Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wolves Notes: Jones, Wiggins, Bench, Taylor

March 3rd, 2019 at 1:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tyus Jones’ status as a restricted free agent is among several factors that make it hard to predict whether he’ll return to the Timberwolves next season, according to Michael Rand and Chris Hine of the Star-Tribune. Minnesota will have to determine how high it is willing to go to match an offer for the fourth-year point guard, who is making $2.44MM this year.

The decision will be influenced by whether starting point guard Jeff Teague opts into a $19MM salary for next year. The Wolves, who have luxury tax concerns, could find their budget tightening if Karl-Anthony Towns makes an All-NBA team, which would increase the value of his extension by $6MM per season.

There’s also a question of whether current GM Scott Layden will be kept around to make the decision on Jones. Minnesota didn’t give serious consideration to giving Jones an extension when Tom Thibodeau was running the organization, but Hine believes Ryan Saunders will advocate for keeping Jones if he is still the coach.

There’s more Wolves news to pass along:

Minnesota should take away Andrew Wiggins‘ starting spot and try to trade him this summer, contends Jim Souhan of The Star-Tribune. Wiggins’ low shooting percentages and poor defensive effort have become too much for the team to endure, Souhan argues, and benching him might be the last chance to motivate him and save the season. Wiggins still has four seasons and more than $121MM remaining on his contract.
The coaching change has worked out well for the Timberwolves’ reserves, who are seeing more playing time with Saunders than they did under Thibodeau, notes Kent Youngblood of The Star-Tribune. Luol Deng, Keita Bates-Diop and Anthony Tolliver are among those getting a greater chance to contribute.
Owner Glen Taylor recently purchased the 5% ownership in the team held by Chinese investor Lizhang Jiang and may eventually sell some of that to Meyer Orbach, who bought 9.5% of the franchise in 2016, according to Sid Hartman of The Star-Tribune. “I think [the team’s value] went up about 19 percent, which is an awful lot, but everybody else’s went up, too,” Taylor said of a recent Forbes report that valued the Wolves at $1.26 billion. “It is just unbelievable. It’s not anything I anticipated, and it’s surprising. But at this point, I just want to continue to play with this team and work with them. And I have every expectation it might continue to go up in the future.”

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/2/19

March 2nd, 2019 at 8:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Timberwolves recalled Robert Covington from their Iowa affiliate, the team announced on Twitter. Covington, who is recovering from a bone bruise on his right knee, has already been ruled out of tomorrow’s game against the Wizards.
The Spurs recalled first-round pick Lonnie Walker from Austin, according to a press release. After suffering a meniscus tear in the preseason, Walker has appeared in just six NBA games, but is averaging 16.0 PPG in 20 games with Austin.
The Clippers recalled first-round pick Jerome Robinson from Agua Caliente, the team tweeted.
The Grizzlies recalled Jevon Carter from the Memphis Hustle.
The Hornets tweeted that they assigned Dwayne Bacon to the Greensboro Swarm so he could play in tonight’s game against Long Island.

How The AD Saga Could Impact Wolves, Towns

February 28th, 2019 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The trajectory of Karl-Anthony Towns‘ 2018/19 season significantly changed when the Timberwolves finally found a taker for Jimmy Butler, sending him to Philadelphia in November. Prior to that trade, Towns had been just okay by his standards, averaging 19.9 PPG and 10.8 RPG on 45.9% shooting in 13 contests. Since Butler’s departure, the former No. 1 overall pick has boosted those averages to 24.6 PPG, 12.7 RPG, and a 53.3 FG% in 46 games.

While Butler’s departure helped boost Towns’ numbers, it may be another player’s trade request that ultimately has a greater impact on the 23-year-old and his team, as Dane Moore of 1500 ESPN observed this week (via Twitter).

When Towns signed a five-year, maximum-salary contract extension with Minnesota last fall, a decision Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic recently revisited and explored in more detail, the two sides agreed to a condition that will determine how much the deal is actually worth. If Towns earns a spot on an All-NBA team this spring, his new contract will have a starting salary worth 30% of the cap. If he doesn’t, his 2019/20 salary will be just 25% of the cap.

As our early maximum salary projections for 2019/20 show, that difference projects to represent a gap of more than $5MM next season. Over the course of the five-year contract, Towns would earn a projected $189.66MM on a 30% max, as opposed to $158.05MM on a 25% max. For a Minnesota team that’s also on the hook to a long-term max contract for Andrew Wiggins, that difference isn’t insignificant — it could help determine whether or not the Wolves can make certain moves in the coming years.

