2015/16 Roster Counts: Minnesota Timberwolves
During the offseason it’s OK for teams to carry as many as 20 players, but clubs must trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 by opening night. In the meantime, some teams will hang around that 15-man line, while others will max out their roster counts. Some clubs may actually have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed on the books. That means they’ll end up paying players who won’t be on the regular season roster, unless they can find trade partners.
With plenty more movement still to come, here’s the latest look at the Wolves’ roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on Minnesota’s roster.
(Last Updated 3-23-16, 4:00pm)
Fully Guaranteed (14)
- Nemanja Bjelica (F) — 6’10″/27 years old. Draft rights acquired via Wizards.
- Gorgui Dieng (C) — 6’11″/25 years old. Draft rights acquired via Jazz.
- Kevin Garnett (F) — 6’11″/39 years old. Acquired via trade with Nets.
- Tyus Jones (G) — 6’1″/19 years old. Drafted rights acquired via Cavaliers.
- Zach LaVine (G) — 6’5″/20 years old. Drafted with No. 13 overall pick in 2014.
- Shabazz Muhammad (F) — 6’6″/22 years old. Draft rights acquired via Jazz.
- Adreian Payne (F) — 6’10″/24 years old. Acquired via trade from Hawks.
- Nikola Pekovic (C) — 6’11″/29 years old. Drafted with No. 31 overall pick in 2008.
- Tayshaun Prince (F) — 6’9″/35 years old. Free agent signing.
- Ricky Rubio (G) — 6’4″/24 years old. Drafted with No. 5 overall pick in 2009.
- Damjan Rudez (F) — 6’10″/28 years old. Acquired via trade from Pacers.
- Greg Smith (F/C) — 6’10″/25 years old. Free agent signing.
- Karl-Anthony Towns (F/C) — 6’11″/19 years old. Drafted with No. 1 overall pick in 2015.
- Andrew Wiggins (F) — 6’8″/20 years old. Acquired via trade from Cavaliers.
10-Day Contracts (0)
- None
TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (14)
Latest On Wesley Matthews
The Mavericks, Raptors, and the Kings are all involved in discussions with unrestricted free agent Wesley Matthews regarding a long-term contract, Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes. Matthews has made it clear that he is seeking a multiyear deal with average salaries of $15MM despite the fact that he’s only four months into his recovery from a torn left Achilles tendon, Stein notes. Dallas is extremely reluctant to meet Matthews’ asking price considering the frightening history of players who came back from torn Achilles tendons. The Mavs would want to sign Matthews to a deal with salaries in the $10-12MM range annually, the ESPN scribe adds.
Here’s more regarding the pursuit of Matthews:
- Matthews’ camp has notified the Kings that he’s unlikely to accept their offer, making the Mavericks his probable destination, Stein relays (on Twitter).
9:42pm update
- In an update to his report from earlier, Stein tweets that the Kings‘ offer to Matthews is for four years, and $64MM. This would amount to $16MM annually for the swingman, should he choose to accept the deal.
8:31pm update
- The Kings‘ offer is said to be in the $45MM range over three years, Stein reports (Twitter links). The Mavs are the swingman’s preferred destination, Stein adds.
7:32pm update
- Matthews met with the Kings earlier today, Sam Amick of USA Today relays (on Twitter).
- Sacramento intends to make Matthews an offer that will be difficult for him to refuse, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee notes (Twitter link).
- The Mavericks are leery of the Kings landing Matthews, but hope that the swingman will hold off on his decision until he sees if free agent center DeAndre Jordan chooses to sign a pact with Dallas, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com notes (via Twitter).
And-Ones: Kings, Rivers, West
The Kings blundered when they agreed to a cap-clearing trade with the Sixers before they had a commitment from someone on which they could use that cap flexibility, SB Nation’s Tom Ziller opines. Besides, the Kings aren’t exactly inspiring confidence with primary targets such as Monta Ellis, who’s since agreed to sign with the Pacers, Rajon Rondo and Wesley Matthews, Ziller adds. It’s the latest in a string of puzzling decisions in Sacramento, as SportsBusiness Daily rounds up.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Though he didn’t rule out a return to the Clippers, free agent guard Austin Rivers says that he intends to explore his options before making a decision, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link).
- Draymond Green‘s representatives used Tristan Thompson‘s proposed deal with the Cavaliers as a baseline for their negotiations with the Warriors, Sam Amick of USA Today notes (on Twitter). Thompson is reportedly close to landing a deal in the $80MM-$82MM range, Amick adds.
- The Warriors promoted Larry Harris to director of player personnel and hired Lachlan Penfold as head of physical performance/sports medicine, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com tweets.
- Free agent forward David West is most likely to end up with either the Wizards or the Spurs, Stein tweets.
- The Nuggets and unrestricted free agent Darrell Arthur have been engaged in productive talks about a new contract, but no deal appears to be imminent, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. Arthur has drawn interest from several teams across the league, including the Pistons and Wizards, Dempsey notes.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Latest On DeAndre Jordan
11:03pm: Jordan remains torn between the Clippers and the Mavericks after meeting with Los Angeles earlier this evening, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). However, the Lakers and Knicks have not been completely ruled out by the big man, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPN.com.
4:26pm: The Mavs and the Clippers are the only legitimate candidates for Jordan, a source told Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News today.
4:01pm: The Mavs made a strong impression on Jordan during their meeting, but if they don’t land him, they’ll seriously consider signing Kosta Koufos, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
10:41am: New York is still a long shot for Jordan, people connected to the center said this morning to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
9:31am: The Clippers were confident about retaining DeAndre Jordan going into the start of free agency Wednesday, but they felt they had only 50-50 chances as of Wednesday night, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Lakers were nonetheless “somewhat underwhelming” in their presentation to him, sources told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Jordan sensed the Lakers had been through a whirlwind day after meeting earlier with LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Monroe, according to Turner (on Twitter), and the nighttime start may have hampered the visit, as both the team and Jordan’s camp were tired, as Chris Mannix of SI.com hears (Twitter links). Still, a source close to Jordan who spoke with Mannix called the meeting “very professional” and disputes the idea that he took any issue with it.
The meeting with the Lakers lasted about two hours, less than half the time Jordan spent with the Mavs, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News details. Dallas impressed the Dan Fegan client, according to Medina, and a full contingent from the Mavs was on hand. The Lakers didn’t have Kobe Bryant present for their meeting, and no members of the Buss family, the owners of the team, were there either, Turner tweets. That’s in contrast to the meeting that Aldridge took with the Lakers, which included Bryant, Jeanie Buss and Jim Buss.
Jordan is meeting with the Knicks today and the Clippers this evening, Turner hears (Twitter links), and he doesn’t plan to make a decision until after he completes those visits, sources also told Turner.
Eastern Notes: Johnson, Watson, Dellavedova
The Nets have been actively shopping veteran forward Joe Johnson over the past few days, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter). Brooklyn hasn’t had much luck in finding a taker, as teams are leery of taking on Johnson’s $24,894,863 salary for the 2015/16 campaign, which is the final year of his deal, as well as gutting their rosters to acquire the 34-year-old, Mazzeo adds.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Wizards refused to compromise their salary cap space for the summer of 2016, when Kevin Durant is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent, in order to re-sign veteran Paul Pierce, J. Michael of CSNWashington.com writes. This was the same stance the franchise took regarding Trevor Ariza, who ended up signing with the Rockets last summer, Michael notes. Pierce agreed to a three-year, approximately $10MM deal with the Clippers this week.
- The Cavaliers and free agent point guard Matthew Dellavedova are making progress in their discussions to bring the Australian back to Cleveland next season, Shams Charania of RealGM tweets. Dellavedova is seeking a multiyear deal in the $3MM-$5MM range annually, Charania adds.
