Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Contract Details: Bridges, Springer, Two-Ways

August 5th, 2025 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

Mikal Bridges‘ new four-year contract extension with the Knicks will start at $33,482,145 in 2026/27, Hoops Rumors has learned. Bridges’ maximum first-year salary on a veteran extension would have been $34,860,000, so his actual deal will come in about $1.38MM below that.

Bridges will earn $36,160,714 in 2027/28 and $38,839,285 in ’28/29, with a ’29/30 player option worth $41,517,856, for a total of exactly $150MM.

Interestingly, while most trade kickers are worth either the maximum allowable 15% or a round number like 5% or 10%, the trade kicker on Bridges’ deal comes in at 5.69%.

Here are more details on recently signed contracts from around the NBA:

Jaden Springer‘s one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Pelicans includes Exhibit 9 language but not an Exhibit 10 clause, Hoops Rumors has learned. Those terms Springer will be competing for a 15-man roster spot in training camp and likely doesn’t plan on joining New Orleans’ G League affiliate if he’s waived before opening night.
The two-way contracts recently signed by Enrique Freeman with the Timberwolves and Daeqwon Plowden with the Kings are both just for one year, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Freeman got the maximum allowable $85,000 partial guarantee and will have 50% of his $636,435 salary guaranteed if he remains under contract through opening night, while Plowden received a $75K partial guarantee.
Max Shulga‘s two-way contract with the Celtics also just covers one season, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. That’s notable, since a handful of second-rounders drafted ahead of him signed two-year two-way deals. The No. 57 overall pick, who got a partial guarantee worth $85,300, will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2026.

Terrence Shannon Jr. Joins Octagon Basketball

August 2nd, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. has signed with Octagon Basketball, the agency announced (via Twitter). Shannon was a first-team All-Summer League selection last month.

Wolves Sign Enrique Freeman To Two-Way Contract

August 1st, 2025 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

4:18 pm: The Timberwolves have made the Freeman signing official, according to a team press release.

9:12 am: The Timberwolves and free agent forward Enrique Freeman have agreed to terms on a two-way contract, agents Keith Kreiter and Sam Cipriano tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Freeman, who turned 25 on Tuesday, was the 50th overall pick in the 2024 draft and appeared in 22 NBA games as a rookie for Indiana, averaging 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per contest.

While Freeman’s impact at the NBA level was very limited, he played well in the G League, averaging 16.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game in 14 outings for the Indiana Mad Ants last season. He also had a strong Summer League showing in Las Vegas this month, registering averages of 16.6 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.8 BPG with an incredible 72.5% mark on field goal attempts, including 55.6% on three-pointers.

However, the Pacers had no two-way slots available for Freeman and pulled their qualifying offer to him last week, allowing him to reach unrestricted free agency. Now he has a new deal in place with the Timberwolves.

Second-year center Jesse Edwards and 2025 second-rounder Rocco Zikarsky currently occupy Minnesota’s two-way slots, so Freeman projects to fill the third and final opening.

The Timberwolves also still have a two-way qualifying offer on the table for 2024 second-rounder Tristen Newton — if they don’t rescind that QO (with Newton’s approval), the Wolves would have to waive one of their current two-way players should he accept it.

Timberwolves Expected To Waive Jesse Edwards

August 1st, 2025 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

After reaching an agreement to sign forward Enrique Freeman to a two-way contract, the Timberwolves are expected to waive center Jesse Edwards from his own two-way deal, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The Wolves don’t need to cut Edwards in order to make room on the roster for Freeman, so it’s not clear if the move will happen right away or later in the offseason. But after Minnesota added a pair of rookie big men in Joan Beringer and Rocco Zikarsky in this year’s draft, Edwards no longer appears to be in the team’s plans going forward, as Krawczynski explains.

Waiving Edwards would also create a two-way opening for Tristen Newton, a 2024 second-round pick who still has a qualifying offer on the table from the Wolves. Zikarsky and Freeman will occupy the club’s other two-way slots.

