Wolves, Wiggins Expected To Finalize Extension Soon
The Timberwolves and fourth-year forward Andrew Wiggins are expected to finalize a five-year, maximum salary contract extension in the coming days, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). Having spoken to team owner Glen Taylor, Wolfson suggests that the two sides are likely to get the deal done before Minnesota’s first practice on Saturday.
We heard nearly a month ago that Wiggins had decided to part ways with agent Bill Duffy shortly after Duffy had negotiated a potential five-year extension for his client. The deal between Wiggins and the Wolves wasn’t expected to get done until the 22-year-old sorted out new representation, at which point the club’s offer figures to remain on the table. While the exact value of that offer won’t be known until the 2018/19 salary cap is finalized, a maximum deal currently projects to be worth about $148MM, based on the most recent cap estimates.
That would be a significant investment in Wiggins, who has developed into one of the NBA’s most dangerous scorers, but struggled on the defensive side of the ball last season, and doesn’t contribute much in other statistical categories. Wiggins increased his three-point percentage to 35.6% in 2016/17, which was easily a career high, but averaged a modest 4.0 RPG and 2.3 APG.
Taylor has reportedly indicated that he wants to meet with the former No. 1 pick face-to-face before locking in his new deal in order to receive assurances that Wiggins is committed both to the franchise and to improving his all-around game.
Assuming Wiggins and the Wolves finalize an agreement, the next major investment on tap for the franchise would likely come a year from now, when Karl-Anthony Towns will become extension-eligible for the first time.
Timberwolves Sign Melo Trimble
SEPTEMBER 18, 1:07pm: The deal is official, according to a tweet from the team.
AUGUST 1, 3:07pm: The Timberwolves and former Maryland point guard Melo Trimble have reached an agreement on a contract, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Wojnarowski reports that Trimble will receive a partially guaranteed deal from Minnesota.
Trimble is coming off a 2016/17 campaign in which he averaged 16.8 PPG, 3.7 APG, and 3.6 RPG for the Terrapins. The 6’3″ guard was a junior last season, but elected to forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility by entering the draft a year early. He ranked 84th on DraftExpress’ big board, and went undrafted.
A June report from ESPN indicated that Trimble had agreed to a free agent deal with the Sixers. However, the 22-year-old’s agreement with Philadelphia only applied to the Summer League — the two sides didn’t have a deal in place to bring him to training camp with the 76ers. Trimble appeared in three Summer League games in Las Vegas for the Sixers, averaging 10.3 PPG.
The Timberwolves no longer have any cap room or exceptions available, so Trimble will get a minimum salary contract. If he doesn’t make the team’s regular season roster, he’s probably a good bet to eventually join the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s new G League team, as an affiliate player.
Timberwolves Sign Amile Jefferson
SEPTEMBER 18, 1:04pm: The deal is official, according to a tweet from the team.
AUGUST 31, 11:50am: The Timberwolves have reached an agreement to add former Duke forward Amile Jefferson to their roster, reports Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (via Twitter). According to Scotto, Jefferson will get a one-year, partially guaranteed contract from Minnesota.
Jefferson, 24, won an NCAA championship with Duke in 2015, then spent two more years with the program. In 2016/17, the 6’9″ forward averaged 10.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 1.9 BPG for the Blue Devils.
After going undrafted in June, Jefferson caught on with the Timberwolves for Summer League play, and appeared in five games for the club in Las Vegas. However, he only averaged 11.0 minutes per contest in those games, so his production was limited.
The Timberwolves only have 11 players on guaranteed contracts, but remain in the market for at least three veteran free agents — two wings and a point guard. As such, Jefferson is unlikely to earn a spot on the club’s regular season roster, and is a better bet to start the season with the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s new G League affiliate.
Dante Cunningham Decision Expected Soon
The Timberwolves should know in the next day or two whether their pursuit of free agent Dante Cunningham has been successful, tweets Jerry Zgoda of 5 Eyewitness News. A source tells him the team expects Cunningham’s decision in the “next 24-48 hours.”
An eight-year veteran, the 30-year-old forward has spent the past three seasons with the Pelicans. He appeared in 66 games last year, starting 35, and averaged 6.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 25 minutes per night.
Cunningham has received interest from several other organizations, with the Bucks reportedly becoming the latest team to join the chase. He became a free agent in April when he opted out of a $3.1MM salary for next season.
A second-round pick by the Trail Blazers in 2009, Cunningham spent a year and a half in Portland before being traded to Charlotte. He also played for the Grizzlies and Wolves before signing with New Orleans in 2014.
With just 15 players under contract and 12 with guaranteed money, Minnesota has more flexibility than any other team heading into camp. The Wolves re-signed Shabazz Muhammad over the weekend, but are still looking for veteran help at the wing to improve their bench.
Bucks Join Pursuit Of Brandon Rush
The Bucks are the latest team in the mix for former Timberwolves swingman Brandon Rush, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
Rush is one of the top free agents left on the market with training camp just a week away. The 32-year-old spent just one season with Minnesota after signing there last summer. He appeared in 47 games, starting 33, and averaged 4.2 points per night. He has also played for the Pacers, Warriors and Jazz in a nine-year NBA career.
Milwaukee has also expressed interest in free agent forward Dante Cunningham, who spent the last three seasons with the Pelicans, Wolfson adds, but he is expected to sign somewhere else.
