Andrei Kirilenko To Opt Out

Andrei Kirilenko is opting out of his deal with the T’Wolves, a source tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter).  The Russian will hit the open market rather than earn $10.22MM with Minnesota next season.

We’ve heard that the Wolves would like to bring Kirilenko back, but aren’t keen on a deal that would pay him $10MM+ per season.  Kirilenko’s opting out may not be a sign that he is expecting a deal with an AAV beyond $10MM, but the 32-year-old could be seeking something in that neighborhood on a multi-year deal.

If the Wolves do not retain Kirilenko, they could be left with a decent chunk of cap space this summer.   With AK off of the books, the Wolves have roughly $39MM in guaranteed salary for next season.  Of course, the Wolves will have to commit a considerable amount of money to Nikola Pekovic if they decide to match his offer sheet.  All indications are that the club wants to retain the 27-year-old.

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