Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2019 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2019/20 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Signings:
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Standard contracts:
- Jake Layman: Three years, $11.28MM. Acquired via sign-and-trade using trade exception.
- Noah Vonleh: One year, $2MM. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Naz Reid: Four years, minimum salary. Second and third years non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Initially signed two-way contract, then converted to standard contract using mid-level exception.
- Jordan Bell: One year, minimum salary.
- Two-way contracts:
- Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Jordan Murphy: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
- Lindell Wigginton: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Jarrett Culver (No. 6 pick) from the Suns in exchange for Dario Saric and the draft rights to Cameron Johnson (No. 11 pick).
- Acquired Jake Layman (sign-and-trade) from the Trail Blazers in exchange for the draft rights to Bojan Dubljevic.
- Acquired Treveon Graham, Shabazz Napier, and cash ($3.6MM) from the Warriors in exchange for the draft rights to Lior Eliyahu.
Draft picks:
- 1-6: Jarrett Culver — Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-43: Jaylen Nowell — Signed to four-year, $6.63MM contract. Second and third years non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Signed using mid-level exception.
Waiver claims:
- Tyrone Wallace (from Clippers). One year, minimum salary ($1,588,231). Non-guaranteed. Claimed using minimum salary exception.
Departing players:
- Jerryd Bayless
- Mitch Creek
- Luol Deng
- Taj Gibson
- Tyus Jones
- Cameron Reynolds (waived)
- Derrick Rose
- Dario Saric
- Jared Terrell (two-way)
- Anthony Tolliver
- C.J. Williams (two-way)
Other offseason news:
- Hired Gersson Rosas as president of basketball operations.
- Named Ryan Saunders permanent head coach.
- Hired Sachin Gupta as executive VP of basketball operations.
- Hired Gianluca Pascucci as assistant GM; hired Joe Branch as assistant GM; promoted Emmanuel Rohan to assistant GM.
- Hired David Vanterpool as lead assistant coach.
- Hired Pablo Prigioni as assistant coach; hired Bryan Gates as assistant coach.
Salary cap situation:
- Remained over the cap.
- Carrying approximately $124.76MM in guaranteed salary.
- Hard-capped.
- $4.96MM of mid-level exception still available (used $4.3MM on Noah Vonleh, Jaylen Nowell, and Naz Reid).
- Full bi-annual exception ($3.62MM) still available.
- $822K traded player exception available (expires 11/12/19).
Story of the summer:
When Gersson Rosas was hired as the Timberwolves’ new president of basketball operations this spring, there was speculation that it could be a more eventful offseason than expected in Minnesota. After all, Rosas was a longtime lieutenant of Rockets GM Daryl Morey, and Morey has never hesitated to swing for the fences on the trade market. By all accounts, Rosas was prepared to bring that same aggressiveness to his new position.
Fans and observers expecting fireworks were in for a letdown, however, as the Wolves didn’t end up having a wild summer after all. The team’s biggest free agent investment was a three-year deal worth less than $4MM annually for relatively unknown forward Jake Layman. On top of that, high-priced trade candidates like Andrew Wiggins, Jeff Teague, and Gorgui Dieng all stayed put.
Still, the absence of blockbuster moves wasn’t for lack of trying. The Wolves met with D’Angelo Russell at the start of free agency and reportedly believed they had a real chance to land him in a sign-and-trade deal before he pivoted and decided to head to Golden State instead.
Plus, the Wolves’ draft-night deal for Jarrett Culver showed the kind of gamble Rosas is willing to take in the right situation. The team gave up Dario Saric – who was entering a contract year – for the right to move up from No. 11 to No. 6 for Culver, a potential two-way standout on the wing.
While Rosas and Minnesota’s new management group may not have made a huge splash immediately, there will be more opportunities to do so, especially when pricey contracts for Teague and Dieng expire in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
For now, the Wolves will rely on further improvement from young players like Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Okogie, and Wiggins, along with steady contributions from veterans like Robert Covington and Teague as they look to fight their way back to the playoffs. But if Rosas delivers on his reputation, this roster could look much different within a year or two.