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2014/15 D-League Usage Report: Timberwolves

May 12th, 2015 at 9:36pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The relationship between the NBA and the D-League continues to grow, and 17 NBA franchises currently have one-to-one D-League affiliates amongst the 18 D-League teams. The remaining 13 NBA teams shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. We at Hoops Rumors will be recapping each team’s use of the D-League this season, looking at assignments and recalls as well as the players signed out of the D-League. We’ll continue onward with a look back at how the Timberwolves utilized the D-League during the 2014/15 campaign…

D-League Team: Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Affiliation Type: Shared

D-League Team Record: 28-22

Number of NBA Players Assigned To D-League: 0

Total D-League Assignments: 0

Player Stats While On Assignment:

N/A

D-League Signings

Lorenzo Brown (Grand Rapids Drive-Pistons affiliate): Signed 1st 10-day contract on January 28th. Inked 2nd 10-day pact on February 6th. Signed multiyear arrangement on February 19th.
Sean Kilpatrick (Delaware 87ers-Sixers affiliate): Inked 10-day pact on March 19th. *
Arinze Onuaku (Canton Charge-Cavs affiliate): Signed for remainder of the season on April 7th. *

*Both Kilpatrick and Onuaku were added to the Wolves’ roster via the hardship exception.

Assignment/Recall Log

No players assigned to the D-League.

Draft Notes: Russell, Booker, Towns, Okafor

May 12th, 2015 at 3:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

The NBA’s draft combine in Chicago is underway as of today, and an increasing volume of draft rumors will follow until the event takes place June 25th at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Here’s the latest draft news:

D’Angelo Russell and Devin Booker have chosen the Creative Artists Agency for their representation, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress passes along on Twitter. CAA’s Leon Rose, who’ll represent Booker as well as Karl-Anthony Towns, also signed with Dakari Johnson earlier this spring, Givony notes in another tweet. Russell’s agent will be Aaron Mintz, according to Givony (on Twitter). Charlie Adams of Hoops Rumors looked at Booker’s draft stock up close this week.
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune doesn’t get the sense that the Wolves will draft Karl-Anthony Towns first overall if they win the lottery, likely implying the team has its eyes set on Jahlil Okafor instead (Twitter link). Minnesota has a 25% chance of landing the top pick, as the lottery odds show.
Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell received a last-minute invitation to the Chicago combine, Givony tweets. McConnell is Givony‘s 61st-ranked prospect while Chad Ford of ESPN.com has him 91st.
Ford excoriates Nets GM Billy King for his willingness to trade so many of Brooklyn’s future draft picks, giving the team the worst chances of any to build through the draft for the next few years, Ford opines as he writes with fellow ESPN.com scribe Kevin Pelton in an Insider-only piece. Ford and Pelton also examine the needs for the Suns, Thunder and Celtics, believing that if Robert Upshaw improves his stock dramatically, he’d be the most logical rim-protector for the Celtics to grab at pick No. 16. However, Upshaw says he won’t take part in five-on-five scrimmaging at the combine, Givony reports (Twitter link).

Charlie Adams contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Chandler, Kings, Milutinov

May 11th, 2015 at 7:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks need to retain Tyson Chandler if they fall short in their pursuit of DeAndre Jordan this summer, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com opines. Both become unrestricted free agents this summer and Jordan is the more attractive option because he’s younger, a better defender at this stage of his career and has led the NBA in field-goal percentage the last three seasons, MacMahon continues. Jordan would be a foundation piece for Dallas but the Clippers’ success in the playoffs makes it more unlikely he’d leave the organization, MacMahon adds. Losing Chandler without upgrading the center spot would be a disastrous situation for the Mavs since it would also hamper their chances of signing a top-level power forward like LaMarcus Aldridge, MacMahon concludes.

