Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

PJ Dozier Waived By Timberwolves

December 28th, 2024 at 4:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves have waived PJ Dozier, the team announced in a press release.

Dozier signed a one-year contract with Minnesota in July that initially carried a partial guarantee of $1MM on his $2.6MM salary. All contracts throughout the league will become guaranteed after January 7, so the Wolves opted to part with Dozier rather than paying him for the rest of the season.

Minnesota will incur a $1,051,255 cap hit and will save about $5MM on its luxury tax bill, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).

The 28-year-old swingman saw minimal playing time with the Wolves, appearing in nine games and averaging just 3.9 minutes per night. He collected seven total points, five rebounds and five assists.

Dozier was attempting an NBA comeback after playing for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia last season. He was given the opportunity by president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who ran the Nuggets during Dozier’s three seasons in Denver.

Dozier has played in 130 games over seven NBA seasons, spending time with Oklahoma City, Boston, Denver and Sacramento before coming to Minnesota. He has been mainly a reserve throughout his career and has compiled averages of 5.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 15.4 minutes per game.

The Wolves had a full 15-man roster, so they’re not facing any time limit to replace Dozier. They could decide to promote one of their two-way players, Jaylen Clark, Jesse Edwards or Daishen Nix, they could look for a minimum-salary free agent or they could keep the roster spot open to reduce their tax bill.

Northwest Notes: Randle, DiVincenzo, Henderson, Jazz, Nuggets, Dort, Wallace

December 28th, 2024 at 10:10am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Timberwolves haven’t looked like the team that went to the Western Conference Finals last year in the early part of this season after replacing Karl-Anthony Towns with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo via trade. Randle has a $30.9MM player option for next season, and Fred Katz of The Athletic ponders whether the veteran forward will wind up opting in as opposed to hitting free agency.

As Katz points out, there are few teams with projected cap space next offseason. Trades to shed salary to create cap space are also hard to pull off, and teams may be pickier than ever with their long-term money, given the restrictions in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Katz also looks to other top potential free agents like Jimmy Butler and James Harden, and the difficulty either would have in finding suitable money from a competitive team if each declines his player option for 2025/26.

While Randle and his representation likely wouldn’t have considered proposing a team-friendly long-term deal below his projected option salary to Minnesota in the past, the new CBA landscape could change things. Randle, who is extension-eligible, is averaging 20.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game this season.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

DiVincenzo continues to round into form after a cold start to the season, shooting 48.5% from three in his past five games. After the Timberwolves won consecutive games on Wednesday and Friday, the guard spoke on the team’s chemistry, according to The Star Tribune’s Chris Hine (Twitter link). “We know what the expectations are,” DiVincenzo said. “We know everything and everybody feels it. But at the end of the day, can’t do s–t about it. We have to stay together. You either grow apart or grow together. Tonight was huge.“
The Timberwolves‘ narrow win over the Rockets on Friday showcased a team with title aspirations, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski writes. Anthony Edwards hit a game-winner, head coach Chris Finch handled rotations well, and several pieces stood out. But the play of Randle and DiVincenzo is perhaps the biggest reason for optimism, Krawczynski writes, with Randle going for 27 points and DiVincenzo hitting six threes. “It’s tough. Four straight years, four different teams,” DiVincenzo said. “But the thing about this team is they’ve embraced me. They’ve embraced my ups and downs and continued to push me because I know — and they know — the tide turns. You ain’t gonna be down the whole season. That’s everybody’s mentality here, and I really feel at home.”
2023 No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson‘s stats for the Trail Blazers this season are underwhelming, but he had one of the best moments of his young NBA career on Thursday against Utah. Henderson made the game-winner for Portland while scoring 18 points and 10 assists. “You dream of plays like that,” Henderson said, according to Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin.
Meanwhile, the Jazz falling to Portland in last-second fashion was an “ideal loss,” opines Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Rookie Isaiah Collier drew his second career start and showed flashes while the rest of the young core got an opportunity for big minutes.
The Nuggets have lost two games in a row and surrendered 149 points to the Cavaliers in their latest defeat. After Friday’s loss to Cleveland, Nikola Jokic addressed Denver’s lackluster play that has the team outside the top six in the West, according to DNVR Sports’ Harrison Wind (Twitter link). “We are not even close to where we’re supposed to be,” Jokic said. “I think how bad we’ve played, we’re in a good spot. We need to start thinking what I can do for this team to help, not what the team can do to help me…We should point [the thumb not the finger].“
Thunder guards Luguentz Dort and Cason Wallace are both listed as out for Saturday’s game against the Hornets, according to The Oklahoman’s Joel Lorenzi (Twitter link). Dort is dealing with an ankle sprain while Wallace is suffering from a quad contusion. This will be Wallace’s first career missed game since entering the league last year.

