Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

West FA Rumors: A. Johnson, Looney, Exum

July 1st, 2018 at 1:13am CST by Austin Kent

At least three Western Conference teams are said to have already contacted veteran big man Amir Johnson mere hours into free agency. Per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News the Timberwolves have been in touch, while Sean Deveney of The Sporting News adds that the Clippers and Lakers have too.

This time last season, Johnson inked a one-year, $11MM deal to serve as a reliable, veteran presence in the middle for the Sixers and it stands to reason that any of the teams kicking the tires on him this time around would be interested in a similar addition.

Johnson averaged 4.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for Philly in 2017/18 but served as a defensive force in the paint and a low maintenance spot starter in games that Joel Embiid sat out.

There are more free agency rumors from around the Western Conference:

The Warriors have already made contact with Kevon Looney about bringing him back to the Bay Area, Mark Medina of The Mercury News writes, but the forward is said to be fielding interest from other teams as well. Golden State elected not to guarantee the fourth year of his rookie deal when they had the chance to do so last fall.
The Jazz are making restricted free agent Dante Exum a priority, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets, and already have a meeting set up to discuss a new deal.
Pending restricted free agent Montrezl Harrell has changed representation, Liz Mullen of The Sports Business Journal tweets. Now the Clippers big man will be represented by Bobby Petriella of Rosenhaus Sports. He was previously represented by Klutch Sports Group.

Wolves Plan To Offer Jimmy Butler Contract Extension

July 1st, 2018 at 12:42am CST by Austin Kent

The Timberwolves plan to offer guard Jimmy Butler a contract extension in the four-year, $110MM range as soon as they’re eligible to do so, Marc Stein of The New York Times tweets. That, however, doesn’t mean that he’ll necessarily sign it.

Due to limitations of the contract extension scale in place, Butler would only be eligible sign for as much as $24.5MM in 2019/20. That mark falls well short of the projected first year of a max contract for a player with Butler’s service should he choose to enter free agency in 2019.

Butler will be 29 years old this time next year, with eight years of NBA experience. While the actual figures will change when the 2019/20 salary figures are released, he would be eligible to sign for north of $30MM based on this year’s figures and is still young enough to make a serious case for a full five-year deal.

Butler posted 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in his first season with the Timberwolves and emerged as a driving force behind Minnesota’s return to the postseason for the first time in 2004.

Timberwolves Waive Cole Aldrich

June 30th, 2018 at 2:50pm CST by clarkcrum

The Timberwolves have waived backup center Cole Aldrich, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Aldrich’s $6.96MM contract, already guaranteed for $2.06MM, was scheduled to become fully guaranteed if Aldrich remained on Minnesota’s roster past today. Accordingly, the Wolves saved $4.9MM by cutting ties with Aldrich.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes, Minnesota will have the option to stretch the amount still owed to Aldrich over three years, which would open up an additional $1.37MM in cap room this summer.

Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News predicts that the Wolves will stretch Aldrich’s contract in order to avoid potential tax penalties should the team choose to use the full value of its MLE.

Aldrich, 29, averaged a career-low 0.6 PPG in only 21 games this past season. Throughout his eight-season career, he has averaged 3.1 points in 10.0 minutes per contest.

Club Will Be Shopping For Bargains

June 30th, 2018 at 11:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

Salary-cap issues will force the Timberwolves to be frugal in free agency, the Associated Press reports. They’ll have to find some players on the market willing to team-friendly deals, perhaps for the veteran’s minimum, to fill out the bench, the report adds.

Timberwolves Working Out James Nunnally

June 29th, 2018 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

Coming off a big EuroLeague season, James Nunnally is re-testing the NBA market, according to international basketball reporter David Pick, who tweets that Nunnally worked out for the Trail Blazers and will also get a look from the Timberwolves.

Nemanja Bjelica Receives QO From Timberwolves

June 28th, 2018 at 5:16pm CST by clarkcrum

The Timberwolves have issued a qualifying offer to forward Nemanja Bjelica, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The move ensures that Bjelica will become a RFA this Sunday, giving Minnesota the right to match any offer he receives.

The move doesn’t come as a big surprise, with the team saying earlier this week that they were interested in bringing the reliable, 30-year-old veteran back to Minneapolis next season.

Bjelica, who averaged a career-high 6.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 67 contests (21 starts) during the 2017/18 season, has a qualifying offer worth about $4.9MM after making just under $4MM last season.

As with any other restricted free agent, Bjelica now has the option of accepting his one-year qualifying offer, negotiating a new agreement with the Wolves, or securing an offer sheet from another team. In a separate tweet, Krawczynski adds that Bjelica is expected to test the market, and that Minnesota is already bracing for an offer that would be too pricey to match.

Bjelica was one of three Timberwolves’ players eligible for restricted free agency this season. The team has already opted not to extend a QO to Marcus Georges-Hunt and has until Saturday to make a decision on Amile Jefferson.

Wolves Want To Re-Sign Nemanja Bjelica

June 25th, 2018 at 12:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Within a lengthy discussion with Britt Robson on the Timberwolves‘ offseason plans, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes that Minnesota would love to bring back Nemanja Bjelica, who is a free agent this summer. Second-round pick Keita Bates-Diop will provide some frontcourt insurance if Bjelica departs, but the club values the 30-year-old veteran as a known – and reliable – commodity, Krawczynski adds.

Details On Wolves' Draft-Night Trade Talks

June 22nd, 2018 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves were active on the phones throughout the draft considering potential trades, but ultimately decided that keeping the 20th and 48th picks was their best option, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Minnesota had spoken to the Pacers, Trail Blazers, and Hawks about moving down from No. 20, but with a run on wings happening, didn’t want to risk losing out on a player like Okogie, Krawczynski notes.

Wolves Plan To Hold On To Okogie

June 21st, 2018 at 10:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves continue to pursue draft-night deals, but first-round pick Josh Okogie isn’t likely to be included, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Timberwolves Exploring Trade Down From No. 20

June 21st, 2018 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have looked into the possibility of moving down from No. 20 in the draft, according to Jon Krawcyznski and Michael Scotto of The Athletic. League sources tell Krawczynski and Scotto that the Wolves have talked to at least three teams picking below them in the first round about possible deals.

The specific details of those conversations aren’t known. Krawczynski notes that Minnesota may be either looking to pick up an extra selection, as we heard earlier today, or shed some salary. Krawczynski also cautions that the Wolves’ front office has a track record of making a lot of exploratory trade calls, so it’s unclear how serious those discussions might get tonight.

While several scenarios are in play for the Wolves, one would involving attaching the No. 20 pick to Gorgui Dieng, whose contract the club would like to move. Dieng is owed more than $48MM over the next three years, and Minnesota’s roster will start getting expensive with Andrew Wiggins‘ maximum-salary extension set to take effect and a max deal for Karl-Anthony Towns likely to follow in 2019/20.

Still, sources inside and outside of the organization are “skeptical” about the Wolves’ chances of finding much of a market for Dieng, Krawczynski writes.