Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies, T-Wolves Swap Cunningham, Ellington

July 24th, 2012 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies and Timberwolves have agreed to swap Dante Cunningham and Wayne Ellington, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). There had been rumblings over the last couple weeks that the trade would be consummated soon, but the T-Wolves needed to work through cap issues before making the deal official.

Financially, the deal works out almost perfectly, as the Grizzlies take on Ellington's $2,083,042 salary, while Cunningham and his $2,090,000 salary head to Minnesota. Ellington is in the final year of his rookie deal, while Cunningham has one more team option for 2013/14. From an on-court perspective, Ellington joins a Grizzlies' backcourt that has also added Jerryd Bayless and was in need of a shooter. Cunningham will add size to a T-Wolves' frontcourt that includes Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic, Derrick Williams, and Greg Stiemsma.

Having moved Cunningham, the Grizzlies will look to re-sign Hamed Haddadi for something close to the minimum, tweets Tillery. The Wolves, meanwhile, still need to officially finalize deals for Stiemsma, Alexey Shved, and Brandon Roy.

CSKA Moscow Announces Shved’s Departure

July 23rd, 2012 at 8:29am CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have yet to officially finalize the deal they reached with Alexey Shved nearly two weeks ago, but an announcement today from Shved's former team in Russia suggested that could happen in the very near future. CSKA Moscow released a statement to say that Shved has exercised his NBA opt-out to join the Timberwolves, wishing him luck in his NBA career (English link via Sportando).

In the statement, CSKA president Andrey Vatutin indicated that he anticipates Shved will comfortably make the tradition to life in the NBA, adding that he fully expects the 23-year-old to proudly represent Russia and CSKA basketball. For his part, Shved thanked Vatutin and CSKA for the opportunity, and said he was looking forward to challenging himself at the highest level with the Timberwolves.

Shved, a 6'5" guard, will provide backcourt help and outside shooting in Minnesota. Terms of his contract aren't yet known, but the Wolves regained a good deal of cap space when Nicolas Batum's offer sheet was matched by the Trail Blazers, so there's room for Shved to receive a decent salary, even as the club finalizes deals with Brandon Roy and Greg Stiemsma.

Odds & Ends: Beal, Williams, Cavs, Morrison

July 22nd, 2012 at 10:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Bradley Beal specifically asked that the Wizards’ take him with the third-overall pick and so far he is justifying the club's decision to oblige, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. While summer league results aren't a perfect barometer for future success, the shooting guard impressed as he averaged 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per contest. Here's more from around the Association..

One scout told Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter) that Derrick Williams, who went No. 2 in the 2011 draft, would not have have gone in the top eight in 2012. It's an interesting take as some observers seemed to be down on what the 2012 class had to offer beyond the top few selections.
Cavaliers coach Byron Scott believes that the club's future looks bright even if they don't make a significant trade, writes Joel Brigham of USA Today. "I'm looking at a nice young core of guys," Scott said. "If we add some guys to that core, more power to us, and if we don't, we'll go with what we got because I think right now the future of our team is pretty bright."
Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter) opines that Adam Morrison has played his way onto an NBA roster this season. The forward is averaging about 20 points and five boards per game for the Clippers' summer league team.

Greg Stiemsma Still Waiting For Offer From Wolves

July 21st, 2012 at 2:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

Greg Stiemsma and agent Mike Naiditch have been patiently awaiting an offer from the Timberwolves while the team deals with other priorities, but that's about to change, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Naiditch said Stiemsma's willing to give the Wolves a discount, but suggested that won't be the case unless an offer is made today (Twitter link).

Stiemsma would like to play near his native Wisconsin, as Zgoda notes, and with the Bucks never a serious contender for him, Minnesota represents his closest option (Twitter link). Last night Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com reported that an unidentified team has made a significant offer, noting that it's not the Wolves. It's not the Celtics, either, since they're limited to offering the biannual exception of $1.957MM and appear likely to withdraw their qualifying offer, making Stiemsma an unrestricted free agent.