In other news around the Western Conference:

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive admits he made a mistake in hiring ex-coach Michael Malone before selecting a GM and assembling his front office, Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee reports. Malone was fired in mid-December and replaced by interim coach Ty Corbin before Ranadive hired George Karl in February. “People told me not to do that. But I knew Malone from when he was an assistant with the Warriors, and again, with the draft only weeks away, I had to make very quick decisions,” Ranadive told Voisin about the Malone hire in June 2013. “I didn’t know any GMs.”
The Timberwolves would probably not pursue David Blatt as their head coach if he’s fired by the Cavaliers, Darren Wolfson of KSTP.com tweets. Minnesota president of basketball operations and head coach Flip Saunders was interested in Blatt as an assistant and coach-in-waiting last offseason but wasn’t considering him for the head coaching job, Wolfson adds.
The Timberwolves could consider 6’11” Serbian center Nikola Milutinov as a stash prospect with either of their second-round picks, Wolfson reports in a separate tweet. Minnesota owns the No. 31 and No. 36 overall picks and the team’s European scout, Zarko Durisic, is a fan of Milutinov, Wolfson adds. Milutinov is ranked No. 44 on Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider Big Board and No. 35 on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress prospect list.

Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Leonard, Donovan

May 10th, 2015 at 8:51am CST by Arthur Hill

Melvin Hunt proved he could handle being an NBA head coach, and he’s one of four top candidates for the Nuggets job, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Hunt was appointed interim head coach when Brian Shaw was fired in early March. Dempsey notes that Hunt has been with the organization since 2009, and contends that he fixed the team’s problems with focus and effort that got Shaw fired. Dempsey also examines the other three top candidates, Alvin Gentry, Mike D’Antoni and Scott Brooks.

There’s more news from the Northwest Division:

Among the many decisions the Blazers face this offseason is whether to offer an extension to Meyers Leonard, according to Jabari Young of CSNNW.com. The third-year stretch four will make a little more than $3MM next season and showed signs of improvement throughout the year. One way he has attempted to better his game is by watching other NBA big men. “I’m trying to become as much as a total player as I can be,” Leonard said. “… Every now and then there is bits and pieces that I try and take out of people’s games.”
The pressure will be intense on Billy Donovan to win right away with the Thunder, contends Dave Leonardis of Bleacher Report. Donovan, who led Florida to four Final Fours, is coming to an organization that missed the playoffs this season after a long run of success. The Thunder are in need of a quick turnaround with Kevin Durant‘s free agency looming next summer.
It was an easy decision for the Wolves‘ Chase Budinger to exercise his $5MM player option for next season, writes Phil Ervin of Fox Sports North. Injuries and spotty playing time have drained Budinger’s potential free agent value, Ervin argues, and a strong showing next season could help him rebuild it.

Latest On Thaddeus Young, Option Decision

May 6th, 2015 at 2:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

WEDNESDAY, 2:40pm: A source close to Young told SB Nation’s Jake Fischer that the forward is very interested in testing the free agent market (Twitter link).

SATURDAY, 11:31am: Nets forward Thaddeus Young may have given an indication today regarding whether or not he would exercise his early termination option for next season, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post relays (Twitter links). During his exit interview with the press, Young said that his agent Jim Tanner suggested he opt in and then hit free agency during the summer of 2016 when the salary cap is expected to increase dramatically, Bontemps notes. The value of Young’s option for 2015/16 is $10,221,739.

Young said that he still has a lot of factors to consider, but reiterated that he loves being in Brooklyn and with the Nets, and is comfortable living on the East Coast, Bontemps adds. The 26-year-old had previously noted how pleased he was with the deal that sent him from the Timberwolves to the Nets. “It was the perfect situation for me, especially with me being good friends with [Nets GM] Billy [King], just knowing him and him drafting me in Philly,” Young said. “So it was a good situation, plus they had the right mix of players for me and I felt like I could be a great complementary piece to a lot of guys on this team.”

If Young indeed opts in for next season it would be a reversal of his intentions prior to the trade deadline. The player had reportedly informed Minnesota that he didn’t intend to pick up his option for 2015/16, and would become a free agent at season’s end. It was this request that likely swayed the Wolves to deal away Young for franchise icon Kevin Garnett. King had also previously indicated the franchise would like for Young to return, saying the team will do what it can to retain Young. As the GM apparently sees him as a building block for the team’s future.

In 28 games for the Nets last season, Young averaged 13.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 29.6 minutes per contest. His career numbers through 592 games are 13.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 1.5 APG. Young’s career shooting numbers are .495/.323/.693.

Northwest Notes: Singler, Donovan, Draft, Gee

May 6th, 2015 at 12:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

Thunder GM Sam Presti reiterated that the Thunder are committed to re-signing Enes Kanter and hope to do so with Kyle Singler as well, pointing to Singler’s shooting, versatility and height in an email interview with Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Presti also told Mayberry that he sought input from Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and other Thunder players about the qualities they’d like to see in a coach even though he found it unwise to discuss specific candidates for the team’s coaching vacancy, which he filled with Billy Donovan. Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:

Incarnate Word combo guard Denzel Livingston, Ohio power forward Maurice Ndour, Penn State shooting guard D.J. Newbill, Illinois shooting guard Rayvonte Rice and TCU shooting guard Trey Zeigler are scheduled to work out for the Jazz today, the team announced (Twitter link). Michigan State swingman Russell Byrd will join them, as Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops reported Tuesday.
It’s not out of the question that the Trail Blazers will re-sign Alonzo Gee this summer, but it’s doubtful, writes Jabari Young of CSNNW.com, speculating that the Hawks, Spurs and Jazz might be decent bets to sign him instead. Gee remained on an NBA roster all season after signing a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract the Nuggets, who traded him to the Blazers in the Arron Afflalo deal.
The Timberwolves made a “colossal blunder” not once but twice in the 2009 draft when they passed over MVP Stephen Curry for point guards Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn, as Michael Rand of the Star Tribune examines.

Northwest Notes: Wiggins, Budinger, Lopez

May 1st, 2015 at 12:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Timberwolves “hit a home run” when they made the Kevin Love/Andrew Wiggins trade, GM Milt Newton told Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press, and Wiggins, the newly crowned Rookie of The Year, seems enamored with the Wolves franchise.

“I hope I’m here forever,” Wiggins told Krawczynski. “I hope. It would be nice.”

That would conflict with reports of whispers that he’d love to play for his hometown Raptors someday. That won’t be his decision for quite sometime, anyway, and Newton and coach/executive Flip Saunders made it seem as though Wiggins will get his wish to stay in Minnesota for years to come, as Krawczynski details. Here’s more from the Northwest:

Krawczynski expects the Timberwolves to trade Chase Budinger at some point this summer (Twitter link). Budinger is opting in to his $5MM salary for next season, but the Wolves reportedly sought to honor his trade request before the deadline.
Robin Lopez suggested that he’d prefer to re-sign with the Trail Blazers but didn’t make it seem as though he was confident in any particular outcome as his free agency looms, The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman relays in a slideshow. “Nothing’s 100% certain,” Lopez said. “Obviously, so far, I’ve loved my time here in Portland. I would love to come back. I’m very open to coming back. But it’s hard to say 100%. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. I think that’s something to put off until a little later.”
Blazers GM Neil Olshey plans to stay in touch with all of the team’s free agents between now and July 1st and believes he’ll have a strong idea of what each of them wants to do once other teams can begin contacting them then, as he told reporters Thursday and as The Oregonian’s Sean Meagher transcribes. Olshey nonetheless noted that he has contingency plans for each of them in case they sign elsewhere, as Meagher relays. The GM also expressed his belief in growth from within the roster and pledged no shortage of activity at the draft, Meagher notes.
Thunder GM Sam Presti and new coach Billy Donovan aren’t quite as close as many reports have indicated, according to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. Presti met Donovan on a scouting trip years ago and they’ve chatted on occasion since then, but the GM has admired the coach largely from afar, as Slater details.

Andrew Wiggins Wins Rookie Of The Year

April 30th, 2015 at 2:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

Andrew Wiggins has won this year’s Rookie of the Year award, receiving 110 of the 130 first-place votes, the NBA announced. It’s no surprise to see the No. 1 overall pick from last year’s draft come away with the honor, especially since Jabari Parker, the second overall pick, suffered a season-ending ACL tear in December and Joel Embiid missed all of 2014/15 after breaking his foot over the summer. Nikola Mirotic finished a distant second, garnering 14 first-place votes. Nerlens Noel and fourth-place finisher Elfrid Payton were the only others to receive first-place votes.