A Dutch-born seven-footer who played his college ball at Syracuse and West Virginia, Edwards joined the Timberwolves on a two-way deal last July after going undrafted. The 25-year-old appeared in just two NBA games, but played a major role for the Iowa Wolves in the G League, averaging 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 25.1 minutes per game across 34 total outings.

Edwards was tendered a two-way qualifying offer in June and accepted it almost immediately. By signing that QO, he secured a partial guarantee worth $85,300, which won’t count against Minnesota’s cap.

Wolves’ Donte DiVincenzo To Miss EuroBasket For Italy

July 30th, 2025 at 12:33pm CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo was granted Italian citizenship on a sporting basis earlier this month to participate with Italy’s national team in international events. He announced today via the Italian basketball federation (Twitter video link) that he will miss this summer’s EuroBasket due to a recent “physical issue” he experienced as he began preparing for the tournament.

“What’s up everyone? I just wanted to say how happy and thankful I am and excited I am to finally become an Italian citizen,” DiVincenzo said (hat tip to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando). “I want to thank the federation and Italian institutions for making all this happen and being possible in record time.

“Unfortunately, I’m sorry I will not be able to join the national team this summer due to a physical issue that over the last few days forced me to make this difficult, difficult decision. But my goal remains the same. It remains with the journey of Italian basketball going forward, you know, World Cup and the Olympics, and for a very long time. So I just wanted to show my commitment, send my best of luck to the team, and see you all soon.”

According to Maggi, at a press conference on Wednesday in Milan, national team coordinator Gigi Datome clarified that DiVincenzo felt pain in his left big toe, the same digit which cost him 19 games last season due to a turf toe issue.

“On 21 July, we received clearance from the (Timberwolves),” Datome said. “Donte was resuming training, but between 22 and 23 July, he felt discomfort in his big toe, which had already cost him a month out this season. We set a deadline yesterday, and according to doctors and specialists, we were talking about three to four months of therapy, so it wasn’t possible. He sent the video to show that we were on the same page. That’s how it went.”

Aggravating the toe injury sounds somewhat ominous, particularly given the timeline Datome mentioned. However, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link) hears the Wolves view DiVincenzo’s EuroBasket absence as a precautionary measure and the team isn’t concerned about his availability for the start of next season.

And-Ones: Spagnolo, Storylines, Offseason Grades, Givony

July 28th, 2025 at 8:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Matteo Spagnolo, whose NBA rights are held by the Timberwolves, will continue his EuroLeague career in Spain, having signed a three-year deal with Baskonia, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.

Minnesota selected Spagnolo with the 50th overall pick of the 2022 draft. The point guard’s contract with Baskonia includes NBA exit clauses, per Urbonas.

Spagnolo is coming off a second EuroLeague season with ALBA Berlin, for whom he averaged 9.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 21.0 minutes per game. He played for the Timberwolves’ Summer League team the year he was drafted but hasn’t since participated in any NBA contest.

Here’s more from around the international basketball world:

What are the big storylines still hovering over the NBA this offseason? ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks examine that topic, citing Jonathan Kuminga‘s restricted free agency, Luka Doncic‘s extension talks and Russell Westbrook‘s free agency among the issues that have yet to be resolved.
The Hawks, Nuggets, Rockets get the highest marks from ESPN’s Kevin Pelton for their offseason moves. Pelton hands out grades for every team in the league, with the Pelicans receiving an F for their transactions.
Draft expert Jonathan Givony has left ESPN after an eight-year stint with the network, he announced on his Twitter page. ESPN offered him an extension but Givony declined, stating “we were unable to find alignment on my value to the company.” He will continue to analyze the draft as well as college, high school, and international basketball for the company he founded, DraftExpress.

Summer League Notes: Rookie Standouts, Maluach, Fears

July 27th, 2025 at 6:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

The 2025 Summer League gave fans and teams first impressions of most of this year’s incoming rookies, as well as serving as a showcase for several sophomores and younger veterans. In the wake of the event, Law Murray of the Athletic breaks down each rookie’s performance with an eye for what it could mean for the coming season.