Stiemsma seems likely to sign for more than $2MM per year, and could fit into a team's $3MM mini mid-level exception or the $2.5MM room exception. A team with cap room could sign him, too, of course. He could wind up with the Cavs, who might be after frontcourt help following the loss of free agent Antawn Jamison and their unsuccessful amnesty waiver claim of Luis Scola, but that's just my speculation. If the Wolves don't sign him, Zgoda suggests Ronny Turiaf might be next in line for the team (Twitter link).

Odds & Ends: Nowitzki, Collison, Humphries, Hill

July 20th, 2012 at 11:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

NBA superstars are often reluctant to take a back seat to anyone, but that's just what Mavs coach Rick Carlisle wants to see Dirk Nowitzki do. For the Mavs to contend for a championship again, someone other than Nowitzki must be the best player on the team, Carlisle told radio station 1070 the Fan in Indianapolis (via the Dallas Morning News). Of course, after missing out on Deron Williams, it doesn't appear like Nowitzki will have to relinquish his status as the team's alpha dog any time soon, unless Dallas somehow jumps to the forefront of Dwight Howard trade talk. We've got more news and analysis from around the league here:

Mark Bartelstein, the agent for Warriors free agents Brandon Rush and Dominic McGuire, will speak with Wolves GM David Kahn this weekend, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.

Earlier updates:

Carlisle, in the same interview, also said he's excited to see what the extra motivation of a contract year will do for the play of point guard Darren Collison, acquired in a trade with the Pacers.
Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com looks at the effect re-signing Jordan Hill will have on the Lakers. He also notes that the team doesn't have any money committed beyond 2013/14, except for the final season of Steve Nash's contract.
Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News examines how agent Dan Fegan patiently waited for the market to turn in favor of client Kris Humphries, who re-signed with the Nets on a two-year, $24MM deal, taking advantage of the team's inability to acquire Dwight Howard.
With Humphries, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace and Brook Lopez, the Nets are believed to be first team with five players making at least $10MM a year, writes Chris Bernucca of SheridanHoops.com.
The Spurs are high on 6'9" free agent Eric Dawson, who signed a pair of ten-day contracts with the team last season, and he's a candidate to return, says Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. It might be tough for him to make the team right out of camp, though, since the team already has five big men under contract, as McDonald notes (Twitter links).
The offseason is only a few weeks old, but Ben Golliver already has a list of free agency winners and losers on CBSSports.com. The Heat, Nets, Pacers, Lakers, Mavs and Nuggets have come out on top, Golliver says, while the Magic, Knicks, Bulls, Suns, Rockets and Trail Blazers didn't fare so well.

Cavs Claim Jon Leuer Off Waivers

July 20th, 2012 at 10:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:03pm: The Cavs confirmed their successful waiver claim on the team website.

6:35pm: Zgoda tweets that the Timberwolves didn't put in a claim for Leuer, correcting what he said earlier.

6:02pm: Jon Leuer is headed to Cleveland after being waived by the Rockets earlier this week, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). Zach Lowe of SI.com says the Cavs will simply sign him (Twitter link), but Either way, it appears the 6'10" Leuer will suit up for the Cavs next season, likely on a minimum-salary deal. Zgoda says the Timberwolves also put in a claim, but since the Cavs had an inferior record last season, Cleveland's bid wins out.

The 6'10" power forward averaged 4.7 points and 2.6 rebounds with a 15.3 PER in 12.1 minutes a game as a rookie last season for the Bucks, who traded him to the Rockets as part of a deal for Samuel Dalembert. He was the 40th overall pick of the 2011 draft.

Celtics Likely To Withdraw Offer To Stiemsma

July 20th, 2012 at 9:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

9:57pm: Forsberg says the team making the offer is not the Timberwolves, though he doesn't identify which team it is.

9:17pm: The Celtics have been outbid for Greg Stiemsma and are likely to withdraw their qualifying offer for the 6'11" big man, making him an unrestricted free agent, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com hears that a team has made an offer to Stiemsma that exceeds the $1.054MM qualifying offer from the Celtics, and Zgoda hears the same via Stiemsma's agent (Twitter links).

I'd guess the team making the offer to Stiemsma is the Timberwolves, since a report earlier this week from A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com indicated Minnesota was prepared to offer him an annual salary of nearly $3MM. That would be about $1MM more than the Celtics could offer with their biannual exception. Boston, which has only had Stiemsma under contract for a year, has non-Bird rights on Stiemsma, allowing for a 120% raise or the amount of his qualifying offer, whichever is greater — and in Stiemsma's case, the qualifying offer is greater. The biannual exception amount of $1.957MM would be the most the Celtics could pay him, but it appears that still won't be enough to bring Stiemsma back.