Randle Still Adjusting To New Role

December 26th, 2024 at 2:38pm CST by Rory Maher

Following the Timberwolves‘ victory over Dallas on Wednesday, power forward Julius Randle said he’s still getting used to acting as more of a facilitator after spending several years in New York being “wired to score,” according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “That’s really been the biggest change. You’re somewhere for five years, playing a certain way and I come here and it’s a little bit different,” said Randle, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer if he declines his $30.94MM player option for 2025/26. “I love my role here. I love playing with my teammates, but finding what helps the team and what the team needs the most on a night-to-night basis has been the harder part, but everybody has been great with me, coaches included, helping me adjust and figuring things out.”

Community Shootaround: Christmas Day Games

December 25th, 2024 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

Merry Christmas from the Hoops Rumors staff!

As usual, the NBA has a five-game slate on tap for Christmas Day, with many of the league’s top teams and biggest stars in action on December 25. Here’s today’s schedule:

11:00 am CT: San Antonio Spurs (15-14) at New York Knicks (19-10)
1:30 pm CT: Minnesota Timberwolves (14-14) at Dallas Mavericks (19-10)
4:00 pm CT: Philadelphia 76ers (10-17) at Boston Celtics (22-7)
7:00 pm CT: Los Angeles Lakers (16-13) at Golden State Warriors (15-13)
9:30 pm CT: Denver Nuggets (16-11) at Phoenix Suns (14-14)

While the goal on Christmas Day is generally to showcase some of the day’s biggest stars and best teams, this year’s schedule is a little lacking in the latter.

Despite featuring seven teams from the Western Conference, today’s slate of games doesn’t include any of the West’s top three seeds, the Thunder, Rockets, and Grizzlies. While Houston and Memphis weren’t necessarily expected to be this good, Oklahoma City’s absence is conspicuous, given that the Thunder were the No. 1 seed in the West last season.

Over in the East, we’ve got the No. 2 and 3 seeds in action today, but the NBA’s best team, the 26-4 Cavaliers, won’t be part of the Christmas Day slate. Instead, the third Eastern club is the 12th-seeded Sixers, who have been plagued by injuries but at least will have their big three available on Wednesday — Tyrese Maxey and Paul George aren’t on the injury report, and Joel Embiid is listed as available.

Despite the absence of so many top teams, each matchup still has something going for it, with plenty of star power on display.

The afternoon will feature rising phenom Victor Wembanyama visiting Madison Square Garden and the streaking Knicks, who have won four games in a row; a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals between the Timberwolves and Mavericks, who should have star guards Kyrie Irving (available) and Luka Doncic (probable) active today; and those aforementioned three Sixers stars going up against the defending champions in Boston.

The first evening contest between the Lakers and Warriors pits the No. 7 seed in the West against No. 8, but it also could be one of the last few times that NBA legends LeBron James and Stephen Curry face one another. James is considered questionable due to left foot injury management, but I’d be shocked if he didn’t play. A couple more would-be Western contenders who have had up-and-down starts will wrap up the day when the Nuggets visit Phoenix in a game that will feature a pair of former MVPs in Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant.

We want to know what you think. Are there any teams you wish were or weren’t part of today’s schedule? Which of these five games are you most looking forward to? Which five teams are you picking to win this year’s Christmas Day matchups?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in, and feel free to use it as an open thread to discuss today’s games.

Western Notes: Colllins, Wembanyama, Finch, Murray

December 24th, 2024 at 8:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Zach Collins has lost his rotation spot with the Spurs, but he’s not going to cause a distraction. Collins, who hasn’t played in the last five games (including three DNP-CDs) after seeing the court in each of the first 24 this season, says he’ll be ready to play whenever called upon, he told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.

