2018 Offseason In Review: Minnesota Timberwolves
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Signings:
Standard contracts:
- Anthony Tolliver: One year, $5.75MM. Signed using mid-level exception.
- James Nunnally: Two years, minimum salary. First year partially guaranteed ($350K). Second year non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Luol Deng: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Derrick Rose: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Two-way contracts:
- Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Canyon Barry: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Darius Johnson-Odom: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- William Lee: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Jonathan Stark: One year, minimum salary (waived).
Trades:
- None
Draft picks:
- 1-20: Josh Okogie — Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-48: Keita Bates-Diop — Signed to three-year, minimum salary contract. First two years guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Extensions:
- Karl-Anthony Towns — Signed five-year, maximum salary rookie scale extension. Starts at 25% of the cap. Projected value of $158.05MM. Starts in 2019/20.
- Note: Starting salary will be worth 30% of the cap if Towns earns All-NBA honors in 2018/19 (projected value of $189.66MM).
Departing players:
- Cole Aldrich (waived)
- Nemanja Bjelica
- Aaron Brooks
- Anthony Brown (two-way)
- Jamal Crawford
- Marcus Georges-Hunt
- Amile Jefferson
Other offseason news:
- Jimmy Butler requested trade after turning down extension offer.
- Justin Patton underwent foot surgery.
Salary cap situation:
- Remained over the cap.
- Carrying approximately $121.2MM in salary.
- Hard-capped at $129.82MM.
- Approximately $2.05MM of mid-level exception available ($6.59MM used on Anthony Tolliver and Keita Bates-Diop).
Check out the Minnesota Timberwolves’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
Everything else that happened for the Timberwolves during the offseason was overshadowed on September 19 when Jimmy Butler issued a trade request to the front office. The move spawned a stream of chaos, some of it orchestrated and some of it legitimate, but the result was that Butler was in the lineup when Minnesota opened the season, regardless of his wishes.
Butler has expressed a desire to play for a contender and has clashed frequently with younger teammates Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, but ultimately the dispute is motivated by money. Butler wants a five-year max deal next summer that would pay him around $190MM. The Wolves have his Bird Rights and are the only team that can extend that offer as long as he stays; everyone else is limited to four years at roughly $140MM. Butler is hoping to be traded during the season to another organization willing to make that commitment.
The Heat and Rockets have been the strongest suitors for Butler since his trade request became public, and Miami reportedly had an agreement in place before the Wolves asked for additional assets. That incident, along with sky-high requests from other teams that pursued Butler, have led many to question whether Minnesota has ever been serious about making a deal. Trade talks have been called “mostly dormant” for now, but Butler has maintained his desire to leave and there’s a strong chance something will materialize before the February deadline.
The Butler soap opera dwarfed a piece of good news that may have a greater impact on the Wolves’ future. Towns agreed to an extension last month that could pay him up to $190MM over the next five seasons. He is already among the league’s best centers at age 22 and should provide a cornerstone for the franchise to build around once Butler is gone.
New York Notes: LeVert, Porzingis, Dinwiddie, Fizdale
Caris LeVert wasn’t guaranteed a spot in the Nets’ rotation heading into training camp, notes Michael Scotto of The Athletic, but through two games he looks like the early favorite for Most Improved Player. LeVert torched the Knicks for a career-high 28 points Friday night, including the game-winning shot. That followed a 27-point outburst against the Pistons in the season opener.
A month ago, LeVert was part of a large group in Brooklyn battling for playing time. He was competing with DeMarre Carroll, Joe Harris and Allen Crabbe at the wings and D’Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie and Shabazz Napier in the backcourt. LeVert’s transformation may be shocking to outsiders, but teammate Jarrett Allen said it has been building for a while.
Bulls’ Denzel Valentine May Miss Several Weeks
The sprained left ankle that has been bothering Bulls swingman Denzel Valentine since early in training camp continues to be an issue, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Coach Fred Hoiberg confirmed tonight that Valentine has a bone bruise in the ankle and will be re-evaluated by the medical staff in two weeks. His return to action could be much further away.
Valentine came into camp hoping to build on his strong performance last season, but the injury has prevented that from happening. He hurt the ankle during the first week of camp and has been trying to get back on the court ever since.
The 14th player picked in the 2016 draft, Valentine emerged as a valuable part of the rotation last season. He appeared in 77 games, starting 37, and posted a 10.2/5.1/3.2 line in about 27 minutes per night.
