Could this be a favor for a favor for a favor? Sign Howard to let Parsons out early to help him get paid to steering Rubio to Houston for a 2 Year max entension for letting Parsons get paid so that all of Rubio, Howard, and Parsons can hit free agency at the same time. Brilliant!
You don't know what you don't know. Why would OKC trade Harden when they could have kept him at least one more year at a bargain base price? And I don't agree that Rubio is the perfect fit for Minnesota's team. They've got 4 non-shooters in the starting lineup. Everyone is going to pack the paint against them, and Rubio will be less effective without spacing. I have no idea what the Wolves are going to do, but they've made it clear that Rubio is not as much a cornerstone of their franchise as he was just a year or two ago.
Its like a Rorschach test around here as always. People are seeing what they want to see which is to be expected. Still... nobody has yet to show me a logical explanation of what's in it for Minnesota as far as their motivations go. Your interpretations- -Well Presti did it with Harden (are you saying he made a smart move?) -Rubio a non-shooter (and that makes him a better fit in Houston how?) -He's not the franchise cornerstone (of course he's not, but who say's he's supposed to be?... the people that think he's going to be "that" for Houston???) All of your keys to your interpretation of Minny's thinking are true, but they should bear no weight in Flip's decision to trade him now or not. And the "fit or no fit" argument is obsolete. You could make an argument either way, but I don't know what you're talking about with the shooting being such a big deal. 2014/15 T-Wolves roster makeup: -Fast paced/fast breaking team -athletic on the wings -disruptive perimeter defense to get on the break -simplistic offense, lots of P&R Sort of screams PG that can create in the open court, pass to running wings, and defend like Rubio, but that's just what makes sense to me. But again that's your interpretation of what you think Minnesota needs or wants to accomplish on the court. I still see no logical reasoning behind why Minnesota would feel the need to move Rubio now unless they got something back that is too good for their longterm future to pass up.... which is NOT what Houston's got, and is something they probably wont get with any offers on the market. I'm not saying they wont move Rubio at some point, but moving him right now just because they didn't bow down to Fegen's demands to overpay him early doesn't make any sense to me. There is probably more reasons that I can see to keep him than to move him right now which makes the move illogical.
...but Flip has made it clear that Rubio is not as much a cornerstone of their franchise as he was under Kahn/Adelman.
Of course it's my interpretation. This is a fan forum.....where opinion and speculation run rampant. All I'm suggesting is that Rubio is part of the old Wolves. I don't know if he's seen as a vital part of their future. With that in mind, a mixture of Houston's assets and Ricky "I lost my motivation to play last season" Rubio might be enough to get a deal done. I fully expect the Wolves to be terrible this season....maybe the front office starts to see that in pre-season and decides to pull the trigger.
DMo and TJones for Millsap? Is that realistic? I don't even know. I could be vastly over valuing our guys. Throw in Canaan and some picks too. Bev/Ish/Terry Harden/Daniels/Terry Ariza/Papa Millsap/Adrien/Black Dwight/Dorsey/Black Still a weak bench but eh.
I really hate to comment, because what might, or might not happen is so nebulous, and likely at the deadline, if at all, but it really depends on what Morey thinks. If he believes that Rubio will be a difference maker on a contending team, and sees things some of us don't see, he just might get him. I'd be surprised, but that's what Morey does. He surprises.
It really looks like he is trying to say Donatas will be the one getting traded for rubio. If so.... boy do we have a weak front court.
Howard's goign to be a free agent in 2016 so he can sign a 5 year max, Parsons won't be until 2017, unless you believe he'll opt out of that contract....