So what are the odds of Towns making an All-NBA team this season? Well, he’ll be considered a center, and there are two centers who look like locks to be named to All-NBA squads — Nikola Jokic has been an MVP candidate in Denver, and Joel Embiid has been the best player on a Sixers club that looks like a legit contender in the East. It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Towns beats out either player for a spot on the First or Second All-NBA Team.

Of course, there’s one more big man who would typically be a perennial lock for an All-NBA slot: Anthony Davis. That brings us back to AD’s trade request. Davis believes he should be considered the “best player in the league,” as he said on Wednesday night (link via Martin Rogers of USA Today), but the extent to which his public trade request has devastated the Pelicans won’t be lost on voters.

Based on his pure numbers (27.5 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 4.1 APG, and 2.5 BPG), Davis obviously has a strong All-NBA case, but he’ll likely be blamed for the dysfunction in New Orleans and penalized accordingly for it. His minute restrictions down the stretch will reduce his overall numbers, and he’s unlikely to play more than 65 games. Plus, the Pelicans are on track to be a bottom-four team in the West. And on top of all that, some All-NBA voters may consider Davis a forward, which would split his votes between two positions. There are a lot of factors working against him earning one of the three center spots.

It’s still possible that voters will name Davis to an All-NBA team, but I’m somewhat skeptical. And if AD doesn’t make it, that opens the door for another center to grab a Third Team spot. Towns would be a prime candidate for that slot, though he’d face stiff competition from Rudy Gobert and Nikola Vucevic, both of whom are having excellent seasons.

Gobert’s impact on the defensive end of the court could give him a leg up on Towns, but only if All-NBA voters weigh his defensive contributions much more heavily than All-Star voters did — Gobert didn’t earn a spot on the Western Conference All-Star team this month.

As for Vucevic, he isn’t scoring quite as much as Towns this season, but his numbers across the rest of the board match up pretty favorably with the Wolves’ young star. If Vucevic helps push the Magic into the postseason, perhaps he’d get the edge over Towns. If not, I could see voters being swayed by KAT’s more impressive scoring numbers.

It remains to be seen whether Towns will ultimately be named an All-NBA player, but it’s a subplot worth watching the rest of the way, since voters will be making a $30MM+ decision. If KAT does earn a spot on an All-NBA roster, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Davis’ trade request indirectly helped get him there.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/27/19

February 27th, 2019 at 9:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Here are Wednesday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:

The Timberwolves assigned veteran forward Robert Covington to their Iowa affiliate as he works his way back from a bruised knee he suffered in late December, the team announced on Twitter. Covington has played just 22 games for Minnesota since being acquired from the Sixers in November.
The Hornets assigned guard Devonte’ Graham to the Greensboro Swarm, according to a press release. Graham has posted a 23.8/4.5/4.8 line in in 10 G League games.
The Jazz assigned guard Grayson Allen to Salt Lake City, the team announced in a release. Allen is averaging 15.7 PPG in seven games with the Stars.
The Grizzlies recalled guard Jevon Carter from the Memphis Hustle, the team tweeted. Carter was active for tonight’s game against the Bulls.
The Sixers recalled center Justin Patton from Delaware, tweets Derek Bodner of The Athletic. Patton will join the team for tomorrow’s game at Oklahoma City.

Timberwolves Sign Cam Reynolds To 10-Day Deal

February 27th, 2019 at 12:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

FEBRUARY 27: The Timberwolves have officially signed Reynolds to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will run through next Friday (March 8).

FEBRUARY 25: The Timberwolves are signing swingman Cameron Reynolds of the G League’s Stockton Kings to a 10-day contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Reynolds provides depth with Robert Covington currently sidelined by a knee injury.

Reynolds, 24, was undrafted last year out of Tulane. He’s averaging 16.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 1.2 APG in 28.0 MPG over 33 G League games. He’s shooting 41.9% from 3-point range.

Reynolds was also named this month to the USA Basketball Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team.

In 135 college games with Tulane, Reynolds averaging 10.1 PPG and 4.5 RPG. He was waived in October after getting invited to the Kings’ training camp and also played for their summer league team.

Towns Says He’s “Lucky To Be Alive” After Car Accident

February 25th, 2019 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Karl-Anthony Towns, who was involved in a car accident last Thursday that sidelined him for the Timberwolves‘ last two games, has passed all the necessary tests and been removed from the concussion protocol, the team announced today (via Twitter). As a result, he’s expected to play in Minnesota’s game against Sacramento on Monday night.

Speaking today to reporters, Towns said the accident could have been a lot worse than it was, suggesting that he was “lucky to be alive” (link via ESPN.com). In KAT’s estimation, he beat long odds to survive the crash.

“The accident could have went — I’d say I had a five percent chance of making it out alive,” Towns said. “I hit the five percent mark. I’d say four percent was to be seriously injured, and one percent was to be minorly injured — and I came out in the one percent.”