JaMychal Green Has Surgery For Broken Jaw
Grizzlies power forward JaMychal Green is recovering from a broken jaw he suffered in Friday’s game, the team announced on Twitter. Green had a surgical stabilization procedure today, and a full recovery is expected.
The injury occurred when Green took an elbow to the face in the third quarter, the team added. No timetable was given for a possible return for Green, who was listed as day-to-day with a knee issue coming into Friday.
For comparison, Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian notes that former Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic had his jaw broken by Bobby Portis on October 17 of last year and returned to action on December 8 (Twitter link). A source tells Herrington the team is hoping Green can resume basketball activities in four weeks (Twitter link).
Green started both of the Grizzlies’ games this season and is averaging 7.5 PPG and 6.0 RPG. His absence will provide a greater opportunity for first-round pick Jaren Jackson Jr.
Pacific Notes: Walton, James, Curry, Cousins
The arrival of LeBron James has changed life for Lakers coach Luke Walton in several ways, writes Bill Oram of The Athletic. After two relatively stress-free years at the helm, expectations just went way up in Los Angeles. Walton only has to look at Erik Spoelstra in Miami and David Blatt in Cleveland to see the pressure that comes to coaches who are suddenly paired with the NBA’s top talent.
And Walton has more than just the LeBron dynamic to be concerned with. The Lakers have a large collection of veterans on one-year contracts who will all want playing time to maximize their value for next summer. There’s a huge hole in the roster at center, along with a point guard battle between Rajon Rondo and Lonzo Ball. There’s also the watchful eye of management, where team president Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka are also under pressure to produce a winner.
“That’s one of the reasons Luke is good,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who once employed Walton as his lead assistant. “He’s grown up in the NBA and he understands what a weird world we live in. The job changes almost daily depending on your circumstances.”
There’s more tonight from the Pacific Division:
- Walton plans to monitor James’ minutes to keep from burning out his new star, relays Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James played a league-high average of 36.9 minutes per game last season in Cleveland without taking a night off. Walton plans a much more relaxed approach to avoid tiring out James, who turns 34 in December. “We’ve got four years,” he said, referring to the length of James’ new contract.
- Stephen Curry tells Marcus Thompson of The Athletic he doesn’t believe he’ll be in the MVP race regardless of the numbers he posts. The Warriors guard already has a pair of MVP trophies, but he says “the narrative” doesn’t work in his favor. “I don’t care,” he said. “I just know the narrative isn’t there, so I would have to go above and beyond. So, it’s whatever. I’m blessed to have three rings. I’m good.”
- Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins has a new shoe deal with Puma after Nike refused to match his offer, tweets Nick DePaula of ESPN. Cousins becomes the top player associated with the Puma brand.
Suns Notes: Chandler, Canaan, Crawford, Ayton
At 36, Tyson Chandler may seem out of place on the rebuilding Suns, but he remains focused on providing the best possible example for his young teammates, writes Gina Mizell of The Athletic. Chandler, who is beginning his 18th NBA season, admits the process of getting ready is much different now than when he entered the league in 2001.
“When I was a rookie, I just had a bunch of nervous energy. You’re young and you can move all over the place,” he said. “Now everything is precise. Everything has a time. Even energy output, you just kind of measure everything you do now in this league. I used to get so pumped up. Now it’s all mental where I analyze what’s going on.”
Even so, Chandler isn’t ready to give up the NBA lifestyle. He hopes to reach at least 20 years in the league, although with an expiring contract that may happen somewhere other than Phoenix. He will help mentor No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton for now and may be a popular target at the trade deadline among teams that need frontcourt depth.
There’s more today out of Phoenix:
- After experimenting with several options at point guard during the preseason, Isaiah Canaan will be the starter in tonight’s season opener, Mizell tweets. Coach Igor Kokoskov indicated that Devin Booker may finish out games at the position in an effort to get the best offensive lineup on the court.
- Jamal Crawford finalized his contract with the Suns just in time for tonight’s game and is eager to get started with his new team. In a video posted by The Arizona Republic, the 38-year-old expressed confidence that Phoenix is moving in the right direction. “I feel re-energized, to be honest with you,” Crawford said. “I just like what the organization’s doing. I like the moves they’re making. I love the young players, I love the vets they brought in, so I’m excited.” Crawford said Kokoskov just asked him to be the same type of player he has been throughout his career.