Cooper Flagg (Mavericks), Dylan Harper (Spurs), and VJ Edgecombe (Sixers) were arguably the biggest names who participated in the Summer Leagues – headlined by the Las Vegas event – and despite some shooting efficiency concerns, all three gave their fans plenty of reason for excitement.

Flagg displayed a well-rounded on-ball skill set, Harper came up clutch in his last game to force overtime, and Edgecombe lived at the free throw line while displaying some advanced ball-screen offensive game, Murray observes.

The next three picks in the draft, Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Ace Bailey (Jazz), and Tre Johnson (Wizards), all showed off their shot-making capabilities, which will likely be what earns them regular playing time as rookies. Knueppel was rewarded for his play with the only All-Summer League Second Team selection among rookies, while Nique Clifford (Kings) was the lone rookie to make the First Team, thanks to his stellar all-around play.

Other rookies, such as Collin Murray-Boyles (Raptors), Carter Bryant (Spurs), Joan Beringer (Timberwolves), and Brooks Barnhizer (Thunder) flashed tantalizing defensive capabilities, though Murray-Boyles and Bryant were inconsistent offensively, Murray notes.

Here are a few more leftover Summer League notes:

John Hollinger of the Athletic takes a look at some of the low points of Summer League, including the worst ejection of the tournament, awarded to the Celtics‘ Jordan Walsh for not only having an excessive foul on the Heat’s Pelle Larsson, but for accidentally throwing him into Walsh’s own front office executives courtside.
In terms of players who struggled, Hollinger mentions Khaman Maluach (Suns), who had difficulty catching lobs and other passes, Jeremiah Fears (Pelicans), who was unable to spearhead an offense and create for others, and the limitations of the four Nets rookies who suited up, among others.
On the non-player side, Hollinger points to an abundance of turnovers caused by stepping out of bounds, as well as the prevalence of split-screen interviews that made following the games an exercise in patience and eagle-eyed vision.

Pablo Prigioni To Remain With Timberwolves

July 26th, 2025 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran assistant coach Pablo Prigioni has decided to remain with the Timberwolves amid interest from the Knicks, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

According to Begley, Prigioni – who has been on the Wolves’ staff since 2019 – cited family reasons for his decision to stay in Minnesota. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link) noted earlier this week that Prigioni is “highly thought of” within the Wolves’ organization and has been working closely with 2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham.

A former NBA point guard who spent two-and-a-half seasons in New York as a player from 2012-15, Prigioni transitioned to coaching following his retirement in 2017. He spent one season on Brooklyn’s bench in 2018/19 before landing with the Wolves.

Prigioni, 48, was originally hired under Ryan Saunders, but carried over to Chris Finch‘s staff in 2021 and has now been with the Timberwolves for six seasons in total. The Knicks were recently granted permission to speak to Prigioni as they look to fill out their coaching staff under new head coach Mike Brown.

As the Knicks continue to consider their options on the coaching market, one candidate who is “squarely on their radar” is Clippers assistant Brendan O’Connor, according to Begley, who says O’Connor is known for his defensive acumen.

Even if the Knicks were to hire O’Connor away from L.A., they’d likely remain on the lookout for another assistant who could help with their offense, Begley adds.

NBA Insiders Talk 2025, 2026 Drafts

July 25th, 2025 at 6:04pm CST by Eli Cohen

Now that the 2025 Summer League has wrapped up, scouts and evaluators around the NBA are looking ahead to the 2026 draft and considering how this year’s draft class might perform as rookies.

Among league personnel, there’s a near-consensus that the Mavericks‘ Cooper Flagg will win Rookie of the Year, according to ESPN’s annual survey of NBA executives and scouts conducted this year by Jeremy Woo. Flagg was the overwhelming favorite, with 17 votes, followed by the Spurs‘ Dylan Harper, who picked up two votes. The Wizards’ Tre Johnson also received a vote.

Those polled speculated that while some rookies, like Johnson or Ace Bailey of the Jazz, may get a chance to shoot and score more points, Flagg’s overall contributions to a team that will likely be fighting for a play-in spot will push him over the edge.

