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.
Pre-Draft Workouts: Hart, Smith Jr., Kennard, Adebayo
It’s that time of the summer, days until the NBA draft, when your favorite team is doing its due diligence and working out every prospect and his brother. Here is the latest in pre-draft workout news:
- Josh Hart (Villanova) worked out for the 76ers on Thursday and did not shoot well, tweets Adam Zagoria. Hart worked out for the Hawks on Friday and will also audition for the Spurs and Suns.
- In addition to Hart, the Hawks auditioned five other players on Friday: Matt Jones (Duke), Peter Jok (Iowa), Jaron Blossomgame (Clemson), Caleb Swanigan (Purdue), and Amile Jefferson (Duke), per the team’s official site.
- Jefferson is also set to work out for the 76ers on Monday, per Keith Pompey of Philly.com (link via Twitter).
- Tony Bradley (North Carolina) worked out for the Hornets on Friday and was also set to put his skills on display for the Heat and Nets, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
- On Thursday, the Heat worked out Dwayne Bacon (Florida State) and TJ Leaf (UCLA) in consideration of their 14th overall pick. The following players also worked out for Miami and are being considered in the second round and/or as undrafted free agents: V.J. Beachem (Notre Dame), PJ Dozier (South Carolina), James Blackmon (Indiana), Marc Loving (Ohio State), Sterling Brown (SMU), Billy Garrett Jr. (DePaul), and Jabari Bird (Cal), reports Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
- The Celtics have scheduled a pre-draft meeting with Dennis Smith Jr. (North Carolina State), according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Begley notes that, even if Boston traded down to No. 3, it would be a shock if Smith was drafted so high. He is projected to be a Top-10 pick, but not Top-3.
- On Sunday, the Hornets will hold their seventh pre-draft workout, featuring two college standouts who played in the state of North Carolina: Luke Kennard (Duke) and Justin Jackson (UNC). Rounding out the group are Bam Adebayo (Kentucky), Troy Caupain (Cincinnati), Tim Kempton Jr. (Lehigh), and Rodney Purvis (Connecticut), per the team’s official website.
Central Notes: Pistons, Bucks, Wade, Pacers
A pair of Michigan prospects are among the players to work out for the Pistons this week, with both Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin getting a look from the club. Walton was part of a Tuesday workout group that also included Tony Bradley (UNC), Melo Trimble (Maryland), Davon Reed (Miami), Peter Jok (Iowa), and Luke Fischer (Marquette) (Twitter links via Rod Beard of The Detroit News and Keith Langlois of Pistons.com).
Meanwhile, Irvin’s pre-draft workout will take place today, as the Pistons audition a group that also features Tyler Lydon (Syracuse), Marcus Keene (Central Michigan), Bryce Alford (UCLA), Derek Willis (Kentucky), and T.J. Cline (Richmond), per Langlois (Twitter link).
As Detroit weighs its draft options, let’s round up a few more items from around the Central division…
- The Bucks, who have the 17th overall pick in this year’s draft, brought in former Texas center Jarrett Allen on Tuesday and will get a look at ex-Kentucky big man Bam Adebayo today, according to a pair of press releases from the team. Milwaukee is also taking a look at a handful of other prospects today, though Antone Warren (Antelope Valley), Hassan Martin (Rhode Island), Sebastian Saiz (Ole Miss), Jack Gibbs (Davidson), and Dallas Moore (North Florida) aren’t viewed as first-round candidates.
- During an appearance on CSN Chicago’s SportsTalk Live, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (video link) discussed Dwyane Wade‘s player option, Wade’s potential role as a sixth man for the Bulls, Nikola Mirotic‘s restricted free agency, and more.
- The Pacers are working out Dylan Ennis (Oregon), Jawun Evans (Oklahoma State), Amile Jefferson (Duke), Zach LeDay (Virginia Tech), Paul Watson Jr. (Fresno State), and Nigel Williams-Goss (Gonzaga) today, the team announced in a press release.
Nets Notes: Birch, Workouts, Meeks, Obradovic
Khem Birch, a Quebec-born big man who went undrafted in 2014 and currently plays for Olympiacos in Greece, has been linked to the Nets. Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops cites sources who say that Brooklyn is “seriously considering” offering Birch a two-year contract for the upcoming season. However, NetsDaily (Twitter link) has been told that the Birch rumor is “completely false.”
Birch was solid last season as a part-time player for Olympiacos, and was a D-League All-Star back in 2015, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the UNLV alum get a shot at an NBA roster. But according to Eurohoops’ report, his buyout is worth upwards of $300K, so an NBA team with interest may be reluctant to pay that buyout for a camp invitee.
Here’s more on the Nets:
- The Nets conducted a group workout today, according to Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders, who tweets that Dillon Brooks, Jawun Evans, Jimmy Hall, Amile Jefferson, Erik McCree, and Derrick White were in attendance.
- UNC’s Kennedy Meeks worked out for the Nets last week, and according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, some sources familiar with the workout said that Meeks “excelled.” The former Tar heels center isn’t one of DraftExpress’ top 100 prospects, but Begley suggests Meeks is viewed as a possible late-second-round pick, so he could be an option for Brooklyn at No. 57.
- The Nets are adding Sasa Obradovic to their Summer League coaching staff, tweets international basketball reporter David Pick. Obradovic, a former international point guard, is currently the haed coach of Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia.