4:18 pm: The Timberwolves have made the Freeman signing official, according to a team press release.
9:12 am: The Timberwolves and free agent forward Enrique Freeman have agreed to terms on a two-way contract, agents Keith Kreiter and Sam Cipriano tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Freeman, who turned 25 on Tuesday, was the 50th overall pick in the 2024 draft and appeared in 22 NBA games as a rookie for Indiana, averaging 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per contest.
While Freeman’s impact at the NBA level was very limited, he played well in the G League, averaging 16.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game in 14 outings for the Indiana Mad Ants last season. He also had a strong Summer League showing in Las Vegas this month, registering averages of 16.6 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.8 BPG with an incredible 72.5% mark on field goal attempts, including 55.6% on three-pointers.
However, the Pacers had no two-way slots available for Freeman and pulled their qualifying offer to him last week, allowing him to reach unrestricted free agency. Now he has a new deal in place with the Timberwolves.
Second-year center Jesse Edwards and 2025 second-rounder Rocco Zikarsky currently occupy Minnesota’s two-way slots, so Freeman projects to fill the third and final opening.
The Timberwolves also still have a two-way qualifying offer on the table for 2024 second-rounder Tristen Newton — if they don’t rescind that QO (with Newton’s approval), the Wolves would have to waive one of their current two-way players should he accept it.
Waive Jesse Edwards
Goodbye Jesse Edwards, who doesn’t make much sense on this roster.