Knicks - Wolves

[New York Knicks]

Knicks receive / Wolves trade:

CJ McCollum  ( 10.0m , 10.0m , 10.0m , 10.0m )

Jeremy Lin ( 0.5m , 0.5m )

Wolves receive / Knicks trade:

Kelly Olynyk  ( 4.0m , 4.0m )

Kyle Anderson ( 0.5m , 0.5m )

Joe Ingles ( 0.5m , 0.5m ) 

Donte DiVincenzo ( 1.6m , 1.7m , 2.5m , 3.6m ) 

2023 1st round pick

[New York Knicks]

Accept. Will be great to solidify my SG position with a top scorer like McCollum. Jeremy Lin also gets to retire as a Knick. It'll be tough to lose productive depth guys like Ingles and Olynyk (who I think are due for big years), and never know what that future pick holds....but this is a necessary winning move in a top-heavy league. 

[Minnesota Timberwolves]

Ugh I'll accept. I love CJ, dearly, and having him and Dame was the most fun way I had to cosplay running the Blazers while that other jerk squats on the guru franchise. Fantasy basketball points-wise, though, it was pretty frustrating. Every time Dame has a big game, CJ is "meh" at best, and all of the times CJ went off it went the opposite way. You can have multiple players from the same team, but the ups and downs of these two just are too closely correlated for my taste.

I shopped CJ around to about half the teams in the league, mostly looking for similar quality players in the same price range. Whether it was because he was not aligned with the other teams' timelines or otherwise too "properly rated and paid," I had trouble getting a reasonable offer in return. This return itself isn't sexy, I don't get one thing back to point at and say "hey I have this now it's better than CJ." Ingles and Olynyk are solid, Anderson could recover nicely this year. I learned how to spell "Divincenzo," so he has that going for him. Knicks is too good a GM for me to believe his team is gonna fall apart by 2023 even if you can sort of see it in his roster, but it's still a first round pick. But I've watched right about every game CJ has ever played. I don't think the Blazers are trading him, and I don't think he's getting better unless they do (or unless something happens to Dame, but in that case my team would be effed anyway and also I'd hate basketball). None of these players has a best case scenario that is close to CJ's ceiling, but his ceiling wasn't helping me anyway, and I genuinely believe that Ingles  and/or Olynyk can close to account for his points on most nights. The rest is depth.

[Dallas Mavericks]

What a horrible trade for the Minnesota Timberwolves. I've delayed voting on this one because I think a measly first rounder for CJ is an awful return and the Wolves could have done so much better. CJ is worth at least two first rounders. How could you not want your own version of Doncic and Porzingis with Dame and CJ?

Clearly Minnesota did not do his due diligence and did not shop CJ enough.

I approve

[murg]

I thought I responded here. But I approve. CJ is one player I rate in my head higher than he has ever produced in terms of fantasy. So I understand that maybe a deal was going to be hard to find.

That said, there are still 4 years on a great deal for a player in his prime. As far as I know there isn't a gun to the Wolves head forcing him to trade CJ (if there is like this post). You are more than welcome to hold onto him, and trade him in-season. I'm assuming a better return could be got, especially for a contending team wanting to improve a little bit.

Anyway whats done is done. Great job Knicks, getting rid of a 1st round pick from a distant future, and a few bit players (albeit productive-ish) for a solid 30+ player who is contracted is a fantastic trade. Espeically if something happens and CJ out from under Dame's shadow.

I approve. Good job Knicks.