Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns, Hornets, Wolves Complete Three-Team Trade

July 27th, 2012 at 7:40pm CST by Luke Adams

7:40pm: The amount of cash going to the Hornets from the Suns is about $1.15MM, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.

12:16pm: The Suns, Hornets, and Timberwolves have officially completed a three-team trade that will send Robin Lopez to the Hornets and Wesley Johnson to the Suns, the teams announced today. Per a Hornets press release, the deal breaks down as follows:

Hornets acquire: Robin Lopez (from Suns), Hakim Warrick (from Suns), cash (from Suns)
Suns acquire: Wesley Johnson (from Timberwolves), Brad Miller (from Hornets), Jerome Dyson (from Hornets), 2013 first-round pick (from Timberwolves)
Timberwolves acquire: 2013 second-round pick (from Hornets), 2014 second-round pick (from Suns), 2016 second-round pick (from Hornets)

Lopez is the only player changing hands who was not previously under contract, so New Orleans receives him as part of a sign-and-trade. His contract is for three years and about $15.3MM, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Dyson's contract is non-guaranteed, and Miller, who has a partially-guaranteed deal, is expected to retire, so Phoenix will likely waive both of those players in the near future. The first-round pick the Suns acquire from the T-Wolves will be either the Wolves' or Grizzlies' pick depending on those teams' performances. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic has the details (via Twitter).

Two of the three picks the Timberwolves receive in the deal are ones they sent to the Hornets earlier this month. The 2013 second-rounder is Brooklyn's, the 2016 second-rounder is New Orleans', and the 2014 second-rounder is the Lakers, acquired by Phoenix in the Steve Nash trade.

Now that the trade is complete, Minnesota should have the cap space to finalize its signing of Andrei Kirilenko.

T-Wolves, Cavs Favorites For Anthony Tolliver

July 27th, 2012 at 6:09pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 27th, 6:09pm: The Wolves still consider Tolliver a "priority," but they want to make another move or two first, Tolliver's agent tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). It seems likely those moves involve the finalizing the agreed-upon deals for Brandon Roy and Greg Stiemsma. Tolliver remains in discussion with several teams, his agent says.

JULY 20th, 1:15pm: Tolliver, who hopes to sign within the next two weeks, told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida today that the Timberwolves and Cavs are still the frontrunners for him, but added that the Hawks, Mavericks, Bulls, and Wizards are also in the mix (Sulia links).

JULY 18th, 11:53am: Anthony Tolliver has spent the last two seasons in Minnesota, but now his future with the team is up in the air as the Timberwolves wait to see if their offer sheet for Nicolas Batum is matched. Larry Fox, Tolliver's agent, tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Sulia link) that he is in regular talks with four teams about his client, including the Cavaliers and the aforementioned T-Wolves.

"Minnesota has made it clear they want Anthony back," Fox said. "But we have to wait until the Batum situation resolves itself today and then also for them to finalize some transactions that have been discussed but not yet formalized."

If the Timberwolves were to bring back Tolliver, they would have to sign him using cap space or their room exception, since they renounced his rights in order to clear room for Batum's offer sheet.

Fox also classified the Cavs' interest as "serious" but said Cleveland had to work through some trade scenarios over the next couple days before moving forward on Tolliver — it's very possible those trade discussions involve the Magic and Lakers, as we heard earlier today. Tolliver's agent didn't name the other two teams he'd been talking to, but Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida reported last week (via Twitter) that the Bulls, Lakers, and Mavericks were eyeing Tolliver, so it's probably safe to assume that a couple of those clubs are still in the mix.

Timberwolves Sign Andrei Kirilenko

July 27th, 2012 at 12:31pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 12:31pm: Having finalized the trade that removed Johnson's salary from their books, the Timberwolves have officially announced the signing of Kirilenko (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 4:51pm: The Timberwolves are "finalizing" a two-year, $20MM contract agreement with Andrei Kirilenko, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The second year of the deal is expected to be a player option, adds Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Minnesota is putting the finishing touches on a three-team trade with the Suns and Hornets that will allow the team to clear Wesley Johnson's $4.29MM salary from its books, creating the necessary cap space for Kirilenko. The terms of Kirilenko's deal appear to be a bit higher than originally thought, making him an even tighter fit, as we examined earlier. It seemed as though the Wolves could only afford about an $8MM first-year salary for Kirilenko, but it's possible they could clear additional room by adding players to the three-team trade.

The 31-year-old Kirilenko has averaged 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in 10 NBA seasons, all with the Jazz. The Russian forward, who spent 2011/12 with CSKA Moscow, had drawn interest from the Nets and Warriors, but neither team had the capability to come close to a $10MM annual salary. The Nets were limited to giving him the veteran's minimum, while the Warriors are reluctant to use the full mid-level exception, since doing so would push them over the taxpaying threshold.

