- Shabazz Muhammad, who has asked the Timberwolves to trade or release him, doesn’t have much value in a potential deal, writes Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. Zgoda identifies Minnesota’s main assets as Nemanja Bjelica and Justin Patton, but says the team may be reluctant to part with either one. Gorgui Dieng‘s $16MM salary could be useful in landing another star, and the Wolves can offer Cole Aldrich‘s deal, which is only guaranteed for a little more than $2MM for next season until June 20.
Timberwolves guard Shabazz Muhammad has asked to be traded or waived before Thursday’s deadline, according to Adrian Wojnarwoski of ESPN.
After being part of Minnesota’s rotation the past two seasons, Muhammad has seen a sharp drop in playing time this year, down to 9.6 minutes per night. He hasn’t played at all in 23 of the team’s last 32 games.
Muhammad re-signed with the Wolves over the offseason, expecting to continue in the reserve role he had become accustomed to. However, once Minnesota upgraded its roster by trading for Jimmy Butler and signing Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson, coach Tom Thibodeau adopted the shorter rotations he was known for in Chicago, Wojnarowski notes. He adds that Jamal Crawford, who signed with the Wolves during the summer, has voiced similar complaints about playing time.
Muhammad, 25, has a two-year deal that pays him nearly $1.6MM this season with a player option worth nearly $1.8MM for 2018/19. Wojnarowski writes that Muhammad had numerous conversations with Thibodeau and owner Glen Taylor before deciding to re-sign and believed that keeping his Bird Rights with Minnesota would benefit him if he opted out this summer.
However, any chance of him remaining with the franchise appears to be gone, as he doesn’t seem to be in the Wolves’ plans for the future.
Although Muhammad hasn’t produced much this season, his small salary, flexible contract and past performance might make him attractive on the trade market. He has posted scoring averages of 13.5, 10.5 and 9.9 the past three seasons.
Muhammad would forfeit his Bird Rights if traded because of the one-year Bird restriction, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Any team that acquires him would have to use cap space or an exception to re-sign him.
The NBA trade deadline is just over two weeks away, and there’s no shortage of players around the league who could change teams. With that in mind, we’re taking a closer look at some of those top trade candidates, breaking them down by division.
While our focus will be primarily on teams expected to be sellers at the deadline, our lists may also include some players on contenders who could be used as trade chips when those teams look to make upgrades.
So far, we’ve covered the Southeast, Southwest, and Atlantic. We’re examining the Northwest Division today, so let’s dive in and identify seven players who could be on the move on or before February 8…
Derrick Favors, F/C (Jazz): This isn’t the first season in which Favors has been considered a trade candidate, but the case for moving him is now stronger than ever. He’s on an expiring contract, the 19-28 Jazz are slipping out of the playoff race, and Utah looks like a better team with a small-ball power forward playing alongside Rudy Gobert. When Gobert has been sidelined due to injuries, Favors has played his best, which suggests he’d be better suited as a center than a power forward for most NBA teams. There are several teams that could be fits for that sort of player, but given Favors’ looming unrestricted free agency, the Jazz may have to be willing to take back some long-term salary in order to land a decent draft pick or a young player in exchange for the veteran big man.- Rodney Hood, SG (Jazz): In the wake of Gordon Hayward‘s offseason departure, Hood was identified as a prime breakout candidate and a key source of offense for the Jazz. However, injuries have once again slowed down the 25-year-old, who has played 60+ games in a season just once since entering the league in 2014. When he has played, Hood has been pretty effective, posting career-highs in several categories, including PPG (16.7) and 3PT% (.386). However, his injury history is an issue, and it’s no longer clear if he’s in Utah’s long-term plans. Hood will be a restricted free agent in the summer, which makes him a more appealing trade piece than a UFA-to-be like Favors, since a new team would be able to match any offers Hood receives. With the Jazz reportedly increasing their efforts to make a deal, teams in need of a scoring punch should be in on Hood.
- Joe Johnson, F (Jazz): Johnson made perfect sense on the 2016/17 Jazz roster as a veteran leader and a clutch-time scorer on a fairly young playoff team. He makes less sense on the current iteration on the Jazz, especially since his game has fallen off a cliff this season. Johnson’s average of 7.2 PPG is a career low, as is his dismal .258 3PT%. Unless the Jazz start to make a playoff push very soon, it seems unlikely that Johnson finishes the season in Utah — Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) hears that the veteran forward wants out. Of course, given his performance and his $10.5MM cap hit, Johnson may be end up being more of a buyout candidate than a trade candidate. It’s possible he could still help a contender, but at that salary – and at his age (36) – teams probably won’t pay much to find out.
