Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest On Courtney Lee

July 18th, 2012 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

With most of the big-name free agents off the board, Courtney Lee appears to be the top option remaining on the market among wing players. As such, he's drawing plenty of interest — Paul Flannery of WEEI.com writes that agent Dan Fegan advised Lee to be patient, and that patience is close to paying off.

If the Timberwolves' offer sheet to Nicolas Batum is matched by Portland, as expected, both Minnesota and Phoenix will have plenty of cap space to use on Lee. The 26-year-old is also drawing interest from the Bulls and Celtics, though those clubs would likely have to acquire Lee via sign-and-trade.

A deal with Chicago might pique the Rockets' interest, as the Bulls have a $5MM trade exception that could be used to avoid sending salary back to Houston. As the Rockets pursue Omer Asik and Dwight Howard, it's unlikely the team would want to absorb any contracts, which a trade with Boston would require. According to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, Lee has expressed a "strong interest" in playing for Doc Rivers and the Celtics, but with a sign-and-trade difficult to work out and the bi-annual exception unlikely to be enough for Lee, that appears to be a long shot.

Lee may have been a Plan B for some teams that missed out on players like Batum, Eric Gordon, and O.J. Mayo, but as one of the top available targets out there now, he appears to be in line for a lucrative deal.

Free Agent Rumors: Timberwolves, Rush, Mills

July 17th, 2012 at 8:42pm CST by Luke Adams

A couple more notable names came off the free agent market this morning, when Kris Humphries landed a two-year deal from the Nets and Grant Hill agreed to sign with the Clippers. While a number of solid rotation players are still available, the market is rapidly thinning for teams in search of starters. As clubs continue to jockey to sign the remaining available players, we'll track many of today's free agent rumors right here:

Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune lists who the Timberwolves will target with nearly $14MM in cap space if they lose out on Nicolas Batum, specifically highlighting Courtney Lee, Jordan Hill, and Greg Stiemsma.
Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times says that despite the delay on an official decision regarding Brandon Rush's future, the Warriors are still likely to retain him.

Earlier updates:

Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com clarifies that Spurs guard Patty Mills re-signed with San Antonio for the value of his qualifying offer of about $1.08MM with a $1.13MM player option for 2013-14 (Twitter link).
Jason Quick of The Oregonian says that the Trail Blazers could target free agent point guard A.J. Price (Twitter link), also mentioning that Price's agent, Jeff Schwartz, declined to comment.
The Cavaliers, Rockets, Timberwolves, Hornets, 76ers, Suns, Trail Blazers, Kings, and Raptors are all eligible to make a bid on recently amnestied Andray Blatche (Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets). Mannix also says (via Twitter) that although doesn't expect a team to bid, Blatche will draw interest as an unrestricted free agent.
Mike Trudell of KCAL-9 in Los Angeles tweets that owner Jim Buss has reiterated GM Mitch Kupchak's comments that the team would like to re-sign Jordan Hill.
John Reid of the Times Picayune writes that the Hornets are interested in Ryan Hollins.
The Clippers' agreement with Hill likely takes them out of the running for Marco Belinelli, but Belinelli is still drawing interest, says Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. Pincus names the Bulls, Magic, Warriors, and Knicks as potential suitors.
Mavericks VP of basketball operations Donnie Nelson says the Mavs are still interested in bringing back Delonte West, who has "other options on the table he's going through." Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News has the details.
Raja Bell, who is attempting to work out a trade or buyout from the Jazz, hasn't heard from the Heat, but has drawn interest from six other teams, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
Anthony Randolph has "more than piqued" the Nuggets' curiousity, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
Nuggets coach George Karl has a standing offer out to unrestricted free agent Anthony Carter to become an assistant coach under Karl whenever his playing career is over, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Sulia link). However, Carter still believes he can help a team as a third point guard and hopes to play for a couple more years, according to Tomasson.
Despite rumors of overseas interest, Sonny Weems continues to seek an NBA contract, agent Roger Montgomery tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter).
The Nets' next move might be signing Nazr Mohammed or Ryan Hollins as a backup center, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
The Clippers are also looking to add a big, and are eyeing Hollins and Darko Milicic, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
In a piece for ESPN Deportes, Andres Nocioni confirms he'll continue playing for Caja Laboral in Spain next season rather than returning to the NBA (hat tip to Sportando for the translation).