For the Wolves, the move gives them the sort of long-armed forward they missed out on when the Blazers matched the offer sheet to Nicolas Batum. Though the 6'9" Kirilenko is older, he comes on a much shorter deal and solidifies the team's status as a contender for a playoff spot, answering Kevin Love's recent appeal for a more competitive team.

Hornets, Suns, Wolves Agree To Three-Team Deal

July 27th, 2012 at 11:51am CST by Michael Pina

FRIDAY, 11:51am: The Hornets' acquisition of Robin Lopez is complete, says Jimmy Smith of the Times Picayune, who adds that New Orleans will end up with Hakim Warrick as well (Twitter links). We'll have to wait for further reports or an official announcement to see how the full deal looks.

THURSDAY, 8:20pm: There won't be a resolution to the deal on Thursday night but the odds of the trade going through have improved, tweets Coro. The Hornets' cap situation is not holding up the deal from progressing further.

1:40pm: Alex Laugan of Bright Side of the Sun provides a fantastic breakdown of why this deal is currently on hold, as the Hornets' side of the transaction needs to be modified to be legal under the CBA. In all likelihood, New Orleans will need to include at least one more player or remove Hakim Warrick from the deal to make it work.

Odds & Ends: Gee, Cavs, Suns, Batum, Bobcats

July 26th, 2012 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

A report yesterday suggested that Alonzo Gee and the Cavaliers are still far apart in negotiations on a new contract, but Gee continues to say he wants to re-sign with the club.

"I want to be in Cleveland," he told Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "This is where I want to be. I love the coaches and my teammtes. This is where I want to be.''

It was expected that the Cavs would match an offer sheet for Gee, but so far he hasn't found a deal with another club, — perhaps any team interested in the 25-year-old knows it could be a waste of time to seriously pursue him, with Cleveland poised to match any offer. While Gee waits to sign his next contract, here are a few more Thursday odds and ends from around the NBA:

In previewing the Cavaliers' 2012/13 roster, Bob Finnan of the News-Herald assumes that either Gee or unrestricted free agent C.J. Miles will be starting at small forward for Cleveland.
Shannon Brown's new deal with the Suns will provide some continuity for both the player and the team, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
Rick Adelman was surprised by the lengthy back-and-forth between the Timberwolves and Trail Blazers over Nicolas Batum, as he told Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune. "All that stuff surprised me," said the T-Wolves' coach. "We were just trying to get a player who fit in our system. Unfortunately, it went on and on and on, and I have no control over that."
Bobcats GM Rich Cho spoke to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld about Charlotte's offseason moves and the process of improving a team that won a record-low seven games in 2011/12.

Bobcats Still Pursuing Carl Landry

July 26th, 2012 at 2:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bobcats are still exploring ways to acquire or sign Carl Landry, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). According to Bonnell, there's a chance the Bobcats join the trade discussions involving the Hornets, Suns, and Timberwolves, entering the deal as a fourth team.

While the Bobcats have interest in Landry and probably have the means to offer him more money than most of his other suitors, a sign-and-trade deal has proved difficult, with Bonnell reporting earlier this week than Charlotte was unlikely to work something out. In order to finalize other roster moves, the Hornets reportedly renounced Landry's Bird Rights, meaning the "sign" half of a sign-and-trade would be challenging. The team would need to recreate cap space in order to be able to give Landry a competitive salary before dealing him to the Bobcats.

The Warriors are also pursuing Landry, and while the veteran forward is said to be interested, Golden State can only offer him a portion of their mid-level exception. Signing him to the full $5MM MLE would put the club over the tax line, and ownership is looking to avoid becoming a taxpayer.

Odds & Ends: Howard, Nets, Blazers

July 25th, 2012 at 11:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

It was yet another night of fevered Dwight Howard rumors, as he reiterated his trade demands in a meeting with Magic GM Rob Hennigan and assistant GM Scott Perry. One of the bombshells amidst a flurry of reports was that the Mavericks are the "overwhelming favorite" to sign Howard if he becomes a free agent next summer. That makes a trade more difficult, as Wojnarowski writes, since other teams now know Howard has a soft spot for Dallas. Chris Mannix of SI.com says Howard would re-sign with the Lakers or Nets if traded there, but otherwise plans to become a Maverick (Twitter link). Zach Lowe of SI.com points out, with an assist from Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com, that the Mavs would have to clear some cap room for 2013/14 in order to make a maximum offer for Howard (All four Twitter links). Here's more from the Association this evening:

Nets GM Billy King doesn't consider signing a backup center a priority after missing out on Nazr Mohammed, reports Fred Kerber of the New York Post, who adds that the team's offseason work is likely done.
Jason Quick of The Oregonian takes an in-depth look at the finalists for the Blazers head coaching job.
Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com does the math and determines the Magic own a pair of trade exceptions: $2.75MM left over from the Brandon Bass trade expiring December 12th, and $4.35MM from the trade that sent Ryan Anderson away, expiring next summer.
Michael Lee of The Washington Post spoke with Cartier Martin, who recently re-signed with the Wizards. Martin is the only Wizard left on the roster from before Washington took John Wall with the No. 1 pick 2011, as Lee notes.
A veteran NBA doctor tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork that 75% of players require some kind of procedure on their knees at the end of the season, and many of them keep it a secret (Twitter link).
Obrad Fimic, the agent for Russian guard Alexey Shved, said the Nets showed no interest in his client despite being owned by fellow Russian Mikhail Prokhorov, tweets Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Shved finalized his three year, $10MM deal with the Wolves today.
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star argues retaining assistant coach Brian Shaw is the best move the Pacers have made this offseason.