- Kenneth Faried, PF (Nuggets): Given how long Faried has been the subject of trade rumors, it seems hard to believe that he still has one more year on his contract after this one. That extra guaranteed season could be problematic if and when the Nuggets look to move him — most teams won’t be looking to commit $13.76MM of next year’s cap to a somewhat one-dimensional player who is playing fewer minutes than ever this season. An off-and-on member of Denver’s rotation, Faried has averaged a modest 6.1 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 30 games (14.9 MPG) so far in 2017/18. The 28-year-old is still a solid rebounder and can finish at the rim, but he’s not a particularly strong rim protector on defense and he doesn’t shoot three-pointers — most NBA teams these days want their bigs to do one or the other. Moving Faried may require the Nuggets to attach an asset or two.
- Emmanuel Mudiay, PG (Nuggets): Mudiay has been a more efficient shooter in 2017/18 than he was in first two NBA seasons, particularly from three-point range (.387 3PT%). However, he’s still shooting just 39.1% overall, and he has once again seen his role reduced by the Nuggets. After starting 107 games in his first two seasons, the former No. 7 overall pick has come off the bench all year, having been usurped on the depth chart by Jamal Murray. Mudiay is still just 21 years old, and his rookie contract doesn’t expire until 2019, making him an intriguing trade target for a team that still believes in his potential. His trade value isn’t as high as it would have been a year or two ago, but it might be time for the Nuggets to get what they can.
- Maurice Harkless, F (Trail Blazers): Even after trading Allen Crabbe in the offseason, the Trail Blazers likely want to move off one more long-term contract in order to avoid ongoing luxury tax purgatory. The club may prefer to deal Evan Turner, who is earning $17MM+ annually, or Meyers Leonard, who has a contract similar to Harkless’ but barely plays. Still, of the three, Harkless represents the best combination of affordability (relative to Turner) and production (relative to Leonard). At $10.16MM, the 24-year-old’s salary isn’t an albatross, especially if he can match last season’s production (10.0 PPG, .503 FG%, .351 3PT%). Anyone on the Blazers’ roster not named Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum should be available, so Harkless is hardly the only trade candidate in Portland, but he strikes me as one of the club’s most logical trade chips.
- Cole Aldrich, C (Timberwolves): Aldrich has only played 22 minutes this season for the Timberwolves, so perhaps it’s more accurate to identify Aldrich’s contract as the trade candidate rather than the player himself. The veteran center is earning $7.3MM and only has about $2MM guaranteed for 2018/19, making his deal essentially an expiring one. Minnesota reportedly dangled Aldrich and a draft pick in the offseason in an effort to add a shooter, and I’d expect the team to do the same at the deadline.
Here are a few more potential Northwest trade candidates to monitor:
- Alec Burks, SG (Jazz): Burks was identified earlier this month as a player drawing some interest on the trade market.
- Wilson Chandler, F (Nuggets): Like Faried, Chandler has been a longtime trade candidate in Denver. But he’s having a down year and the rumor mill this season has been pretty quiet.
- Kyle Singler, SF (Thunder): Singler, who has played 44 minutes this season, will be a candidate to be stretched in the offseason if the Thunder can’t include him in a trade. Alex Abrines or Patrick Patterson would draw more interest on the trade market, but Oklahoma City might be reluctant to give up a player who can hit outside shots.
- Ed Davis, F/C (Trail Blazers): The Blazers would rather trade longer-term contracts, and they probably still need Davis in their rotation. Still, with Zach Collins emerging, Davis makes an interesting trade candidate — moving his expiring contract could get Portland under the tax line this season.
- Gorgui Dieng, F/C (Timberwolves): Moving Dieng’s four-year, $62.8MM deal is a long shot, but he’s the most likely trade candidate of the Timberwolves‘ highest-paid players. With Taj Gibson now starting at the four, Dieng has seen his minutes slashed from 32.4 MPG a year ago to just 18.2 this season.
Only two NBA players – LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony – technically have no-trade clauses included in their current contracts. However, there are several players around the league with the ability to block trades that would involve them.
A player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year contract – or a two-year deal with an option year – is given no-trade protection, and so is a player who accepts his qualifying offer after his rookie deal expire. If one of those players is dealt, he’d lose his Bird or Early Bird rights, which is a key reason he must approve a move.
A player who signed an offer sheet and had that offer matched by his previous team can also veto trades, and can’t be sent to the team that attempted to sign him during that same league year. That means, for instance, that the Wizards can’t trade Otto Porter to the Nets this season.
There are 17 players around the NBA that meet one of those criteria, bringing the number of players with a no-trade clause – either official or unofficial – to 19. While most of those players probably aren’t going anywhere at the trade deadline anyway, there are a handful of trade candidates who would have to consent to a move, creating an added wrinkle as those players’ teams consider their trade options.