While he didn’t receive a vote for Rookie of the Year, the Sixers‘ VJ Edgecombe was the top vote-getter for those asked who would end up the best non-Flagg pick in the draft.

“VJ might be Philly’s second-best player by the end of the season, factoring in [Joel] Embiid‘s uncertain health,” one general manager said.

When Woo’s poll respondents weighed in on the biggest draft steal, the Spurs’ Carter Bryant led the way, followed by Joan Beringer (Timberwolves) and Kasparas Jakucionis (Heat), though this question proved to be the most wide-ranging in terms of responses.

Executives also discussed the 2026 draft, which is widely anticipated to be a star-studded draft class. When asked about who the top pick would be, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson led the way with 12 votes, while BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa was a close second with eight.

Peterson is described in the article as “one of the best lead guard prospects in recent memory,” though Woo writes that given the high level of competition for the No. 1 spot, the race for the top spot is unlikely to be as open-and-shut as it was in 2025, when Flagg remained relatively unchallenged throughout the draft cycle.

“It’s a total toss-up right now — by no means is [there a] consensus yet,” one executive said.

While only Peterson and Dybantsa received votes as the probable No. 1 pick for 2026, Duke’s Cameron Boozer, Nate Ament (Tennessee), and Mikel Brown (Louisville) are also considered top prospects who could be in the mix for a top spot.

While it’s never easy to predict the future when it comes to the NBA draft, last year’s executive survey had Flagg as the top vote-getter for the number one pick, far ahead of Harper’s second-best vote tally, with Bailey and Edgecombe coming in third and fourth.

In that same poll last year, Reed Sheppard and Zach Edey were forecasted as the top candidates for Rookie of the Year, though eventual winner Stephon Castle came in a close third.

Fischer’s Latest: RFAs, Smart, Vucevic, Brogdon

July 25th, 2025 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

In addition to sharing the latest updates on Nets guard Cam Thomas, NBA insider Jake Fischer checked in on the other three most notable remaining restricted free agents during his Bleacher Report live stream on Thursday, discussing Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, and Sixers guard Quentin Grimes.

Fischer stated that he doesn’t expect there to be resolution on either Giddey or Grimes this month (YouTube link) and expressed a belief that Grimes, Kuminga, and Thomas will eventually agree to short-term deals with their respective teams rather than long-term contracts (YouTube link).

While that leaves Giddey as the most likely player of the quartet to work out a longer-term agreement, Fischer added that he thinks Giddey’s dynamic with the Bulls is the “most strained” of the bunch right now, due to how the negotiations have played out so far (YouTube link).

Here’s more from Fischer:

Before Marcus Smart agreed to a buyout with Washington and signed with the Lakers, the Wizards had “a ton” of trade discussions about the former Defensive Player of the Year, per Fischer (YouTube link). The Bucks, Hawks, and Heat were among the teams that spoke to the Wizards about possible deals involving Smart, according to Fischer, who says that Washington and Miami talked at one point about a trade that would’ve included Terry Rozier.
Responding to a question about the possibility of the Bulls trading Nikola Vucevic, Fischer stressed that there isn’t much of a market for the veteran center (YouTube link). “I think at this juncture, we’re probably more likely to see a Nikola Vucevic buyout mid-season than we are to see a trade,” Fischer said. “Depending on how the market unfolds, depending on how injuries develop. There just really hasn’t been much of a Nikola Vucevic trade market in a while.”
Fischer views the Timberwolves as perhaps the most logical landing spot for free agent guard Malcolm Brogdon (YouTube link). Fischer acknowledges that that Minnesota wants to give youngsters Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. more opportunities to establish themselves as rotation players, but notes that the team could use another veteran option to complement Mike Conley, who will turn 38 in October. “I think Minnesota still stands as a really good situation for Malcolm Brogdon and one that he’s been monitoring, one that the Wolves have checked in on,” Fischer said. “I’m not making a prediction, but I think that’s a good situation for Malcolm Brogdon.”