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Wolves Notes: Rose, Jones, Wiggins, Crawford

May 12th, 2018 at 5:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves are very interested in re-signing free agent guard Derrick Rose, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Rose turned into a valuable reserve after coming to Minnesota following a late-season buyout. He played just nine regular season games for the Wolves, but became a force in the playoffs, averaging 14.2 points and making seven of 10 3-pointers in the series with the Rockets.

Rose also played well defensively and proved himself to be a good teammate, Krawczynski adds, two attributes he didn’t display during his time in Cleveland. Minnesota’s only concern in bringing Rose back is his injury history, as he was sidelined for a while with a sprained ankle after joining the Wolves. Rose has excelled under Tom Thibodeau and wants to be with a coach he trusts after five unsettled seasons.

Krawczynski offers more insight into the Timberwolves in a mailbag column:

A return by Rose would continue to limit the playing time for Tyus Jones, who saw his minutes decline after the Rose signing. Without roster changes, Jones would enter his fourth season as the third point guard on the depth chart.
The front office may consider an Andrew Wiggins trade if the Wolves can find a better fit in return. The team needs to quickly take steps to become a serious contender with Jimmy Butler entering his option year, Krawczynski states, and dealing Wiggins or Gorgui Dieng might be necessary to make that happen. Both players have large contracts that will make them difficult to unload. A max extension for Wiggins kicks in next season, and Dieng is owed nearly $48.7MM over the next three seasons. Wiggins’ trade value is low coming off an underwhelming fourth NBA season, and Krawczynski thinks the franchise may decide to hold onto him and hope he can develop into an All-Star.
One suggested deal would send Wiggins to the Raptors as part of a package for DeMar DeRozan, but there’s no evidence that Toronto is ready for a roster shakeup, even after firing coach Dwane Casey. A Butler-DeRozan combination would have many of the same issues as Butler and Wiggins, Krawczynski notes, including a lack of 3-point shooting.
Don’t count on veteran guard Jamal Crawford returning for another season, even though Butler would prefer to keep him. The 38-year-old complained this season about Thibodeau’s reluctance to use his bench, and things are unlikely to change as Crawford gets older.

Wolves Will Prioritize Adding Wings In Offseason

April 30th, 2018 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves will look to improve their depth on the wing this offseason, head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau told reporters today. As Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets, Thibodeau indicated that acquiring wing players who can shoot three-pointers and guard multiple positions is Minnesota’s top priority during the offseason.

Most of the Wolves’ top contributors – including Karl-Anthony Towns, Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins, Jeff Teague, Jamal Crawford, and Nemanja Bjelica – shot a little from the outside in 2017/18, but no player on the roster made more than 1.5 threes per game. As a team, the Wolves made 8.0 three-pointers per contest, which ranked dead last in the NBA.

By comparison, Minnesota’s first-round opponent – the let-it-fly Rockets – led the league with 15.3 threes per game and had six players who knocked down at least two per game. So it’s no surprise that adding more three-point shooting on the wing will be a key focus for the Wolves this offseason.

Here’s more out of Minnesota:

Krawczynski and Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune (Twitter link) both interpreted Thibodeau’s comments today as good news for Derrick Rose‘s potential return to the team. Thibodeau called Rose – who is an unrestricted free agent this summer – a “terrific addition,” Zgoda notes.
Timberwolves GM Scott Layden suggested there will be a lot of activity around the draft, acknowledging that the club could explore trading its first-round pick, tweets Krawczynski. Zgoda expands on Layden’s comments, tweeting that the GM believes that first-rounder represents a chance to “get in the game” when it comes to making a trade offer for an impact player. However, Layden did say Minnesota would be happy to use the pick if there’s a player on the board who can “help us now.”
Layden expressed some regret that he wasn’t more active at the trade deadline, indicating he expects to be more aggressive this summer (Twitter link via Krawczynski).
Thibodeau anticipates Wiggins will have a good offseason entering the 2018/19 campaign, since he won’t have to deal with the distraction of working out a contract extension this time around, like he did a year ago (Twitter link via Krawczynski).
Butler was just dealing with general soreness in his right knee at the end of the season, and won’t require any additional procedures on that knee, Thibodeau said today (Twitter link via Zgoda).

Northwest Notes: Wiggins, Stockton, Harkless

March 17th, 2018 at 9:05am CST by marksuleymanov

Despite reports of whispers this week that Andrew Wiggins is unhappy as the Timberwolves‘ third option, the Minnesota guard and head coach Tom Thibodeau rejected those reports, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes.

Wiggins, 23, is in his fourth season with the Wolves but his numbers are down from the past two seasons. The former first overall pick is averaging 17.9 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 69 games. However, Thibodeau denied that the team’s leading shot-taker is unhappy with his role.

“I know Andrew’s character,” Thibodeau said. “There’s no way in the world Andrew is saying any of that, particularly from a guy who’s taken the most shots on our team.”