Here are some notable players whose consent is required in order to trade them:
Nikola Mirotic, PF (Bulls): We’ve covered Mirotic’s unofficial no-trade clause many times over the last few weeks, but it’s worth noting that his situation is a little different than anyone else’s on this list. Mirotic’s contract is actually a two-year pact, with a team option for the second year. So while he has veto power for now, that would disappear if the Bulls were to pick up his $12.5MM option for 2018/19. If the Bulls find a trade they like for Mirotic, he could use his veto power as leverage, pushing the club to exercise that option. And he might get his wish — any team willing to give up something of value for the veteran forward might not mind locking him in for an extra year as part of the deal.- Nerlens Noel, C (Mavericks): As we noted on Thursday when we identified Noel as a trade candidate in the Southwest, the young center’s value is complicated by the fact that he’s currently sidelined with a thumb injury. Noel may be back in early February though, in which case potential suitors would have a chance to see if he’s healthy before pursuing a deal. The union between Noel and the Mavericks has been a rocky one, and it seems unlikely to turn into a long-term relationship, so if Dallas finds a taker for the 23-year-old, I expect he’d sign off, even if it means losing his Bird rights — those Bird rights probably won’t matter much this offseason if the Mavs don’t plan to retain him.
- Alex Len, C (Suns): Like Noel, Len had trouble finding an offer sheet on the restricted free agent market last summer and ultimately signed his qualifying offer. Unlike Noel though, Len has had a regular role and a solid year, averaging 8.5 PPG with career highs in RPG (8.3) and FG% (.552). The Suns have a bit of a logjam in the middle, and Len might have more trade value than Greg Monroe or Tyson Chandler, but Monroe is on an expiring contract and Chandler is 35 years old, making them more expendable for the rebuilding Suns. In other words, even though he’ll be a free agent again in July, Len remains the center most likely to stick in Phoenix for the next several years. I don’t expect the team will ask him to approve a trade.
- Ersan Ilyasova, PF (Hawks): The Hawks are reportedly seeking a high second-round pick in exchange for Ilyasova, and that price doesn’t seem unreasonable for a productive stretch four on an affordable contract, even if that contract will expire this summer. While Ilyasova may hesitate to surrender his Bird rights by approving a trade, those Bird rights aren’t as valuable to him as they would be to a star player, since Ilyasova is unlikely to earn more than the mid-level in free agency. The veteran sharpshooter has also led a nomadic NBA existence in recent years, playing for five different teams since the start of the 2015/16 season, so he’s accustomed to bouncing around and may not mind leaving the 13-31 Hawks to join a contender.
- Shabazz Muhammad, SF (Timberwolves): Muhammad hasn’t been mentioned in any trade rumors yet, but he can’t be thrilled with the way this season has played out for him in Minnesota. After failing to find a lucrative deal on the free agent market in the offseason, the 25-year-old accepted a one-year, prove-it deal from the Timberwolves, and has fallen out of the rotation over the course of the season — he has played just 17 minutes since the start of December. Muhammad isn’t a great defender or distributor, and he has been ineffective as a scorer this season (.376/.211/.750 shooting), so he’ll have little to no trade value. Still, he’s only earning the minimum, so there may be a team willing to roll the dice. It’s also worth mentioning that Muhammad’s deal includes a player option for 2018/19, which may be a minor motivating factor for the Wolves to explore a deal rather than keeping him around for depth purposes — the team’s roster will get more expensive next season, so removing even a modest amount of potential guaranteed money for a non-essential player could help.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The NBA has suspended Magic guard Arron Afflalo two games for his role in an altercation with Timberwolves forward Nemanja Bjelica, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets.
On Tuesday night, Afflalo got tangled up with the 29-year-old Wolves forward and ended up launching a wild haymaker that careened off the back of Bjelica’s head and neck. Bjelica put Afflalo in a headlock before the two were eventually separated.
The suspension, which will be in place for tonight’s Magic-Cavaliers game, targets Afflalo and not Bjelica presumably because Afflalo appeared to be the one to escalate the situation, while Bjelica looked content containing Afflalo and defusing the situation.
5:04pm: The signing is official, per team release.
1:17pm: The Timberwolves will fill their open two-way contract slot by signing forward Amile Jefferson to a two-way contract, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Charania adds that Jefferson will be a free agent this summer, meaning his new deal will just be a rest-of-season agreement.
