Amidst all the draft craziness yesterday, the Timberwolves made a procedural move, submitting a qualifying offer to Nikola Pekovic, the team announced (via Twitter). The one-year offer, worth $6,046,500, officially makes Pekovic a restricted free agent this summer.
Like the other top restricted free agents on the market, Pekovic won't be accepting the qualifying offer, but it ensures that the Wolves will have the opportunity to match a rival offer sheet for the big man. Although Minnesota has insisted that retaining Pekovic is the club's top priority this summer, the 27-year-old figures to receive long-term offers in the neighborhood of at least $12MM annually.
In his third season in the NBA in 2012/13, Pekovic averaged a double-double, establishing career-highs in PPG (16.3) and RPG (10.0), among other categories.