- The Wizards have expressed interest in free agent guard C.J. Watson, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post notes (Twitter link). Watson is intent on signing for the mid-level exception, which is not necessarily what Washington is currently offering, Michael tweets.
- Greg Monroe chose to sign with the Bucks because they were the most playoff ready team of all his suitors, Howard Beck of Bleacher Report tweets.
- The Wizards could be a potential landing spot for free agent forward Chris Copeland, tweets Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report. Washington is also reportedly in discussions with the Bucks regarding a trade for Jared Dudley.
- Prior to reaching an agreement on his five-year, $90MM deal with the Heat, Goran Dragic asked team president Pat Riley how he could be flexible to aid the franchise in retaining Dwyane Wade, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com writes (on Twitter). Wade and Miami agreed to a one-year, $20MM arrangement earlier today.
Free Agent Rumors: Stoudemire, Hill, Butler
The free agent signing period is now in its second day, and here are the latest rumblings from around the league:
- The Clippers, Rockets, Mavericks, Lakers, and Suns all have expressed interest in signing Amar’e Stoudemire as a backup big man, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). Stoudemire is only interested in signing with the Clippers if DeAndre Jordan departs and he could become the starter, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times tweets.
- The Mavs will shift focus to pursuing unrestricted free agent Jordan Hill if the team misses out on signing Jordan, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets.
- Having missed out on Greg Monroe, one of their prime free agent targets, the Knicks have been in contact with Hill’s representatives, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes.
- Caron Butler, who was waived by the Bucks shortly after they had acquired him from the Pistons, is on the Knicks‘ radar thanks to his shooting ability and potential fit in the triangle offense, Marc Berman of The New York Post tweets. The Cavaliers have also been in constant contact with Butler, though no signing appears imminent, notes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Unrestricted free agent Quincy Acy is garnering interest from the Magic, Kings, Pelicans, Hawks, and Spurs, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (via Twitter).
- Free agent Gigi Datome is split on whether to return to the NBA next season or to play in Europe, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. The forward’s primary concern is playing time, not money, adds Himmelsbach.
- The Mavs are back in play for J.J. Barea after he was leaning toward signing with the Heat Wednesday, TNT’s David Aldridge relays in a series of tweets. The point guard is seeking a three-year deal, Aldridge adds. Dallas is optimistic it can land Barea but is waiting for other free agents to make their decisions first, notes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (on Twitter).
- Unrestricted free agent Joel Freeland said that he will sign with a European team if he doesn’t agree to an NBA contract by July 10th, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (via Twitter).
- Center Kosta Koufos has received interest from the Mavs, Lakers and Kings, Kennedy tweets. The Bucks had shown interest as well, prior to signing Greg Monroe, Kennedy adds.
- Free agent forward Derrick Williams is scheduled to meet with the Knicks and Mavericks today in Los Angeles, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets.
- The Pistons and Suns both made hard pushes to sign DeMarre Carroll, who instead inked a deal with the Raptors, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). Carroll was blown away by Toronto’s offer, its environment, and is a big fan of coach Dwane Casey, Arnovitz adds.
Kenyon Martin Retires
Veteran forward Kenyon Martin is hanging up his sneakers and retiring from the NBA, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports. “It’s been a great 15 years,” Martin told Spears. “Thanks to all the fans that supported me over the years. But a time does come when you have to walk away, and the time is now for me. I’m ready for the next chapter of my life. I would like to thank the Nets, Nuggets, Clippers, Knicks and Bucks for the opportunity to play the game that I love. It’s been real. Thanks for the love.”
Martin said that he is interested in coaching on the college or NBA level. He also plans to help his 14-year-old son, Kenyon Jr., develop into a basketball star, Spears relays. “I have family time and business ahead,” Martin said. “And if something coaching comes up [basketball-wise], I will consider it. I’m also getting Kenyon, Jr., ready to be the No. 1 pick in a couple of years.”