Earlier this week, Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN (Twitter link) said that Wiggins has “whispered to teammates” that he’s unhappy being a third option behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler — who is sidelined with a torn meniscus. “It’s just someone’s word of mouth. It wasn’t no quote from me,” Wiggins said. “Everyone that knows me knows I don’t talk much, I just go with the flow … I don’t whisper. If I say something, I’m going to say it clearly and loudly.”

Check out more Northwest Division notes below:

David Stockton, the son of Jazz legend John Stockton, agreed to a 10-day contract with Utah on Friday. The elder Stockton played with the Jazz for 19 seasons, becoming the NBA’s all-time assists leader and 2008 Hall of Fame inductee. Brad Rock of The Deseret News writes that John and the rest of the Stockton family are excited for the 26-year-old and his newest NBA opportunity. “I’m glad to stay out of that,” John Stockton said of his comparisons between him and his son. “He’s his own player and it wouldn’t do him any good to try to be me. He can just be the best he can be.”
Having reached 100 three-point attempts on the season, Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless is now eligible to receive a $500K bonus for his three-point shooting percentage, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Harkless will receive the bonus if his percentage is greater than 35%; he’s shooting 37.6% from the beyond the arc.

Northwest Notes: Wiggins, Randle, Hood

January 12th, 2018 at 9:48pm CST by Austin Kent

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.”

There’s more out of the Northwest Division this evening:

The Trail Blazers ought to take a flyer on Julius Randle, one Portland scribe suggests. Molly Blue of The Oregonian writes that the Blazers could benefit from a solid addition to their frontcourt that currently features a struggling Jusuf Nurkic and inexperienced Zach Collins.
The Thunder seemed to have fallen back into slump after finding a sweet spot last month, Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman writes. A glaring takeaway from Oklahoma City’s first half of 2017/18 is that they struggle against sub-.500 teams. Where the four top teams in each conference are a combined 134-32 against teams with losing records, the Thunder are just 12-9.
For what it’s worth, Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic is now following the Salt Lake Tribune on Twitter, Dan Cahill of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Mirotic has been rumored to be a trade target of the Jazz, and hadn’t been following any other non-Chicago local newspapers.
The NBA has fined Jazz forward Rodney Hood $35K for slapping a phone out of a fan’s hand, the league announced in a press release.

Northwest Notes: Wolves D, Nuggets O, Thunder Flight

October 28th, 2017 at 3:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau has a long-standing reputation as a defensive guru but his team has played poorly at that end in the early going this season, as Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders points out. The team ranks last in defensive efficiency and star players Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins have been particularly ineffective, Blancarte continues. Towns admitted to reporters this week he isn’t getting the job done. “I’ve just got to be better all around, everywhere,” Towns said. “I’m not my best right now. I’m not, and it hurts. So I’ve got to go back to the drawing board and find a way to play better.”

In other developments around the Northwest Division:

The Nuggets’ offense is off to a slow start with the team playing bigger lineups more often, Gina Mizell of The Denver Post notes. Coach Michael Malone is surprised by the team’s struggles, as he told Mizell and other media members. “It seems like we’re working so (dang) hard for everything we get in the halfcourt,” Malone said. “And then when we do generate a wide-open shot, we’re not making those and we’re not finishing at the rim the way we need to be.” Early shooting struggles by point guard Jamal Murray and small forward Wilson Chandler have also contributed to the offensive woes, Mizell adds.
The Thunder’s chartered plane to Chicago Friday night was damaged during the flight but the team arrived safely. The nose of the plane suffered damaged and Delta Airlines said it was likely caused by colliding with a bird, according to an Associated Press report. The team was traveling from Minnesota, where it lost to the Timberwolves in the front end of a back-to-end.
The Timberwolves have hired former Rockets player Rafer Alston as a scout, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. Alston’s NBA playing career ended in 2010.

Poll: Is Embiid Or Wiggins The Better Investment?

October 12th, 2017 at 8:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Two 2014 first-round picks signed five-year, maximum salary contract extensions within the last few days, beating the October 16 deadline for rookie scale extensions. While both players are, of course, significantly valued by their respective teams, Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins have had very different NBA careers so far.

Embiid’s injury problems have been well chronicled, to the point that they’re hardly worth revisiting, but the upshot is that those health issues have limited him to just 31 games in three NBA seasons. Even when he did see the court, the Sixers center was on a minutes restriction, averaging about 25 minutes per contest.

However, in his 786 career minutes, Embiid has looked like a generational talent, combining an ability to rebound and protect the rim (7.8 RPG, 2.5 BPG) with a knack for scoring both in the post and from beyond the arc (.367 3PT%).

Wiggins, on the other hand, has been incredibly durable during his first three NBA seasons, missing just one of 246 possible games. He has also steadily increased his scoring numbers each season, pouring in a career-high 23.6 PPG in 2016/17.