- Booker believes the addition of Ayton provides the chance to build a winner, relays Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Although Booker has blossomed into one of the NBA’s best young players, the Suns haven’t been competitive since he arrived. “It’s a start of his legacy,” Booker said of Ayton. “His new career. My job is to make it special for him and not make it like my first three years. So turn it around. Let him be known as a winner. Let our whole organization turn around to a winning franchise.”
Southeast Notes: Lin, Young, Gordon, T. Brown
While opening night is thrilling for everyone, that’s especially true for new Hawks guard Jeremy Lin, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Lin is coming off two frustrating years in Brooklyn, where injuries limited to a total of 37 games. He suffered a torn right patellar tendon in the first game of last season and hasn’t played since.
“I think I’m just going to be really excited, really grateful,” Lin said before tonight’s game. “I’m going to be like, ‘Dang, in a lot of ways I made it. I made it back.’ The rehab process — not just the knee, the hamstring and all the other stuff — those were tough, to watch all those games. For me, to just get back on the court, I’m going to be super happy.”
Lin remains disappointed that he couldn’t contribute more to the Nets after signing a three-year, $36MM contract in 2016. His focus now is on putting together a healthy season in Atlanta and rebuilding his value for another shot at free agency next summer.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Hawks‘ decision to trade down and draft Trae Young was the result of a compromise between the team’s ownership group and the front office, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The owners wanted to keep the No. 3 pick and take Luka Doncic, while the front office preferred Jaren Jackson Jr., who wound up in Memphis with the fourth selection. The parties elected to swap picks with Dallas and take Young, whom everyone in the organization agreed on.
- The Magic showed their faith in Aaron Gordon with a new four-year, $76MM contract this summer, and president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman tells Josh Robbins of The Athletic that Gordon’s intangibles factored into the decision. Gordon is coming off a breakthrough season in which he raised his stats to 17.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. “Organizationally, we wouldn’t have done what we did if we didn’t have the utmost confidence that he’s going to be able to not just become a good player in his own right, but a player that lifts others,” Weltman said.
- Wizards rookie Troy Brown can expect to spend at least part of the season in the G League, tweets Doug McKinney of NBC Sports. The additions of Jeff Green and Austin Rivers over the summer will limit Brown’s opportunities for playing time at the NBA level.
2018 Offseason In Review: Houston Rockets
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Houston Rockets.
Signings:
Standard contracts:
- Chris Paul: Four years, maximum salary ($159.73MM). Fourth-year player option. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Clint Capela: Five years, $87.5MM. Includes likely and unlikely incentives. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- James Ennis: Two years, minimum salary. Second-year player option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Carmelo Anthony: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Gerald Green: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Michael Carter-Williams: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed for $1.2MM. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Two-way contracts:
- Gary Clark (converted from Exhibit 10 contract)
- Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Tim Bond: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Bruno Caboclo: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Rob Gray: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Angel Rodriguez: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Brandon Sampson: One year, minimum salary (waived).
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Vince Edwards (No. 52 pick) from the Jazz in exchange for cash ($1.5MM).
- Acquired the draft rights to Maarty Leunen from the Mavericks in exchange for Chinanu Onuaku, cash ($1,544,951), and the right to swap the Warriors’ 2020 second-round pick for the Rockets’ 2020 second-round pick.
- Acquired Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss from the Suns in exchange for Ryan Anderson and the draft rights to De’Anthony Melton (No. 46 pick).
Draft picks:
- 1-52: Vince Edwards — Signed to two-way contract (converted from Exhibit 10 contract).
Draft-and-stash signings:
- Isaiah Hartenstein (2017 draft; No. 43): Signed to three-year, minimum salary contract. First year guaranteed. Second year partially guaranteed for $708K. Signed using taxpayer mid-level exception.
Departing players:
- Ryan Anderson
- Trevor Ariza
- Tarik Black
- Markel Brown (two-way)
- R.J. Hunter (two-way; waived)
- Aaron Jackson (waived)
- Joe Johnson
- Luc Mbah a Moute
- Chinanu Onuaku
Other offseason news:
- Exercised 2019/20 option on Mike D’Antoni‘s contract.
- GM Daryl Morey rebuffed Sixers’ efforts to hire him.
- Associate head coach Jeff Bzdelik announced retirement.
Salary cap situation:
- Remained over the cap.
- Carrying approximately $131.14MM in guaranteed salaries.
- Projected tax bill of $14.66MM.
- $4.5MM of taxpayer mid-level exception still available ($838K used on Isaiah Hartenstein).