The Cavs originally drafted and signed Wiggins before dealing him to the Timberwolves in August as part of the Kevin Love trade. The small forward who spent one year in college at Kansas had an expansive role on a rebuilding Minnesota squad this year, taking 13.9 shots per game and averaging 16.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in 36.2 minutes a night.

Wiggins racked up 604 points in the voting system in which first-place votes are worth five points, second-place votes tally three points, and third-place votes are one point. Mirotic was well back, with 335 points. Only seven rookies garnered any votes at all. Wiggins, Payton, fifth-place finisher Marcus Smart and Jusuf Nurkic, who finished sixth, were the only first-round picks from 2014 among those seven. Noel sat out last season after having gone sixth overall in 2013, and Mirotic is a draft-and-stash selection from 2011. Jordan Clarkson, the seventh-place finisher, was the 46th overall pick last year. To see the selections from each media member who voted, click here.

Chase Budinger Opts In With Wolves

April 29th, 2015 at 7:43pm CST by Eddie Scarito

7:43pm: Kevin Bradbury, Budinger’s agent, said that the decision was made quickly regarding the forward’s player option in order to give both sides “flexibility” while Minnesota makes the decision on whether or not it will keep Budinger, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune relays (Twitter links). The agent also said that Budinger’s late-season play proved he is 100% healthy and can play to the level he did prior to his injury, Zgoda adds.

WEDNESDAY, 5:19pm: Budinger has indeed exercised his player option for 2015/16, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports.

TUESDAY, 5:20pm: Small forward Chase Budinger intends to opt in and remain with the Timberwolves for the 2015/16 season, a source close to the player told Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the 26-year-old would choose to remain in Minnesota for another go around, since the value of his option is likely more than he would command as an unrestricted free agent, though that is merely my speculation. Budinger has a player option worth $5MM for next season.

Minnesota currently has $51,065,800 in guaranteed salary already committed for the 2015/16 campaign, as well as $947,276 in non-guaranteed salary for Lorenzo Brown on its books. Budinger remaining with the team will remove some flexibility for coach/executive Flip Saunders, though Minnesota isn’t likely to be a big player in free agency this offseason, so the impact isn’t too severe. The team had previously expressed a willingness to trade Budinger, and reportedly tried to move him prior to this year’s trade deadline.

Budinger’s production in Minnesota never quite lived up to the three-year, $16MM contract he inked with the team back in 2013. He has been hampered by injuries and appeared in just 23, 41, and 67 games during his stint in the Twin Cities. During the 2014/15 campaign Budinger notched averages of 6.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 19.2 minutes per contest. The forward’s career numbers are 8.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. His career slash line is .429/.358/.810.

Draft Notes: Okafor, Harrison, Tokoto

April 29th, 2015 at 4:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Duke freshman center Jahlil Okafor has signed with agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports Management, Darren Heitner of the Sports Agent Blog reports (Twitter link). Okafor, 19, is a projected top three pick in June’s draft. Both Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress rank the big man as the No. 2 overall prospect behind Kentucky freshman Karl-Anthony Towns.

Here’s more news regarding June’s NBA Draft:

Duffy has also signed on to represent Kansas freshman Kelly Oubre, Cameron Chung of the Sports Agent Blog reports. Oubre is the No. 12 overall prospect according to both Ford and Givony. You can check out our full prospect profile for Oubre here.
Senior shooting guard D’Angelo Harrison has signed with agent Bernie Lee of Lee Basketball Services, Lee announced via Twitter. The 21-year-old out of St. John’s University isn’t projected to be taken in June, with ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) ranking him as the No. 104 overall prospect.
Projected second-rounder J.P. Tokoto has signed with agent Steve McCaskill of Relativity Sports, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). DraftExpress ranks the junior out of North Carolina as the No. 42 overall prospect, while ESPN.com slots him at No. 47.
In a chat with readers, Ford shares his thoughts on whom the Wolves, Knicks, Lakers and Magic rank as their top five draft prospects.