Editor's Note: Web Editorial Assistant Dane Mizutani also contributed to this story.
Today was a busy day in the World of the Wolves. Flip Saunders and Milt Newton cracked some Red Bulls, went to work and made two separate moves within an hour of each other. Let's break down the moves, shall we?
The Timberwolves announced today that they have acquired Gary Neal, Adreian Payne and a second-round draft pick. Of course to get something, you have to give something.
As far as players go, the Wolves gave up Mo Williams and Troy Daniels (to Charlotte). Williams has bounced back between starter and reserve this season with Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine and Rubio again. He’s become expendable, though, after the team signed Lorenzo Brown to back-to-back 10-day contracts. It also opens up more playing time for LaVine.
In 41 games (19 starts) with the Wolves this season, Williams averaged 12.2 points and 6.4 assists per game.
"Mo played great for us," said Wolves head coach and President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders on Tuesday afternoon. "(He) had 52 (points). Going to go down as the highest scored game in the history of the Timberwolves and had a phenomenal game. (He) helped guide us through some tough times with a lot of veteran-type players."
Daniels was acquired from Houston in the Corey Brewer trade in December. Daniels is a sharp-shooter, but hasn’t been able to earn any minutes on this Wolves squad.
In 19 games with Minnesota, Daniels averaged 2.8 points per game.
The Wolves also gave up a future lottery protected first-round pick (to Atlanta).
Let’s focus on what the Wolves acquired in this trade.
A name that constantly seemed to pop up in the many months leading up to the 2014 NBA Draft, the versatile Payne is finally a member of the Wolves.
Ther former Michigan State star was the No. 15 pick in the 2014 Draft and the Wolves were fans of Payne, which was proven this afternoon. He's appeared in three games with the Hawks this season, averaging 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per game. Payne has appeared in 17 games between the Fort Worth Mad Ants and Austin Spurs in the NBA D-League, averaging 12.9 points, on 48.3% shooting, 8.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 27.2 minutes per game. Payne hasn’t made much of an impact in his rookie season as playing time has been hard to come by on Atlanta. He should find a better fit with Minnesota, a team comprised of a bulk of youthful talent
Payne described himself as a “well-rounded player” when he worked out in Minnesota during the pre-draft process, and while he hasn’t had much of a chance to prove himself as that type of guy at the NBA level yet, he’s boasts a lot of untapped potential.
“I started playing basketball late, and I’m just open-minded,” Payne said back in June. “I haven’t been playing the game that long. I have a lot to improve on. I don’t know everything about the game. And I’m just trying to get better. I got better in a short period of time and look at me now: I became a great player. So just imagine what I can do if I have more time and people invest more time in me.”
Payne played four seasons at Michigan State and averaged 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds in his final season with the Spartans. He’s shown in the past that he’s a very capable scorer that can step back and knock down the midrange jumper at an efficient clip, and also bang down low using his 6-foot-10, 245-pound frame. "I’ve seen him a lot over the last four years at Michigan State, having seen him both practice and play in games, his development over the year with Coach Izzo," Saunders said. "As I told our staff, it came down to trusting our evaluation." He’s also a high-character player that will have a positive impact on the locker room right away.
It’s unclear where he’ll fit in with Minnesota at this point. That said he’s a guy the team graded as a first-round talent, a guy that seems more than willing to bet on himself, and a guy that will have ample opportunity to prove himself as the newest member of the Wolves.
"We talked to him and told him that he has to earn his minutes here," Saunders said. "And like all of our guys he'll have some opportunities based on who we play and personnel and stuff like that. We thought moving forward this was a chance to get him here for the last 30 games and be able to evaluate him and be able to work with him now. I think our coaches do a great job with development when looking at what our young players have been able to do. He'll also develop over the summer so when we get him next fall he's ready to step in and be productive."
With Neal, the Wolves are getting a shooter. Neal is 30 years old, but is in just his fifth season in the league. Neal has the winning experience many players on the Wolves don’t have. He spent his first three seasons in San Antonio under head coach Gregg Popovich. He erupted for 24 points in Game 3 of the 2013 Finals against the Miami Heat. Unfortunately for Neal and the Spurs, San Antonio lost in seven games to Miami.
In three seasons with the Spurs, Neal averaged 9.7 points and shot a scorching 39.8 percent from the three-point line.
Neal has spent the last two season with both Milwaukee and Charlotte. Neal is 6’4”, but mostly plays shooting guard. He’s the type of player who is valuable as a “heat check” guy coming off the bench, which will be his role in Minnesota if all things go right.
"He is strong defender and has the ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter," Saunders said. "As I said, he’s been in a championship. He knows really what it’s all about."