Check out the Houston Rockets’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
It happened a year later than expected, but Carmelo Anthony is finally in Houston. He tried to get there for most of the summer of 2017, telling Knicks management that the Rockets were the only team he was willing to waive his no-trade clause to join. However, no deal could be worked out and Anthony expanded his list to include the Thunder shortly before training camps opened.
He never seemed fully comfortable in Oklahoma City, forming an awkward Big Three with Russell Westbrook and Paul George. His scoring averaged dipped to a career-low 16.2 points per night and he sat through the closing minutes of playoff games as OKC opted for a stronger defensive lineup.
An offseason trade to Atlanta and subsequent buyout cleared the final hurdles that kept him from Houston. Now Anthony is being asked to assume a reserve role and become a complementary shooter rather than a primary ball-handler. Playing alongside elite passers in James Harden and Chris Paul should provide plenty of open opportunities and help him improve on a shooting percentage that hit a career-low .404 in Oklahoma City.
Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni appreciates Anthony’s willingness to become a sixth man after starting all 1,054 of his previous games. “I know it’s not the ideal situation for him, because he’s a Hall of Famer and all that,” D’Antoni told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter links). “I know it’s a big adjustment, but you know what? He’s true to his word. He said he’d do anything for the team. We think that’s best today. It might not be best later – we don’t know – but having him is something that we didn’t have last year. Obviously, it’s really good.”
Wolves Notes: Butler, Thibodeau, Towns, Wiggins
Timberwolves coach/executive Tom Thibodeau raised the asking price for Jimmy Butler in trade talks after last week’s infamous practice incident, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on today’s edition of “The Jump.” The ESPN scribe adds that Thibodeau feels like he came away victorious in his struggle with owner Glen Taylor because Butler remains on the team and will play in tonight’s opener.
“This is exactly what Tom Thibodeau wanted, which was him in the lineup on opening night,” Wojnarowski said. “The day that Jimmy came back and practiced, Thibs won. He waited out his owner, he waited out Jimmy, got him back on the court.”
He adds that Minnesota still hasn’t gotten serious about trading Butler and continues to ask for returns that it knows teams won’t agree to. Woj doesn’t expect the situation to change until closer to the trade deadline in February, when he says some teams that have been involved in trade talks will “circle back” to see if the Wolves have become more realistic.
There’s more today out of Minnesota:
- Thibodeau isn’t concerned about team chemistry despite the surreal preseason and lingering rumors from last year of locker room disharmony, relays Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Thibodeau contends the bond that players have is reflected by their performance on the court. “That’s how you measure chemistry. When guys are playing together, how do they play with each other? Do they play effectively?” he said. “That’s what was so encouraging to me about what we did last year. The starters were a very dynamic group. To be third in offense and seventh in defense and the record we had when everyone was healthy (37-22) was terrific. And we want to build off of that.”
- Karl-Anthony Towns has the talent to be considered the second-best player in franchise history after Kevin Garnett, but he may not reach his potential until Butler is gone, suggests Jim Souhan of The Star-Tribune. Towns has been targeted frequently by Butler because of a passive attitude, and Souhan believes the best outcome is a trade that leaves Towns as the team’s unquestioned on-court leader.
- A Star-Tribune panel debates whether Andrew Wiggins can blossom into the player the Wolves hoped when they gave him a five-year, $148MM extension. That new deal kicks in this year, and there are concerns that he might never be more than an inefficient scorer.
Pelicans Claim Tim Frazier, Waive Troy Williams
Point guard Tim Frazier, who was released Monday by the Bucks, has been claimed off waivers by the Pelicans, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. New Orleans opened a roster spot by waiving forward Troy Williams (Twitter link).
Frazier was the final roster cut in Milwaukee after signing with the team shortly before training camp opened in September. This will be the second stint with the Pelicans for the 27-year-old, who played a combined 81 games for New Orleans during the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons.
Frazier has 186 games of NBA experience, playing for the Sixers, Trail Blazers and Wizards as well. He spent last season in Washington, where he got into 59 games and averaged 3.0 PPG.
The Pelicans were Williams’ fourth team since entering the league in 2016. He signed a two-year deal in July, but only had a small guarantee for this season, while next season was non-guaranteed. Williams will become a free agent again if he clears waivers on Friday.
By claiming Frazier, the Pelicans take on the $1.5MM non-guaranteed contract he had in Milwaukee, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Williams will receive $34,183 for four days of service and will be credited with a year of service time even if he doesn’t play in the league this season, adds salary cap expert Jeff Siegel (Twitter link).