Northwest Rumors: Blazers, Lillard, Stiemsma

July 25th, 2012 at 9:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

It's been a busy day for the Timberwolves, who finalized their deal with Alexey Shved, and agreed to a three-team deal that appears to clear the way for an agreement with Andrei Kirilenko. They're also likely to put the finishing touches on contracts for Brandon Roy and Greg Stiemsma by next week, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). Wednesday was active for the Trail Blazers, too, as we heard they've narrowed their list of head coaching candidates. We've got more on both Northwest Division teams right here:

Suns coach Alvin Gentry did some campaigning for assistant Elston Turner, a finalist for the Blazers head coaching job, complimenting his work with young players and his acumen both offensively and defensively, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports. "After watching that kid (Damian) Lillard run the screen-and-roll, what better guy to have around than a guy who coached Steve Nash?'' Gentry said (All four Twitter links).
Gentry also had high praise for Lillard, the sixth overall pick by the Blazers in last month's draft, saying, "That kid is going to be great,'' as Quick tweets.
Greg Stiemsma reflected on his time in Boston, telling the Boston Herald he would have liked to return, but felt compelled to get the best financial deal for he and his family. The Celtics didn't have the cap space or exceptions needed to come close to the $3MM offer he agreed to with the Wolves.

Timberwolves Sign Alexey Shved

July 25th, 2012 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 25TH: The Timberwolves have officially signed Shved, the team announced today (Twitter link).

JULY 23RD: Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press passes along an interview conducted by Russia's R-Sport, in which the terms of Shved's deal with the Timberwolves are said to be three years and $10MM. That was reported to be Shved's asking price back in May.

While the Timberwolves have yet to officially finalize the signing, CSKA Moscow formally announced Shved's departure for the NBA earlier today.

JULY 10TH: The Timberwolves have reached an agreement to sign Russian guard Alexey Shved, according to an Associated Press report (via the Washington Post). Sports.ru first reported earlier today that Shved had left CSKA Moscow to sign a deal with the T-Wolves (Twitter link).

For the T-Wolves, it's yet another salary commitment in a July that has been full of them so far. When I examined the contract agreements the team has made with Brandon Roy and Nicolas Batum, I noted that there must be at least one or two more moves coming to clear the necessary cap space. With Shved heading to Minnesota as well, the club will need even more flexibility. As John Hollinger of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter), the Wolves must be "pretty confident in something," whether it's the Blazers matching on Batum, a separate trade or two, or something else.

Shved, 23, reportedly drew interest this offseason from the Wolves, Cavs, and Grizzlies, among other teams. The 6'5" guard went undrafted in 2010 and has played for CSKA Moscow since then. In 21 Euroleague games this season, he averaged 10.6 points in 21.6 minutes per game and shot 49.3% on three-pointers, according to DraftExpress.

Timberwolves Targeting Andrei Kirilenko

July 25th, 2012 at 8:18am CST by Luke Adams

As we learned last night, having lost out on Nicolas Batum last week, the Timberwolves have shifted their focus to trying to land Russian forward Andrei Kirilenko. The T-Wolves have entered three-way trade talks with the Suns and Hornets in an effort to clear cap space. While that trade has yet to be finalized, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that centerpiece Robin Lopez could be returning soon from a vacation to take a physical for the Hornets.

If the proposed deal goes through, the T-Wolves would be parting ways with former fourth overall pick Wesley Johnson and a future lottery-protected first-round pick. While the move is more about cap space for Minnesota, the team would also acquire a pair of second-round picks from the Hornets, according to Wojnarowski.

With the Timberwolves' deals for Greg Stiemsma, Alexey Shved and Brandon Roy yet to be finalized, it's unclear exactly how much cap space the team currently owns. Based on reported salaries for those three players, I'm guessing the team would have about $3-4MM left over after signing those deals. Removing Johnson's $4.29MM salary from the books as well would allow the T-Wolves to make a competitive offer for Kirilenko, who isn't interested in signing for the veteran's minimum in Brooklyn, according to Wojnarowski.

According to Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Wolves are willing to pay as much as $9MM per season over two years for Kirilenko. While we're not sure if they can go quite that high in year one, any agreement would figure to be in that ballpark — Wojnarowski says Kirilenko is seeking a contract that would pay him "in the vicinity" of $8MM annually.

For his part, Kirilenko has said he wants to decide on his new team before the Olympics begin, so we should get some resolution on the 31-year-old's contract situation in the near future.