Well, Minnesota wants a veteran big man. The Wizards and Suns are going head to head. So we'll start with what we have to offer the Timberwolves.
I'm with the 'hell, no' crowd about trading Javale McGee in this situation. Minnesota doesn't have the value to trade back outside of Kevin Love (Michael Beasley, anyone? ...if you nodded, go sit in the corner), and no other big man qualifies for their wishlist outside of Andray Blatche. Remember, Minnesota snapped up Anthony Randolph, and if they see Blatche duplicating his skill set, his trade value is that of an albatross. Yes, the dead kind.
Now, les boulez bomber made a good point about our draft position veritably guaranteeing Alec Burks, should Minnesota want him. With Andray Blatche's trade value being such a question mark, let's assume Martell Webster is definitely coming back. That means Wesley Johnson can stop playing out of position and backup Beasley at SF. Some are interested in offering up Jordan Crawford and have been banned from the site. But seriously, does no one see any parallels between this guy and Jose Barea? Barea's been huge for the Mavericks this postseason, and Crawford plays with the same furious energy on defense, as well. John Wall, Jordan Crawford, and Nick Young can form the nucleus of a contender backcourt and going after one bird in the bush when you've got one in your hand is not the way to build a championship team, even if the other bird is a power forward with a sweet stroke. And don't forget a dash of Othyus Jeffers, love that guy.
So, right now, the Wizards' bid as I see it, stacks up as Andray Blatche, the #6 pick, taking back Martell Webster, and possibly offering up the #34, or next year's second. As my grandmother knows, Minnesota is looking to trade or sell the #20, so we'll assume the #18 has no value, unless they believe they can package the two to the Bobcats for the #9. Though of course to do that, they'd probably need to take on salary, which is the opposite of their apparent goals.
Suns are up next, and they likely have the edge in every respect but draft position. It wasn't long ago down here in Phoenix that Robin Lopez was being hailed as the savior at Center. With Lopez holding down C with Amare Stoudemire at PF, the Finals finally seemed within reach. Fate being what she is, Lopez suffered a debilitating back injury that probably should have ended his career. Phoenix's cadre of warlocks, I mean medical staff, has him playing again with a severe limitation. Fropez must, at this point, use his body core rather than his back muscles to move, jump, etc. It's somewhere between brushing your teeth with your off hand and driving with your head duct taped to the steering wheel. He can still be effective, but needs a playmaker (cough cough, Steve Nash) to thrive. The Timberwolves could easily bet Ricky Rubio is that guy. Rebounding is a concern, they are the Lopez brothers, but Kevin Love can grab enough rebounds for any two frontcourt players, and Lopez isn't nearly that bad.
Besides the stellar acquisition of Hedo Turkoglu (which has worked out, amazingly), Phoenix also signed Josh Childress for money the Wizards wouldn't consider. Remember how we talked about mid level signings crippling your flexibility when the guy doesn't work out? Childress has been inconsistent, to say the least, but even that might work out for Phoenix in a Minnesota trade. While the Suns would be loath to trade out Chilly's unwieldy contract for Webster's, it makes a significant inducement for the Timberwolves.
So, a likely Suns bid entails Robin Lopez, Josh Childress, the #13 pick, and taking on Martell Webster. They may also want a backup PG a la Luke Ridnour or Jonny Flynn, as last year's late season experiment with Aaron Brooks added little. And should Minny acquire the #13, that Bobcats scenario might involve the #13 and #20 for the #9 and a lesser contract, and they still acquire Alec Burks.
Should all of that fall into place with Phoenix and Charlotte, the T-wolves would end up looking like this:
PG: Ricky Rubio and Luke Ridnour/Jonny Flynn
SG: Josh Childress and Alec Burks
SF: Michael Beasley and Wesley Johnson
PF: Kevin Love and Anthony Randolph
C: Robin Lopez and Darko Milcic
And they end up with Wayne Ellington, Sebastian Telfair, Lazar Hayward, and Anthony Tolliver soaking up garbage minutes. It's probably not enough to make the playoffs in a tough Western Conference, but far more cohesive than the current mess. There's another rumor that Minny wants a star player to bring in for Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio to play with (no love for the Beas?), but there likely isn't a team willing to part with one in this weak a draft. Unless the Kings decide to send over Tyreke Evans, but that's too crazy, even for me.