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Odds & Ends: Gordon, Cavaliers, Vazquez

July 17th, 2012 at 6:51pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Eric Gordon may have to win back some of the fans in New Orleans this year after comments he made about his "heart" already being in Phoenix and not wanting the Hornets to match after the Suns signed him to an offer sheet. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo elaborates on Gordon's thoughts throughout the free agency process and says that the Gordon is now committed to leading a young New Orleans team moving forward. Spears also says that the 6'3 guard has the ability to opt out after the third season and become an unrestricted free agent. Here's more of the miscellaneous tidbits what we've heard this evening..

Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago discusses why the Bulls' title window will shrink over the next two seasons.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer describes the progress that Byron Mullens appears to be making with the Bobcats based on his performances at the Las Vegas Summer League.
76ers head coach Doug Collins says he feels "very good" about what the team has accomplished during this offseason, writes John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com.

Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated sat down with Hawks forward Josh Smith, who appears to be happy with the direction the team is going in. In a separate piece, Amick discusses the impact that the Kings' acquisition of Aaron Brooks will have on Jimmer Fredette's future in Sacramento.
Luis Scola talks about how excited he is to join the Suns (NBA.com report).
On the Mason and Ireland show on ESPN LA, Chris Broussard said that Dwight Howard likes Los Angeles but still has his heart set on Brooklyn.
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com does not think the team will use their amnesty this year (Twitter link).
Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets that Will Barton's deal with the Trail Blazers is guaranteed for two years with a team option in the third year.
In an interview on NBA TV, coach Byron Scott said that the Cavaliers aren't desperate to add a veteran right now, and implied that he is ready to have his young players gain experience instead (Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio reports).
Iliana Limón Romero and Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel write that Fran Vazquez has agreed to a two-year deal (with a third-year option) to stay with Unicaja Málaga of the ACB and Euroleague. The deal does not have an opt-out clause, which ultimately prohibits the 6'10 big man from leaving for the NBA and joining the Magic until 2014-15 at the earliest. Orlando used their 11th overall selection in 2005 to select the Vazquez and currently own his draft rights.
Chris Haynes of CSNNW documentedDerrick Williams' thoughts on almost being traded to the Trail Blazers. The former 2nd overall pick of the Timberwolves says that the uncertainty had been giving him a "tough time".
According to head coach Doug Collins, the 76ers have received multiple trade offers for Andre Iguodala and rookie Moe Harkless (Tom Moore of PhillyBlurbs.com tweets).
Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld has the latest thoughts from Jermaine O'Neal, who says that he feels he has a lot left.
Mike Trudell of KCAL-9 in Los Angeles tweets that Lakers owner Jim Buss likes Robert Sacre, the team's 60th pick of last month's draft. Buss added that he has a good chance to make the team.
Tariq Lee of AZCentral.com writes about Charles Garcia's second opportunity to make it into the league with the Suns.

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Timberwolves Eyeing Lee, Stiemsma

July 17th, 2012 at 5:10pm CST by Luke Adams

While much of today's speculation has revolved around whether the Knicks will match Jeremy Lin's offer sheet, another sheet that's worth nearly twice as much will be resolved tomorrow. If the Timberwolves' $46.5MM offer sheet to Nicolas Batum is matched by Portland, the T-Wolves are expected to shift their focus to other free agents, including Courtney Lee and Greg Stiemsma, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.

