger getting traded being an example of tanking strikes me as an absurdly strange hill to die on, but whatever.

It's a slow offseason.

[Boris Badenov]

Chase Budinger getting traded being an example of tanking strikes me as an absurdly strange hill to die on, but whatever.

Well put. TP.

[celticsclay]

Chase Budinger getting traded being an example of tanking strikes me as an absurdly strange hill to die on, but whatever.

Well put. TP.

agreed

[slamtheking]

I wouldn't say it's them tanking as much as it is they are creating more minutes for Wiggins and Muhammad because they are better than Budinger.

Good trade for the Pacers. Adding some nice role players to put next to George.

Wiggins started every game last year for the Wolves and Muhammad is a SG.  Budinger was a quality bench player.  they didn't need to move him to create more minutes for those two.  It was a move to save money and they got nothing of value at all in return.

Budinger can play both positions if his team needed him to. He was expendable. There's no need to make a big deal out of this. At all.

I didn't.  Just pointing out that a team that tanked last year is letting its veterans go in free agency or trading them for nothing, and is thus continuing its tank.

you're going to need to provide an explanation as to why Budinger was that valuable to Minny to even have a chance of convincing anyone that this is a move to set that team back for tanking.  Minny should have not problems replacing an oft-imjured minor contributor.

He has more value than the player they acquired that they are going to cut.  Minny didn't even get a 2nd round pick.  Budinger played 20 minutes a game for Minnesota last year.  He played in almost every game.  This wasn't some end of the bench guy.  He was traded so they could save money and will be a worse team because of it (though they are going to bad anyway).

Time will tell this season but I seriously doubt they'll miss him and I think Minny will come close to making the playoffs which would take them out of the 'bad' category.  I think there's a better chance they convey the pick than tank this year.