https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wolves-salary-cap-situation-would-a-scoot-for/id1399177286?i=1000615001451
— On today’s show Dane is joined by Jack Borman and Tyler Metcalf from CanisHoopus.com to take a look at the Wolves’ salary cap situation going forward through the lens of a hypothetical Karl-Anthony Towns for Scoot Henderson trade. Specific topics of the conversation include…
— How pressing is the Wolves’ cap situation come 2024?
— How might the new salary cap rules through the new collective bargaining agreement force expensive teams’ hands to make cost-cutting moves?
— Might Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker be casualties of the Wolves’ financial situation?
— If they have to trade one of KAT or Gobert, does it have to be KAT?
— Potential KAT-for-Scoot trades
— Are we underrating the level of prospect Scoot Henderson is?
— Would there be value in resetting the roster to the Ant timeline
— Scoot’s fit as a point guard on the Wolves
— Scoot Henderson’s scouting report”
by JimmyWasRight
15 Comments
Listening to this really made out how dire the cap situation is with the new CBA. I think there’s 0 chance connely makes the gobert trade if this CBA was in place prior to last season. Really unfortunate timing for us to make an all in move (Suns also feeling the squeeze). But this cap situation officially has me all the way out on a Jaylen Brown move. One of KAT or Rudy **HAS** to be gone by 24-25, and Jaylen Brown would just be a more expensive version of whichever of their contracts we end up keeping.
We would certainly have the most entertaining and physically intimidating back court duo in the league đŻ
So let me get this straight, Scoot would be the number 1 pick any other year but will be available at 3 this year? If Scoot is really that generational, Charlotte is either taking him and figuring it out with Lamelo or trading the asset.
They kind of mentioned this at the end, but it just doesn’t make sense that scoot will be there at 3 if he’s a Zion, KAT, AD level prospect.
Since listening to the pod Iâm wondering ownership should have or couldâve known about the CBA changing at least somewhat since it was a ongoing negotiations by then at least because I donât believe something so major wouldâve been thrown in last minute like that or come up after the Gobert trade
It seems like it comes down to would you rather maximize the teams chances at a title next year, or build something more sustainable during Ant and Jadenâs next contracts.
Iâm tepidly on the side of trading one or both of the bigs this off-season. KAT and Rudyâs trade values will only keep getting lower. Rudy because of his age and steady decline the last two seasons, and KAT because itâs a lot harder to trade for a player earning $50m than it is a $36m one without gutting your roster. The team will also be negotiating a trade from a place of desperation next year when one of them has to go.
This was a pretty interesting listen for an off-season podcast. I am hoping the Wolves find a good trade partner to “resolve” the situation this off-season rather than punting it down the road where it will obviously be worse and they will be more desperate.
I thought the singular most interesting point made during the conversation was a complete reversal from what we have been hearing so far: People have been saying, “oh we can’t bail on the KAT and Rudy thing, there hasn’t been enough time, let’s watch another year!”, versus in the pod they take the opposite logic and say basically we have whatever sample size from this past year, the KAT + Rudy lineups were a negative and did not work, and the Wolves can’t afford to not make a trade that sheds one of their huge salary players because it will be so much worse in the coming years. It makes way more sense to pivot now or extremely soon rather than waiting and hoping it works.
They sure say **apron** a lot in this podcast. And Iâm nodding along like I know.
The front office new about this new cba im sure They have had a plan for it
Sign Naz and promise him KAT is gone.
Going to have to listen to this one, but man would it hurt to lose Naz and/or NAW. Its pretty clear we need to fill out this roster with capable players. If Moore Jr doesn’t contribute this year hes gone. Same goes for Minott, but surprisingly he seems in a better place than Moore Jr.
I hope we keep TP at $7M, but then even looking to next year we only have Rudy, KAT, Ant (RFA), Jaden (RFA), Moore Jr. (TO) and Minott (non-GTD) under contract outside of any new deals.
Makes a KAT/Rudy deal imminent this or next season, imo. Not that you value role players over stars, but there needs to be some balance.
Trade wise, #1 I’m looking at Portland for sure. I think they’re looking for a wing, but KAT isn’t a ridiculous option for them. Scoot or Miller are great #3 picks.
#2 The CBA would also be a good ‘excuse’ for the FO to wipe their hands clean of Rudy for whatever they can get. They had to have seen *something* changing on that front which is frustrating, but if KAT doesn’t move it for POR, then I’m valuing cap flexibility over Gobert. Even if we ‘lose’ a season of competitiveness by doing so.
Draft wise we need contributors. As a Florida fan, Keyontae Johnson has some medical concerns and had an off-court issue, but he’s got the look of a great role player in the league that might be available mid-second. Otherwise go for a pure shooter to bring back some spacing.
It seems like regardless of if our offer for Scoot is good enough, which I donât think it is, there is certainly a better offer out there for Portland.
Itâs not inconceivable to me that the Wolves can keep things as they are.
24/25:
~8% increase in tax line.
Ant and Jaden extensions kick in.
Wolves go into first apron (not that bad – actually better for Wolves than previous CBA over-the-tax setup).
25/26:
New TV deal kicks in.
Tax line increase >8%. Cap smoothing was agreed to, but last TV deal raised the tax line >30%.
Wolves get under the tax line, and avoid repeater penalties.
I donât think we can trade KAT until after the draft, the designated player clause expires June 29th
A Scoot for KAT trade without Anfernee Simons doesn’t makes sense for us
I hate Tim Connelly for all of this.