It really is crazy how shafted Rudy has been in this particular area.

Yes, he’s got hands issues, but his lob hands a really good.

D’lo refused to pass to him, Conley got old fast, Ant isn’t a lobber, Randle only threw bullet passes from two feet away…

Now he’s finally got a guy who will regularly get him a few points a game, which will completely open up the offense for everyone else.

This

I am extremely excited for LaMelo. Dude just wasted six years of his career with a pair of front offices that couldn’t be bothered to build a roster, and were just content to sit on a pile of draft picks and mediocre vets.

Dude takes fantastic care of himself. I think he’ll age really well.

Hit style should age well tbf

He honestly seems in the best shape of his career, at least strength wise. Doesn’t move as fast as he used to but he kinda doesn’t need to? Anything can happen of course but this would have been a concern regardless of the trade.

Nah, he’s solid.

Gobert is a position defender and doesn’t lean on his athletic ability as much anymore.

LaMelo has a better chance of getting hurt than Gobert. Actually, LaMelo has a better chance of getting hurt than 98% of the league.

This is the big thing. We’ve been dying for a playmaker. Ant just isn’t going to be that, probably ever. Despite all his other talents he’s always struggled handling the ball and he has had to basically play pseudo-PG because we had nobody else. Which is not ideal.

I wonder what those numbers look like if the team isn’t tanking some/all of those years? Obviously not an Ironman either way but if he had played ⁵⁵⁄₆₀ in 2025 and 72 last year you could at least be happy with the upward trend

Sounds like a win to secure your future while Minny gets a shot to compete with the big boys in the coming years

Gotta get currys ankle guy or the one from phoenix that did grant hill

the team with Miles Bridges?

This is really fair criticism. On the flip side, Lamelo’s a competitor. There’s a pecking order in Minny. Ant’s team leader, Gobert is the vet. I’m not pessimistic Lamelo can’t fall in line. And I think Ant is the perfect team leader for him lol.

No there’s not this is just stupid

Oh god he’s pigeon toed?!

S/o Nico for changing the Knicks fortune. All praise Nico

Fleet of Priuses, he’s only going to be able to hit people if they let him lol

LaMelo: “One C30 Polestar it is”

I fully agree, but I’d rather swing for the fences then stagnate with oodles of potential

Joan Beringer is a huge piece for us. Front office clearly believes in him long-term.

However, they literally have no picks and no real young pieces developing other than Terrance Shannon and he looked good these playoffs but jury is still out.

Joan Beringer is supposed to be a thing eventually. We obviously haven’t seen a whole lot on the court yet, but word out of the Wolves has always been that they’re really high on his potential, and that he works hard.

Lack of maturity related to more game decisions has been our biggest problem, our basketball IQ can make you fucking hurl at times.

I’m not even going to remotely deny lamelo is not the sharpest knife in the drawer and is an active danger to other people while driving but the biggest concern I have for immaturity is just the dumbest end of game sequences honestly

Watching DLo is a modern day torture method.

Wolves had to go through D’lo and Tall D’lo to finally get a facilitator

I said fits his timeline in my comment for a reason lol

And ideally Beringer’s development coincides with Rudy’s expected fall off where they can just swap him in to replace, but with added athleticism.

Can easily see him taking it out on Ant and Gobert too.

The one advantage being in Minnesota has is the mayo clincic we are consistently one of the healthiest teams in the nba.

Just have to get lucky

Naz Reid ball wasn’t gonna make ya’ll fill your need at point. Keeping him is the safe bet to get knocked out the first or second round. Lamelo is the gamble to make it all the way

We need a PG* in May

You’re at a point where you need a guy in June not May. Maybe Lamelo will be healthy, maybe he won’t but he raises your ceiling at least. You’ve had a few deep playoff runs and it’s clear you’re a tier below the very best. Naz wasn’t moving the needle.

Let’s be honest, Melo was the 1A and 1B option in Charlotte for years. They finally got some guys like Knueppel and Miller to take a bit of the offensive load off and he stayed relatively healthy last season.
He can be option 1B with Ant and focus a lot more on playmaking now, rather than just having to go get a bucket every time.

The Wolves training staff won Training Staff of the Year from their professional association and Connelly recently mentioned it. So this is a bet on them

Because of this trade or because of my entire sports life between birth and right now anyways?

Why, so you can beat us in the play in again?

I hate it for the hornets but I would expect to make another big move

Who do you think it’ll be? I don’t know enough about basketball to know the options.

donte jovic swap lol

Spacing-wise maybe but would overall look pretty different since Wemby has a good offensive game while Gobert doesn’t and Ant is somethhing the Spurs don’t have

Yeah idk if it will be our primary game-closing lineup but I bet we’ll see a lot of Ball-Ant-Ayo-Jaden-Rudy. Def lacks size and Ayo and Ball aren’t great defenders, but Rudy and Jaden can cover for them some and damn that lineup will be fun on offense 

Honestly though if this is the value you get for Melo it’s better to keep him and hope for the opposite. This is such a shit trade for them.

I can buy the logic. Just surprised how sudden it was. Announced he’s on the black and traded within like 24hrs

If his value would get lower then just dont trade him, its not like a 2033 pick when Ant is still in the league can change anything. Worse case scenario his contract wouldnt be extended then he could retire early if the injury is that severe.

I just dont get basically resetting again after a season where actual playmaking point guards are already as scarce as they are.

Yeah and he only “over healthied” because he was on a pretty significant minutes restriction

This “high” isn’t high. Might as well have kept over him a return this bad.

Between Coby and they drafted a 1st round point guard also. Kon could also get more on ball, who knows. These days, more guys are versatile and can handle the ball

I’ve been hurt by Minnesota teams too many times to be delusional

He’s a good lob catcher, Lamelo should help with that.

People don’t understand that Conley has been the only Wolves player with Gobert to actually consistently throw catchable lobs. Gobert will still probably fail to catch some, but Lamelo can hopefully keep them below 15 feet above his head or off the front of the rim which would be a big help

Yup, everyone on the team likes him.