“I’ve said this since I’ve been here, I want to play 48 minutes a game,” said Collins, who is signed through next season. “But right now it’s not my role, so my job is just to stay ready. I got to stay ready as a professional when my number is called. God forbid, somebody gets hurt, but the lineups change, somebody gets sick, whatever. Guys have to be ready. Not just me, but all the guys that haven’t been playing, we all got to be ready, so that’s where my mind’s at.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

Victor Wembanyama is a unique talent and he knows it. He told the Spurs not to underestimate his versatility prior to his rookie season, Michael C. Wright of ESPN reports. “The best way for me to help is to not put me in a box,” he said then. Wembanyama wasn’t popular in Philadelphia on Monday, as he was showered with boos after Joel Embiid was ejected and Andre Drummond was nearly ejected. Wembanyama was accused of flopping before the officials realized he had tripped. “I’ve seen much, much worse, so this is nothing,” Wembanyama told Orsborn when asked about the hostile fans.
Chris Finch is grasping for solutions to fix the Timberwolves’ slumbering offense. The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski writes. Minnesota has lost three straight and the team’s offense has dropped to 23rd at 110.3 points per 100 possessions. Finch has continued to stick with his usual eight-man rotation, though it may be time to do something bold, such as swapping Naz Reid for Julius Randle in the starting lineup, Krawczynski writes. Finch is open-minded about making changes. “Everything’s always on the table, for sure,” the head coach said. “But also we need to keep looking at lineup combinations as the game goes on, too.”
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray missed Monday’s game against Phoenix after spraining his right ankle the previous night. The Nuggets will face the Suns again on Christmas Day and Murray is listed as questionable, the team tweets. Murray, who is averaging 19.1 points and 6.1 assists, has missed six games this season.

Anthony Edwards Fined $75K By NBA

December 23rd, 2024 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has been fined $75K by the NBA for public criticism of the officiating and using inappropriate and profane language, the league announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Following Saturday’s loss to Golden State, Edwards dedicated his post-game media session to discussing the officiating, as Dane Moore of Blue Wire Pods relayed (Twitter video link).

“F—ing terrible. All of them, besides the woman. The other two dudes, terrible,” Edwards said. “Excuses (for) the reason they call a foul, the reason they don’t call a foul, the s–t was terrible. They don’t want to talk back to my coach. They don’t want to talk back to me. I said one thing to the ref and he gave me a tech. Motherf—er told one of my teammates if I would’ve said, ‘Y’all calling a bad foul,’ he wouldn’t have gave me a tech.

“… They’re just sensitive and they’re terrible. They penalize me and (Julius Randle) for being stronger than our opponent every night. We don’t get no calls.”

While Edwards said he has had issues with the officiating all season, he made it clear he felt it was worse than usual in Saturday’s game vs. the Warriors.

“Tonight was bad,” he said. “(Golden State) was getting ticky-tack fouls and we weren’t getting nothing.”

Edwards was fined $25K by the league two weeks ago for using profane language in a post-game interview. He was also hit with a $35K fine last month for giving a Kings fan in Sacramento the middle finger.

T.J. Warren, Jahlil Okafor Headline NBAGL All-Showcase Team

December 23rd, 2024 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA G League has announced (via Twitter) a five-man All-Showcase Team following its 2024 Winter Showcase in Orlando, which wrapped up in Sunday. The standout players recognized by the NBAGL are as follows:

Josh Christopher (Sioux Falls Skyforce)
Leonard Miller (Iowa Wolves)
Jahlil Okafor (Indiana Mad Ants)
T.J. Warren (Westchester Knicks)
Jahmir Young (Grand Rapids Gold)

The event, which was the culmination of the G League’s fall Tip-Off Tournament, included an eight-team, single-elimination bracket made up of the top finishers in the Tip-Off Tournament. Those eight clubs were vying for the Showcase Cup, with the league’s other 22 teams each playing a pair of non-tournaments from Thursday to Sunday.

Warren’s Knicks defeated Christopher’s Skyforce in the Showcase Cup final, with Warren averaging 22.7 points per game on 54.8% shooting in Westchester’s three victories. The veteran forward had 24 points and four assists in Sunday’s championship game.

Four of the five players named to the All-Showcase Team were in the Showcase Cup bracket. The only exception was Okafor, who averaged 22.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game on 66.7% shooting in a pair of non-tournament victories for the Pacers‘ affiliate.

While Miller is on a standard NBA contract with the Timberwolves and Christopher is on a two-way deal with the Heat, Warren, Okafor, and Young aren’t currently controlled by NBA teams and could be freely signed by one at any time. Their performances over the weekend in front of scouts and executives should help strengthen their cases for NBA promotions, especially once the 10-day contract window opens in January.

Warren and Okafor are NBA veterans who each have several years of experience in the league, whereas Young is an undrafted rookie who was in camp with the Nuggets in the fall. The former Maryland standout had 22 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds in Grand Rapids’ win over the OKC Blue on Thursday, then put up 28 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and three steals in a losing effort to Westchester on Saturday.

