Wolves Offered Jefferson For Granger

[MainEv3nt]

Timberwolves general manager David Kahn recently offered Al Jefferson to the Pacers for forward Danny Granger, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

 

Indiana president Larry Bird is still determined to build about Granger, but the belief is that Kahn is starting to doubt Jefferson's ability to be a cornerstone.

 

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[Built Ford Tough]

Indy made the right decision. Granger is the better player than Jefferson and Jefferson doesn't look remotely close to the player that he was before his knee injury last season. It would be a huge gamble on the Pacers behalf and I don't think that any sort of reward would be worth the risk. I would rather just keep Granger and build through the draft for a couple of years and hope that you strike gold.

 

The way I see it, Granger is the better player, is only a year older, is locked up long term at a reasonable price and doesn't look like a shell of his former self after an injury.

 

If this was pre-knee injury Jefferson it would be a little closer, but even then, I think that I would still keep Granger. I used to be a huge advocate of building from the inside out, but to be perfectly honest, the league is much more perimeter oriented now and I would go as far as to say that a great wing player is more valuable than a great big man, unless he is an elite offensive and defensive big man, which Al Jefferson is not, and I don't think that he ever will be.

 

At best it would be a lateral movement for Indiana, but I just don't see the point in them making this move when you are going to end up with a very good draft pick in a draft that has some very good big men in it. Last season's draft was all about the guards and had little to no depth when it came to good big men, but this years draft is basically the complete opposite. You have guys like Derrick Favors, Donatas Motiejunas, Ed Davis, Greg Monroe, DeMarcus Cousins, Cole Aldrich (although more of a center), Patrick Patterson, Craig Brackins etc... in this years draft. Just keep Granger at the 3 and pair him up with one of the many talented big men in this years draft. You do that and your front court for the future is solidifed and looking very, very dangerous with Hibbert/Rookie PF/Granger.

 

Sure, the rookie may not be as good as Al Jefferson is, but I'd rather roll the dice with one of them than trade Granger for Jefferson, which opens up another hole at SF, a position that isn't nearly as deep in this years draft.

 

From there, all you need to do is turn your attention to the backcourt and add some depth to the team and you are looking at a team with a good future in the next 4-5 years.

 

Knowing Indy though, they will find a way to mess it up. They have not done a good job of rebuilding at all.

[Dash]

This is actually pretty big news.

 

I don't mind Kahn shopping Al for an upgrade but the fact that this was leaked makes me worried that Jefferson's trade value might continue to sink, and rise tensions between Love. That said, I think Kahn might be a bit rash right now. Coming back from surgery isn't easy and Al has been picking it up in the last few games, at least offensively. I would hang on to Big Al until at least the draft where his trade value will be much higher than it is at the moment.

 

By the way, Love has been exceptional. I'd go as far to say that he is the cornerstone of team right now. That Love-Mayo trade doesn't that bad anymore.

[BasX]

I know he isn't that type of player, but I wonder if this will have a Jay Cutler type chain reaction. I know it's different sport, mid-season, a lot of different situations between the two, but I'm curious to see how the national media picks this up and runs with it. The benefit is these are both two of the smaller market teams, so it won't be as large as a New York, Boston etc. Granger also has to feel cine about the confidence the Pacers showed him.

[Real Deal]

Well, neither of the two are superstars or legit primary options, yet both are playing those roles on their teams.

 

If teams want to be successful with Granger or Jefferson, they will find a way to make them second scoring options alongside someone like Wade or LeBron.

 

So really, this trade wouldn't do much, in my opinion. The Pacers would still struggle, and the Wolves would still be one of the worst teams in the NBA, unless Love just completely broke out after losing Jefferson as a teammate.

[Klashnekoff]

Granger = better 2nd option.

 

Jefferson = better 2nd option.

[Lone Wolf]

Doesn't look close to the player he was before the injury? He has been playing extremely well these past few weeks.

 

One huge quote wasn't posted.

 

Minnesota may also be dealing with issues between forward Jefferson and Kevin Love.

 

I have a hard time believing that.

[TheNextBestThing]

Granger = better 2nd option.

 

Jefferson = better 2nd option.

 

 

Thanks for clearing that up.

[Flash]

What I would do to get either of these guys on the Heat.

[Poe]

What I would do to get either of these guys on the Heat.

Imagine having both.

 

Alston - Wade - Granger - Beasley - Jefferson

 

 

*drools*

[Dash]

Per Sam Smith.

 

Al Jefferson’s name has been rumored, and Minnesota has been out actively scouting players for trade. But the belief is they keep Jefferson and Kevin Love and trade one at draft time.