Jefferson, 24, went undrafted in 2017 and signed with the Timberwolves for training camp. He was cut at the end of the preseason, joining the Iowa Wolves – Minnesota’s G League team – as an affiliate player in the fall. The former Duke standout has been dominant in his first G League season, averaging 18.0 PPG and 13.1 RPG with a .640 FG%, earning his shot at a two-way deal.
The Timberwolves had been carrying just one two-way player – Anthony Brown – for months, but decided to add a second before today’s deadline. After January 15, teams are no longer permitted to sign players to two-way contracts until the 2018/19 league year begins.
Jefferson may remain with the Iowa Wolves for now, but his two-way deal will allow him to spend up to 22 days in the NBA with the Timberwolves.
January 15 is an important date on the NBA calendar. As we outlined earlier this morning, it’s the day that several of the players who signed free agent deals in 2017 become trade-eligible for the first time on those new deals. In addition to being the first day that those players can be traded, January 15 is also the last day for teams to complete certain roster moves. Here’s a quick breakdown:
Last day for teams to sign players to two-way contracts:
If you were following Hoops Rumors over the weekend, you likely noticed a flurry of roster moves involving two-way contracts. That’s because January 15 represents the deadline for teams to sign players to two-way deals. If a club doesn’t finalize a two-way signing today, it can’t do so for the remainder of the 2017/18 league year.
A handful of two-way signings reported over the weekend – including the Lakers‘ deal with Gary Payton II and a pair of Pistons agreements – will need to be made official today. Additionally, the Bucks, Timberwolves, and Wizards each still have an open two-way slot, as our tracker shows, so if they don’t want to leave that second slot empty all season, they’ll need to fill it today.
Salaries for all two-way players will become fully guaranteed for 2017/18 on January 20.
Last day for teams to apply for a disabled player exception:
As our glossary entry on the disabled player exception explains, the DPE is a tool that can be granted to teams by the NBA. It gives a club a one-time cap exception that can be used to replace a player who suffered a season-ending injury.
The Celtics applied for and received a disabled player exception back in the fall after Gordon Hayward went down, but the Nets didn’t file for a DPE after Jeremy Lin‘s season-ending injury that same week. They’re expected to do so by today’s deadline, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The Heat are also worth watching, since they’ll be eligible for a DPE if Dion Waiters is ruled out for the season, as is expected.
Timberwolves point guard Tyus Jones played well when Jeff Teague was sidelined with a sprained knee ligament, but there’s no thought about making him the starter, relays Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. Jones ranks in the top five in the league in assists and steals per turnover and is number one in defensive real plus-minus. Still, coach Tom Thibodeau trusts Teague, who was one of Minnesota’s prize offseason additions, and won’t consider a change.
The Clippers proposed a deal to the Timberwolves that would have sent Blake Griffin to Minnesota in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns but talks did not advance past the initial phone call, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders writes.
The Timberwolves view Towns as a franchise cornerstone who is not available at this time, Scotto notes. Aside from Minnesota’s reluctance to part with Towns, several other factors stand in the way of a trade. Los Angeles signed Griffin to a massive five-year, $171MM extension this past offseason. Not only does that make Griffin ineligible to be traded until January 15, but Towns’ salary is a mere $6.2MM compared to Griffin’s $29.5MM.
To facilitate a trade, the Timberwolves would likely need to send at least two more players to L.A. to acquire Griffin. That would also complicate the Clippers’ roster as the organization would need to figure how to open a roster spot for the hypothetical third player acquired, according to Scotto.
Griffin, 28, has played well when healthy for the Clippers this season, averaging 22.6 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 5.2 APG in 25 games. In his third season, the 22-year-old Towns’ scoring is down from last season (20.2 PPG) but his 12.0 RPG in an NBA-best 44 games is in line with his career totals.
The Clippers’ performance this season has fluctuated but the team is currently one game behind the Pelicans for the eighth seed with a 20-21 record. A rebuild has been rumored for months which would likely include shipping the likes of DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams elsewhere. However, this is the first time we are hearing that the Clippers have discussed Griffin in trade talks.
The Timberwolves have been getting more out of Andrew Wiggins lately and the swingman continues to get better. Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes that head coach Tom Thibodeau spoke highly of his young wing at Wednesday night’s press conference.
A month ago, just as Jimmy Butler stepped up as a more assertive offensive weapon for the Timberwolves, Wiggins struggled with his jumpshot. These days the shooting guard found a way to score more efficiently while contributing in other ways as well.
“He’s such a gifted scorer. That part is obvious. But it’s all the other things he’s capable of doing. He can play great when he doesn’t shoot the ball well and everybody has nights when they don’t shoot the ball great,” the Timberwolves coach said. “There’s defense, rebounding the ball, getting out on the break, making plays for other people. […] His activity overall has been great. It just makes the game easier for everyone.”