New York Notes: Towns, Achiuwa, Claxton, Fernandez

December 20th, 2024 at 8:04am CST by Arthur Hill

Karl-Anthony Towns was outstanding in his return to Minnesota Thursday night, and the Knicks look like the clear winners of the trade that shook up the NBA just before the start of training camp, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.

Towns, one of the top players in Timberwolves history, was sent to New York in a three-team deal to get the Wolves out from under his pricey contract. He didn’t have anything negative to say about the franchise as he played in Minnesota for the first time since the trade, but his play spoke loudly as he racked up 32 points, 20 rebounds and six assists while shooting 10-of-12 from the field.

“I was here nine years. That’s a long time. I called this place home,” Towns said. “To be back here, to be able to sleep in my house one more time, it was really a nostalgic feeling.”

While Towns is making a strong case to be an All-Star starter, the trade hasn’t worked out nearly as well for the Wolves, Bondy adds. Julius Randle came out hot on Thursday with 15 points and three assists in the first quarter while directing numerous comments at the Knicks’ bench. However, he was mostly ineffective after OG Anunoby began guarding him and left without speaking to reporters. Donte DiVincenzo had 15 points in 25 minutes, but much of that came during garbage time as New York held a huge lead for most of the night.

“The game wasn’t just another game,” Towns said. “If anyone tells you otherwise that’s a lie.”

There’s more on the two New York teams:

Josh Hart missed the game for personal reasons, marking the first time all season that the Knicks have been without one of their starting wings, according to Bondy. Precious Achiuwa made his first start of the season and delivered 13 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes. Jericho Sims returned to the rotation and had six points in 18 minutes.
Nets center Nic Claxton admits he needs to stay in control after being ejected Thursday for the third time this season, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Claxton got tossed when he threw the ball into the stands after being intentionally fouled by Kelly Olynyk on a drive to the basket. He appeared to be frustrated over a non-call on the previous possession. “I just had a mental lapse, and I just launched the ball in the crowd,” Claxton told reporters after the game. “And I can’t let my emotions get to that point. I got to be there for my team.”
The Nets rallied for a win at Toronto that boosts their playoff chances but likely hurts their position in the lottery, Lewis adds. Coach Jordi Fernandez was happy that his players kept battling, as he wants their focus to be on remaining competitive rather than next year’s draft. “There was adversity, for many different reasons, but nobody dropped their shoulders, and they kept playing,” Fernandez said. “Winning a game like this, it’s important for us.”

Knicks Notes: Randle, DiVincenzo, Finch, Towns

December 19th, 2024 at 6:22pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Knicks and the Timberwolves are set to play each other on Thursday night for the first time since making a blockbuster deal that sent long-time Wolves star Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. Former Knick Julius Randle was a part of that deal after spending five seasons with New York — it was the best stretch of his career, as he averaged 22.6 points per game and made three All-Star teams.

Despite Randle’s impressive stint in New York, he told reporters that he sees Thursday’s matchup as just “another game,” according to Peter Botte of the New York Post, and didn’t offer many further remarks when asked about facing his old team.

“Whenever you get traded, no matter what it is, it’s always tough, it’s always emotional,” former teammate Josh Hart said. “You always have that sense of not being wanted. That’s on both sides. I think [Donte DiVincenzo] and [Randle] probably felt that way. And KAT probably felt that way, and every time a trade happens, you feel, even if you’re the big piece of the trade and another team wants you, you still feel a little chip on your shoulder and you still feel unwanted.”

The Knicks know the challenge they’re facing off against with Randle, who is averaging 20.1 points this season.

“Jules is a great player. He can do it all,” OG Anunoby said, per Botte. “Pass, shoot, drive. Great player.”

We have more from the Knicks:

DiVincenzo still keeps in touch with his former Knicks teammates and knows what they’re going through, Botte writes in another story. DiVincenzo is averaging 8.3 PPG while shooting 31.9% from deep and was open about the difficulties of adjusting to a new team. “It’s not normal to make a trade the day before media day. Both sides, it takes time to adjust,” DiVincenzo said. “Great things take time. On our side, I believe that, but also on their side. I think KAT’s playing really well, but it’s going to take time to mesh, for other guys to adjust to what he does.”
Adding another layer to an already interesting relationship between the two teams, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reports (subscriber link) that Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch almost took a job under Tom Thibodeau in 2020 before winding up with Nick Nurse in Toronto. “Thibs had his staff already full. And so he just wanted me to come in as a consultant/backroom guy,” Finch said. “But I wanted more to coach. I wanted to be out there.”
The Knicks have gotten everything they hoped for from Towns when they traded for him, Fred Katz of The Athletic writes. Towns is averaging a career and league-high 13.9 rebounds per game while also contributing 24.8 points per contest, his most since the 2020/21 season. His shooting line is a scorching .526/.439/.845.

