Timberwolves guard Shabazz Muhammad has asked to be traded or waived before Thursday’s deadline, according to Adrian Wojnarwoski of ESPN.
After being part of Minnesota’s rotation the past two seasons, Muhammad has seen a sharp drop in playing time this year, down to 9.6 minutes per night. He hasn’t played at all in 23 of the team’s last 32 games.
Muhammad re-signed with the Wolves over the offseason, expecting to continue in the reserve role he had become accustomed to. However, once Minnesota upgraded its roster by trading for Jimmy Butler and signing Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson, coach Tom Thibodeau adopted the shorter rotations he was known for in Chicago, Wojnarowski notes. He adds that Jamal Crawford, who signed with the Wolves during the summer, has voiced similar complaints about playing time.
Muhammad, 25, has a two-year deal that pays him nearly $1.6MM this season with a player option worth nearly $1.8MM for 2018/19. Wojnarowski writes that Muhammad had numerous conversations with Thibodeau and owner Glen Taylor before deciding to re-sign and believed that keeping his Bird Rights with Minnesota would benefit him if he opted out this summer.
However, any chance of him remaining with the franchise appears to be gone, as he doesn’t seem to be in the Wolves’ plans for the future.
Although Muhammad hasn’t produced much this season, his small salary, flexible contract and past performance might make him attractive on the trade market. He has posted scoring averages of 13.5, 10.5 and 9.9 the past three seasons.
Muhammad would forfeit his Bird Rights if traded because of the one-year Bird restriction, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Any team that acquires him would have to use cap space or an exception to re-sign him.
If he picks up his player option does he keep his bird rights? Not sure what the 1 year restriction does. Does it reset the clock or just mean he can’t be signed using bird rights this year but they go back to full bird afterward?
If he’s traded, his Bird clock would reset. He could avoid that by picking up his player option, yeah, though he’d then be locked in at the minimum salary through 2018/19.
Don’t let the door hit ya on the behind on your way out…
Muhammad was the overall #1 recruit back in 2012 and he has disappointed ever since. Now he is the #1 reason for NBA teams to be wary of getting rid of the one and done rule. Although from a player’s point of view, he might be a good reason to want to get rid of the rule.
Wonder if they package him and Crawford?
Lakers
Lakers….let’s see if he’s a fit in Luke’s system
A wing player who can’t shoot from distance or defend. If anyone wanted him, they would have signed him as a FA last summer. Buyout of the option year, maybe.