Grizzlies, Timberwolves Discussing Trade

July 17th, 2012 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 12:11pm: The Grizzlies believe they have a verbal agreement to swap Dante Cunningham for Wayne Ellington, but the Timberwolves seem to be looking to include Cunningham in another deal before finalizing anything, reports Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Tillery speculates that the T-Wolves are waiting for resolution on Nicolas Batum's offer sheet before making any other moves official.

"The shoe will drop this week or it won't get done," one source told Tillery, on the Grizzlies/Timberwolves trade talks.

Odds & Ends: T-Wolves, Griffin, Nuggets, Hollins

July 16th, 2012 at 10:57pm CST by Michael Pina

Chris Haynes from CSNNW.com has confirmed that the Timberwolves offered Derrick Williams and two first round picks in exchange for Nicolas Batum earlier this summer. Portland, obviously, turned the deal down. (Twitter link). Batum has signed an offer sheet that was given to him by Minnesota, but Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey has repeatedly said he would match it before the Wednesday night deadline, sending him back to Portland on a four-year, $46.5MM deal.

After tearing his left meniscus during a Team USA practise last Wednesday, Blake Griffin was forced to remove himself from the Olympic games. The Clippers forward had successful surgery today, and is still expected to be ready in time for training camp, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Marc J. Spears.
The Nuggets are considering using their amnesty provision on forward Chris Andersen, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Andersen has two years and $9MM left on his deal.

Earlier updates:

The Hornets have shown an interest in signing free agent center Ryan Hollins, tweets SI.com's Sam Amick. Hollins split his time last season with both the Cavaliers and Celtics.
Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times has a few Bucks related tidbits to share. A few teams have interest in the team's unrestricted free agent guard Carlos Delfino, including the Hawks. (Twitter link). Also, the Bucks could be in the market for free agent center Joel Przybilla. (Twitter link).
After fracturing a bone in his right hand during Summer League practice on Saturday, Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving will undergo surgery on Wednesday in Cleveland, effectively ending all his basketball playing activity for the rest of summer. The former number one pick and reigning Rookie of the Year is expected to make a full recovery in time for training camp, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Marc J. Spears.
Former Knicks and Suns head coach Mike D'Antoni has not been contacted by the Trail Blazers to fill their head coaching position, tweets The Oregonian's Jason Quick.
The Bobcats might use their amnesty on DeSagana Diop, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
The Nets are expected to re-sign Keith Bogans, tweets the New York Daily News' Frank Isola
The Trail Blazers search for a head coach has begun to heat up: Suns assistant Elston Turner (twitter link), former Knicks assistant Phil Weber (twitter link), and Hawks assistant Lester Conner (twitter link) have all been linked to the position.
NBA Agent Happy Walters' Rogue Sports acquires SFX Baseball and NFL-agency Maximum Sports to form Relatively Sports, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski.
Hawks forward Josh Smith is excited about the new direction his team appears to be headed, writes Hoopsworld.com reporter Alex Kennedy. Also from Kennedy, talks between the Nuggets and JaVale McGee are progressing, as both parties appear only to be speaking with one another.
According to the Bay Area News Group's Marcus Thompson, Anthony Randolph would like to return to the Warriors. (Sulia link)

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Hawks Acquire Kyle Korver

July 16th, 2012 at 5:22pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 16: The Hawks have announced via a team press release that they have officially acquired Kyle Korver from the Bulls in exchange for cash. As noted on Twitter by ESPN.com's John Hollinger, the Bulls receive a $5MM trade exception in the deal, and the Timberwolves are no longer involved.

JULY 13: The trade will also include the Timberwolves, according to Johnson (via Twitter). Korver will be absorbed into the Hawks' $5MM trade exception, and the Bulls will receive a second-round pick from Minnesota, says Johnson. It sounds as if one more detail is required here.

2:18pm: The Bulls have agreed to trade Kyle Korver to the Hawks, reports K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). The deal is pending a physical, and could become a sign-and-trade involving Kirk Hinrich, according to Johnson.

Wolves Officially Sign Batum To Offer Sheet

July 15th, 2012 at 6:21pm CST by Alex Lee

The Blazers have officially received the offer sheet from Minnesota for restricted free agent Nicolas Batum, tweets Jason Quick of the Oregonian. Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com confirms that it is for four years and $46.5MM with incentives that can take it up to $50MM, as well as a 15% trade kicker.

Nicolas Batum Signs Timberwolves’ Offer Sheet

July 14th, 2012 at 7:46pm CST by Luke Adams

SATURDAY 7:46pm: The Trail Blazers' unwillingness to work out a sign-and-trade with the Timberwolves may stem from the two teams' ongoing discussions to resolve a dispute involving a prior trade for Webster, reports Ric Bucher of ESPN.com.

FRIDAY 6:15pm: After waiving Martell Webster and trading Brad Miller earlier today, the Timberwolves will not be able to submit their offer sheet to Nicolas Batum until Sunday, writes Jaynes.

THURSDAY 9:51pm: Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com writes that Minnesota added a 15% trade kicker to Batum's offer sheet in which a hefty 15% tax is imposed on the team that trades him during his new contract. This essentially makes it more difficult for Portland to match the deal, however, since the Timberwolves have not submitted the offer sheet to the league yet, there still remains the possibility of a sign-and-trade with the Trail Blazers.

7:13pm: Joe Freeman of OregonLive.com tweeted that the Trail Blazers have not received a signed offer sheet from Batum yet. Freeman also added that GM Neil Olshey did not indicate whether or not Portland and Minnesota were engaged in sign-and-trade talks (Twitter link).

6:24pm: Jason Quick of The Oregonian reiterated a point that the Timberwolves would have to waive Martell Webster and Brad Miller before Minnesota can extend an offer sheet to Nicolas (Twitter link).

1:29pm: Timberwolves majority owner Glen Taylor says the Timberwolves will submit Batum's offer sheet to the NBA by the end of the business day, giving Portland one last chance to work out a sign-and-trade, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Zgoda adds (via Twitter) that the T-Wolves are offering draft picks, but won't give up Derrick Williams or Nikola Pekovic.

11:53am: Nicolas Batum has officially signed a four-year, $46.5MM offer sheet with the Timberwolves, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. In order to make room for Batum's offer sheet, the Timberwolves officially announced that they have amnestied Darko Milicic.

Batum's signing gives the Trail Blazers three days to either match the offer or let the young forward head to Minnesota. It also means that a sign-and-trade is no longer an option for the Blazers and T-Wolves.

Batum and his agent have both indicated that the 23-year-old would like to move on from Portland, leading to speculation that the Blazers and Timberwolves could work out a sign-and-trade deal that would net Portland some assets for letting Batum go to Minnesota. However, it appears the two sides were unable to work out a deal, so the Wolves will take their chances with the offer sheet and hope they've called Neil Olshey's bluff — the Portland GM has said the Blazers will match any offer for Batum. If Portland does officially match the deal, the club can't trade Batum for the next year without his consent.

The Bulls, meanwhile, had been involved in three-way trade talks with the Wolves and Blazers about a Kyle Korver deal, but those discussions are now dead, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Johnson speculates that the Bulls could revisit Korver discussions with the Hawks.

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Timberwolves Amnesty Darko Milicic

July 14th, 2012 at 5:08pm CST by Luke Adams

5:08pm: Count the Celtics, Nets and Clippers among the frontrunners to acquire Milicic, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

SATURDAY, 4:15pm: Milicic has cleared waivers and is now an unrestricted free agent, ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports (Twitter link).

THURSDAY, 11:55pm: The Timberwolves have officially waived Milicic and designated him as their amnestied player, the team announced (via Twitter). Teams with cap space can place bids on Darko, starting at a minimum of about $2.5MM, according to SI.com's Zach Lowe (via Twitter). If he goes unclaimed, he'll become an unrestricted free agent.