Stiemsma and agent Mike Naiditch have expressed a willingness to be patient while the Wolves work on other priorities, but with Nicolas Batum, Courtney Lee and Jordan Hill eluding the team's grasp, it appears Stiemsma is finally the priority atop Wolves GM David Kahn's desk. Stiemsma was a revelation for the Celtics last season after spending most of his career overseas and in the D-League after going undrafted out of the University of Wisconsin in 2008. The 13.9 minutes per game he saw in 55 contests for the Celtics were more than he averaged in any of his four collegiate seasons, He put up 2.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a night in the regular season before an aching left foot limited his playing time and effectiveness in the playoffs.

Blazers Rumors: Aldridge, Batum, Hibbert, Canales

July 20th, 2012 at 8:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

It was a busy day for the Blazers, who officially welcomed Nicolas Batum back after matching his offer sheet from the Timberwolves. They also were involved in a three-team trade, picking up Sasha Pavlovic, the cash to cover his salary, and two second-round picks in exchange for 2011 second-round pick Jon Diebler. There's also encouraging news from LaMarcus Aldridge, who says he's "98 percent" healed from hip surgery and expects to be playing five-on-five again in a week, tweets Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. There's plenty more going on in the Rose City, and we've got it here:

Batum addressed some of the comments he and others made during his contentious restricted free agency. In a video on CSNNW.com and transcribed by Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Batum said it was true that he wanted to go to Minnesota, but never ruled the Blazers out. "Minnesota was a good situation for me, but I never said it was better than Portland," he said. "I told Portland, 'If you really want me, match. If you don't want me, I'll go.'"
Aldridge told reporters, including Chris B. Haynes of CSNNW.com, that he was communicating with Roy Hibbert throughout the Blazers' courtship of the restricted free agent center who ultimately chose to re-sign with the Pacers (Twitter links). "I was disappointed," Aldridge said of Hibbert's decision. "I definitely felt like he would put us over that hump of being on the next level."
Aldridge said he hasn't been paying attention to the team's head coaching search, but reiterated his endorsement of interim coach Kaleb Canales, as Freeman notes, via Twitter.

Warriors Interested In Andrei Kirilenko

July 20th, 2012 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors are seeking a backup forward and have been linked to Carl Landry, Kenyon Martin, Shelden Williams, and others. Today, Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group adds another name to the team's wish list, reporting that Golden State is interested in Andrei Kirilenko, though Thompson cautions the Russian forward would be a long shot for the Warriors.

Earlier today, we passed along comments Kirilenko yesterday in which he suggested he could end up on the Nets or back in Russia with CSKA Moscow. As I wrote at the time, the Nets could only offer the veteran's minimum. The Warriors have the flexibility to offer at least double that amount, but it's not clear if that would be enough or if Kirilenko would have interest in the Warriors.

Based on Kirilenko's comments about potentially returning to the NBA, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link) wonders if the Timberwolves, another team that could offer more than the Nets, would be interested in the veteran forward.

Blazers Match Offer Sheet For Nicolas Batum

July 20th, 2012 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 12:08pm: The Blazers have now officially announced the Batum signing (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 6:24pm: The forward will earn $10.7M in each of the first two seasons while year three is worth $10.9MM and year four is $11.2MM, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.

6:20pm: Batum's deal includes a $1.5MM signing bonus, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (via Twitter).

4:49pm: Olshey informed reporters, including Joe Freeman of the Oregonian (Twitter link), that Batum's offer sheet wasn't quite as high as the $46.5MM that had been reported. The Blazers GM explained that some of the incentives included in the deal were rejected by the NBA, and said Portland would still have a little cap room left after signing Batum and Ronnie Price (Twitter link).

4:16pm: The Trail Blazers have officially matched the Timberwolves' offer sheet for Batum, the team announced today. The Blazers' contract with Batum will be for four years and $46.5MM. It includes a 15% trade kicker, and could be worth up to $50MM if Batum reaches certain incentives.