As Towns explained, the car he was traveling in had to suddenly come to a full stop to avoid a separate accident in front of them. His car was then hit by a semi-truck, which Towns estimated was traveling at about 35-45 miles per hour.

“It could have been much worse,” Towns said. “In all honesty, I probably should not have made it out like I did.”

At 28-31, the Timberwolves are probably a long shot to make the postseason this year, but the team has to be relieved that its franchise player didn’t suffer a more serious injury as a result of Thursday’s accident. The two-time All-Star signed a maximum-salary contract extension last fall that will go into effect this July and keep him under contract for five more years.

Rose Shows Knicks He Can Still Play

February 24th, 2019 at 2:30pm CST by JD Shaw

Former Knicks guard Derrick Rose showed the team he can still play in the Timberwolves’ 115-104 win in Madison Square Garden on Friday. Rose, who’s has a resurgent season with Minnesota, tallied 20 points and three steals off the bench against the Knicks. “It’s great, it’s always great playing here,” Rose said, as relayed by Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “The fans are great here, and I know it felt good just being back in the league and playing the way I normally play, playing with that aggression.”

Timberwolves Will Not Sign Isaiah Canaan For Rest Of Season

February 23rd, 2019 at 1:05pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Timberwolves will not sign Isaiah Canaan for the rest of the season after his second 10-day contract expired, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.

With injuries to Derrick Rose, Jeff Teague and Tyus Jones, Minnesota signed Canaan for depth purposes. In seven games (one start) covering his two 10-day pacts, Canaan averaged 4.7 PPG and 2.7 APG while shooting an impressive 37% from three. However, with all three point guards healthy, the Timberwolves do not have a fit for the 27-year-old.

Canaan appeared in 19 games for the Suns earlier this season, averaging 7.5 PPG.

While Canaan is free to pursue opportunities for the remainder of the season, the door is open for a possible reunion over the summer, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic.

Towns Enters Concussion Protocol After Accident

February 22nd, 2019 at 5:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Timberwolves have yet to contact any potential executives or coaches as possible replacements for GM Scott Layden and interim head coach Ryan Saunders, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Saunders, son of former Minnesota coach Flip Saunders, was elevated when owner Glen Taylor fired Tom Thibodeau. Taylor is expected to use the rest of the regular season to evaluate Layden and Saunders, Krawczynski adds.
Karl-Anthony Towns has entered the league’s concussion protocol after being involved in a car accident on Thursday, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets. The Timberwolves’ star big man will not play against the Knicks on Friday. That will end his streak of 303 straight starts.

Northwest Notes: Morris, Saric, Saunders

February 16th, 2019 at 2:49pm CST by marksuleymanov

While the Thunder entered the All-Stat break with a loss to the Pelicans, the team will start the second half with an added boost. Oklahoma City agreed to terms with veteran big man Markieff Morris, which should fortify the team’s frontcourt.

Morris, who spent most of the season with the Wizards, has not played since December, when a neck injury forced him to the sidelines. While his role and performance were inconsistent in Washington, Morris averaged 11.5 PPG and 5.1 RPG in 34 games. Morris figures to serve as a primary backup at the four in Oklahoma City.

Brett Dawson and Fred Katz of The Athletic examined how Morris will fit in with the Thunder’s current roster. Katz compared Morris’ potential fit to that of Enes Kanter with a more capable perimeter game. While it remains to be seen how Morris settles in, at least one new teammate is excited by his arrival.

“We’re good,” Paul George said. “We’re a good group. We added a big piece in Markieff that we’re excited for, and we’re gonna be ready for the second half after this break.”

Check out more Northwest Division notes:

The Timberwolves‘ decision to start Dario Saric in place of Taj Gibson led the team to score 74 points in the paint on Thursday. Interim head coach Ryan Saunders complimented Saric on creating space with his presence, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “That’s one thing we like with Dario spacing the floor and having Taj in there at times, too,” Saunders said. “Karl(-Anthony Towns) has a little more opportunity to work. Playing through Karl is definitely a focus of ours.”
Speaking of Saunders, he’s only a few weeks into the job after the firing of Tom Thibodeau. Saunders praised the Timberwolves‘ players for easing his transition into head coaching duties, Feigen writes. “Anything that’s new and sudden, it takes time to get more comfortable just in your regimen, your daily routine in things. But I felt comfortable out there,” he said. “The credit goes to the players in terms of how they make me feel, too.”
At 27-30, the Timberwolves are four games back of the eighth seed in the Western Conference. While their postseason odds are not great, the team insists there is reason for optimism entering the second half, Chris Hine of the Star Tribune writes.