Warriors Remain Atop 2024 NBA Franchise Valuations

December 18th, 2024 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors remain the NBA’s most valuable team, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico, who unveiled the website’s updated NBA franchise valuations for 2024 on Wednesday.

Badenhausen projects the Warriors’ value at $9.14 billion, making them one of three teams to surpass the $8 billion mark this year. The Knicks have a projected worth of $8.3 billion, while the Lakers come in at $8.07 billion, per Sportico. Only the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys – at $10.3 billion – have a higher valuation than Golden State among North American sports teams, says Badenhausen.

While Sportico’s figures suggest the Warriors, Knicks, and Lakers are worth significantly more than the fourth-place team (the Nets at $5.7 billion), the average value of an NBA franchise is up to $4.6 billion, with no team worth less than $3 billion.

That average has increased by 15% since Sportico released its 2023 valuations last December and has nearly doubled since the site published its first NBA franchise valuations four years ago, when the average was $2.37 billion.

The NBA’s new $77 billion media rights deal and a 15% increase in team sponsorship are among the factors contributing to the rising valuations of the league’s franchises, according to Badenhausen, who notes that a post-COVID boom in concerts and other major events has been good news for team owners who also control their arenas.

NBA team owners operated 10 of the world’s 20 highest-grossing concert venues in 2024, with the Nets’ Barclays Center coming in at No. 1, says Badenhausen. The Nets’ valuation is up 43% this year, per Sportico, easily the largest year-over-year increase among the 30 NBA franchises.

When Forbes put out its NBA franchise valuations in October, it pegged the average value of a team at $4.4 billion. In the past, we’ve used Forbes as our primary source for NBA franchise valuations, but with Badenhausen making the move from Forbes to Sportico in recent years and the outlet establishing itself as a go-to resource for sports business news, we begun highlighting Sportico’s projections as of 2023.

Of course, it’s worth noting that figures from Sportico, Forbes, or any other media outlet are just estimates and often don’t quite match up with the sale prices for franchises that change hands. But these projections are usually in the right ballpark and remain useful for getting a sense of the league’s most and least valuable teams.

Here’s Sportico’s full list of NBA franchise valuations for 2024:

Golden State Warriors: $9.14 billion
New York Knicks: $8.3 billion
Los Angeles Lakers: $8.07 billion
Brooklyn Nets: $5.7 billion
Los Angeles Clippers: $5.68 billion
Boston Celtics: $5.66 billion
Chicago Bulls: $5.56 billion
Miami Heat: $5 billion
Houston Rockets: $4.77 billion
Toronto Raptors: $4.66 billion
Philadelphia 76ers: $4.57 billion
Dallas Mavericks: $4.46 billion
Phoenix Suns: $4.32 billion
Sacramento Kings: $4.11 billion
Atlanta Hawks: $4.07 billion
Denver Nuggets: $4.06 billion
Washington Wizards: $3.98 billion
Cleveland Cavaliers: $3.95 billion
Milwaukee Bucks: $3.91 billion
San Antonio Spurs: $3.79 billion
Indiana Pacers: $3.74 billion
Utah Jazz: $3.67 billion
Portland Trail Blazers: $3.6 billion
Oklahoma City Thunder: $3.55 billion
Orlando Magic: $3.46 billion
Detroit Pistons: $3.45 billion
Charlotte Hornets: $3.39 billion
Minnesota Timberwolves: $3.29 billion
New Orleans Pelicans: $3.09 billion
Memphis Grizzlies: $3.06 billion

As Badenhausen notes, Sportico’s projections are based on a control sale price, rather than limited stake purchases. No NBA franchise saw its majority control change hands in 2024, but that could change in 2025, with control of the Celtics up for sale.

According to Badenhausen, team executives and investors have predicted a sale price ranging from $4.5 billion to $6.5 billion for the Celtics. The final valuation will be determined by a number of factors, including how many bidders are on the mix, what percentage of the team they can buy, and whether current governor Wyc Grousbeck insists on remaining in that role until 2028, which he has indicated is his goal.