The 37-year-old was the No. 1 overall pick by the Nets in the 2000 NBA Draft. He played for the Nets, Clippers, Nuggets, Knicks, and Bucks over the course of his 15 year professional career. Martin appeared in 11 contests for Milwaukee last season, averaging 1.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per night. His career numbers are 12.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 1.9 APG, with a slash line of .483/.234/.629. The Andy Miller client made almost $113.144MM in NBA salaries over the course of his career, according to Basketball-Reference and Basketball Insiders data.
Hornets Sign Frank Kaminsky
The Hornets have signed Frank Kaminsky to a rookie scale contract, the team announced (on Twitter). Charlotte selected Kaminsky with the No. 9 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
The details of the contact were not released, but unless Charlotte is paying Kaminsky less than the standard 120% of scale he can expect to earn $2,612,520 his rookie season, $3,135,024 in 2016/17, $2,847,600 during the 2017/18 campaign, and finally, $3,627,842 in the final year.
The sweet-shooting seven-footer out of Wisconsin appeared in a total of 144 collegiate games, averaging 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists during his senior campaign. Kaminsky’s career numbers are 10.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.3 APG, and 1.1 BPG, with a slash line of .522/.369/.763.
LaMarcus Aldridge To Meet Lakers Again, Heat
3:54pm: Riley will indeed have a meeting with Aldridge that will come after the second meeting with the Lakers, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
3:23pm: Aldridge canceled his meeting with the Knicks today, a source tells TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). He turned away from New York when the team made it clear it wanted him to play center, Aldridge adds (on Twitter).
3:06pm: The Lakers will meet with LaMarcus Aldridge again today in Los Angeles, one day after it appeared he’d decided against signing with them after their initial meeting, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The Heat would also like to get a meeting, Wojnarowski reports (on Twitter).
Heat president Pat Riley is in Los Angeles to conduct business related to free agency, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). Plenty of other free agents set up their home bases in L.A., meaning Riley didn’t necessarily go there just to meet with Aldridge, but it’s nonetheless an intriguing coincidence. The Heat would have to unload tens of millions worth of salary commitments to have a shot at Aldridge, barring a sign-and-trade, but the Blazers apparently don’t want to participate in any Aldridge sign-and-trades.
The Spurs, Rockets, Suns, Mavericks, Raptors and Knicks, along with the Lakers, are so far the teams on his meeting agenda, with all of them coming to see him in Los Angeles. He’s also considered taking one or two trips to see suitors, according to Wojnarowski (on Twitter).
The Suns made an aggressive move toward him today, reportedly agreeing to clear about $8.423MM salary in a trade with the Pistons. They also agreed to sign Tyson Chandler on Wednesday, and while that leaves Phoenix still short of the cap room they’d need to sign Aldridge to the max, Aldridge has wanted to play with Chandler, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic notes (Twitter link).
Knicks, Mavs Tentatively Consider Roy Hibbert
3:32pm: The Knicks would also target Hibbert if they miss on Jordan and Robin Lopez, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link).
11:56am: The Mavericks remain hopeful about luring DeAndre Jordan from the Clippers, but if they don’t, they would consider trading with the Pacers for Roy Hibbert, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link). It would be a “salary-dump deal,” MacMahon says, presumably meaning that Dallas would absorb Hibbert into cap space instead of taking back players from Indiana. The Clippers’ chances at keeping Jordan are reportedly 50-50, though the Lakers and long shot Knicks also loom as threats.
Indiana seems eager to part with Hibbert, having reportedly been aggressive in their apparent attempts to trade him before the draft. Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird and coach Frank Vogel signaled this spring that they wanted to move on from Hibbert, who nonetheless picked up his player option worth more than $15.514MM.
Hibbert has a 15% trade kicker in his deal, and even though the starting salary in his deal was for the max, the kicker still has value, as he’s since accrued seven years of service and is eligible for a max worth roughly 30% of the salary cap instead of just 25%, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links here). So, the kicker would likely add more than $2.327MM to his salary. The Pacers would have to pay that, though it would count toward his cap hit for whichever team were to take him on.