The Bucks will have 18 players under contract with the expected re-signing of Jason Terry. Only 14 have guaranteed money, so an opening exists for Rush or Cunningham.
Season Preview: Butler Raises Talent Level
- The impressive numbers posted by Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns should translate into more wins now that he has better talent around him, writes Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. In Minnesota’s season preview, Sierra says Jimmy Butler gives the team a legitimate two-way star, but the Wolves have to make great strides on defense and outside shooting to become a legitimate playoff contender.
Timberwolves Re-Sign Shabazz Muhammad
SEPTEMBER 16: Muhammad’s new deal with the Wolves includes a second-year player option, tweets Keith Smith of RealGM.com. That option will be worth the minimum salary, so it’s likely to be declined, but it gives Muhammad some insurance in the event of a major injury or a poor showing in 2017/18.
Muhammad also got a 15% trade kicker on his contract, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.
SEPTEMBER 15: The Timberwolves have issued a press release formally announcing that Muhammad’s deal has been finalized.
SEPTEMBER 12: Veteran free agent Shabazz Muhammad is nearing a deal that will keep him in Minnesota, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Muhammad will receive a veterans minimum salary of $1.6MM, and his Bird rights will remain in place for a potentially longer contract next summer (Twitter link).
The 24-year-old swingman has spent his first four NBA seasons with the Timberwolves. He entered the offseason as a restricted free agent, but became unrestricted when the Wolves renounced his rights to free up cap room.
Muhammad remained a free agent for so long because he has been unwilling to accept a minimum deal, but that’s all Minnesota has left to offer. The Wolves spent big on free agents this summer, signing Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague and using their mid-level exception to acquire Jamal Crawford. Several teams reached out to Muhammad early in free agency, with the Hawks, Nets, Bucks and Knicks among the suitors.
Muhammad has developed into a reliable reserve for Minnesota over the past two seasons. He appeared in 78 games last year, starting just one, and averaged 9.9 points per night.
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter link), Muhammad turned down a higher offer from another team to return to the Wolves — that rival suitor may have been the Lakers, who were linked to the free agent swingman and have their full room exception available. Additionally, Muhammad’s new deal will give him the ability to veto trades during the 2017/18 season.
Wolves Tryout Nate Robinson, Marcus Thornton, More
The Timberwolves have plenty of room on their roster to bring aboard talent ahead of the 2017/18 season and have been busy looking for the perfect fit. Per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link), veterans Nate Robinson, Shawne Williams and Marcus Thornton have all stopped by to make an impression.
Of the three, Robinson is the highest profile but the 33-year-old hasn’t seen consistent NBA action since 2014/15 when he played 33 games in half a season with the Nuggets. The scrappy guard with a career average of 11.0 points per game could potentially add depth to the Timberwolves second unit.
A more intriguing option for the Timberwolves, however, may be adding Thornton. Not only is the two-guard three years young, he’s played more substantial roles for other teams lately than Robinson has. The journeyman has suited up for seven teams in the past four seasons, granted, but has the ability to put points on the board when given the opportunity. In 2011/12. Thornton averaged 18.7 points per game for the Kings.
O'Connor: Wiggins Expected To Eventually Sign Extension
- Multiple league sources have told O’Connor that Andrew Wiggins is expected to sign the contract extension offered by the Timberwolves once he gets his new representation in order. Wiggins filed paperwork to part ways with Bill Duffy and BDA Sports shortly after Minnesota put a five-year, maximum salary offer on the table.
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15 Two-Way Contract Slots Remain Open
With NBA training camps just a couple weeks away, most teams are putting the finishing touches on their respective rosters. In addition to having secured at least a dozen players on guaranteed contracts and perhaps a handful of camp invitees, each NBA club has also signed at least one player to a two-way contract.
As we explain in depth in our FAQ, two-way contracts – a new concept under the league’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement – allow NBA teams to carry two extra players in addition to the 15 on their regular season roster. These players spend most of their time with the club’s G League affiliate, but are eligible to join the NBA roster for up to 45 days per season, and remain under team control — they can’t be poached by rival franchises.
Teams have been signing players to two-way contracts since July, so we’re starting to get a better idea of what players on those deals will look like — some are late second-round draft picks; some are undrafted rookies; others are G League or international veterans, or former NBA players looking to work their way back into the league.
Every NBA club has signed at least one player to a two-way deal, but only half of those 30 clubs have filled both spots, meaning that there are still 15 two-way openings around the league. With the help of our two-way tracker, here’s a breakdown of the teams that still have an open two-way slot:
- Atlanta Hawks
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Dallas Mavericks
- Golden State Warriors
- Houston Rockets
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Miami Heat
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New York Knicks
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Orlando Magic
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Portland Trail Blazers
While the Suns and Jazz technically could be included on this list, they’ve reportedly reached agreements – with Alec Peters and Nate Wolters, respectively – to fill their second two-way slots, so unless those deals unexpectedly fall through, they won’t have any openings.
Although some of these two-way openings figure to be filled in advance of training camp, many of the clubs listed above have signed camp invitees to Exhibit 10 contracts, which can later be converted into two-way deals. So rather than signing someone new and waiving a camp invitee, a handful of teams may simply convert an Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way contract before the regular season begins.