Those scoring totals are more reliant on volume than efficiency though, and Wiggins’ ability to put the ball in the basket hasn’t been complemented by many other on-court contributions — his defense has been shaky, he doesn’t get many rebounds or assists, and his three-point shot, despite improving last season, remains somewhat unreliable.

Both the Sixers and Timberwolves locked up their respective youngsters because of their potential. In Embiid’s case, it’s his potential to stay healthy. For Wiggins, it’s his potential to develop into a more well-rounded, complete player.

Philadelphia’s agreement with Embiid includes some language that protects the Sixers in the event that the former third overall pick continues to battle injuries in problematic areas, like his feet and back. But in that scenario, the Sixers would have to waive Embiid outright, and they’d still be on the hook for significant guaranteed money — approximately $84MM if they waive him one year into the deal, $98MM if they waive him after two years, and so on.

Wiggins’ contract, meanwhile, doesn’t include that sort of protection. It’s a straight five-year deal with no options.

Given those parameters, which contract would you feel more comfortable with for the next half-decade? Do you have more confidence in Wiggins to develop his game and make good on the Timberwolves’ investment in him, or would you rather be in the Sixers’ spot with Embiid, rolling the dice on his ability to stay healthy and to become one of the league’s premier bigs?

Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Timberwolves Sign Andrew Wiggins To Extension

October 11th, 2017 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have officially signed fourth-year wing Andrew Wiggins to a rookie scale extension, the team confirmed today in a press release. Although the club’s announcement didn’t mention the terms of the agreement, previous reports have indicated that Wiggins will get a five-year, maximum salary contract with no player option. The deal projects to be worth about $146.5MM, based on the latest cap estimates for 2018/19.

“We’re very excited that Andrew has decided to commit his future to the Timberwolves,” head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau said in a statement. “We feel strongly that he is just scratching the surface of the player he will become. Andrew is among the elite young talents in our league and the sky is the limit for him.”

Today’s announcement ends a saga that had unexpectedly dragged out for the last couple months. Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor publicly stated during the summer that he was willing to put a five-year, maximum salary offer on the table for Wiggins if he could meet with the former No. 1 overall pick face to face first. Taylor wanted a verbal commitment from Wiggins that he was committed to both the Wolves and to improving his game.

Although Taylor and Wiggins had that meeting, an agreement was delayed further when the 22-year-old filed paperwork to part ways with agent Bill Duffy, who had negotiated the deal. Having put the extension together, Duffy will still receive a cut of Wiggins’ new contract, but the timing of the change was unusual. It postponed the completion of the deal while Wiggins secured new representation, and ultimately the Wolves forward didn’t finalize the agreement until five days before the October 16 deadline.

Now that it’s official, Wiggins will be locked up through the 2022/23 season, with his new five-year pact going into effect next July. Currently, the NBA is projecting a $101MM salary cap for 2018/19, which would result in a starting salary of $25.25MM for Wiggins. His deal would increase by 8% annually from there.

For the Timberwolves, it’s a significant investment in Wiggins, who has developed into one of the NBA’s most dangerous scorers, but struggled on the defensive side of the ball last season, and doesn’t contribute much in other statistical categories. Wiggins increased his three-point percentage to 35.6% in 2016/17, which was easily a career high, but averaged a modest 4.0 RPG and 2.3 APG. He’ll be counted on to continue to develop further under the tutelage of offseason addition Jimmy Butler.

Taking into account Wiggins’ projected salary and Karl-Anthony Towns‘ team option, the Timberwolves now have nearly $108MM in guaranteed salary on their books for 2018/19. That figure doesn’t include various player or team options for Jamal Crawford, Shabazz Muhammad, and Tyus Jones.

Wiggins is the fourth player eligible for a rookie scale extension to agree to terms on a new deal. Joel Embiid (Sixers), Gary Harris (Nuggets), and T.J. Warren (Suns) also reached agreements with their respective teams.

Remaining extension candidates such as Rodney Hood, Marcus Smart, Jusuf Nurkic, Clint Capela, and Jabari Parker will have until the end of the day on Monday to sign deals of their own — otherwise they’ll be eligible for restricted free agency next summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Andrew Wiggins Plans To ‘Eventually’ Sign Extension

October 7th, 2017 at 7:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

With the October 16 deadline barely a week away, it’s not clear why Timberwolves star Andrew Wiggins hasn’t signed a five-year, $148MM extension, writes Sam Amick of USA Today.

Minnesota made the offer two months ago in hopes of securing the former No. 1 pick for the long term. Wiggins mysteriously fired agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports two weeks later when the deal appeared to be complete and has yet to finalize the extension.

“I’m just taking it day by day, you know?” Wiggins said today. “There’s no rush to do it, yet. I’ve still got some time before the day before that first game.”

There appears to be no concern that Wiggins is pondering a future somewhere else, as he has said Minnesota is “definitely where I want to be.” The Timberwolves made serious upgrades to their roster over the offseason and are expected to compete for a playoff spot in the West for the first time since Wiggins joined the team.

Wiggins and the Wolves will wrap up a trip to China with a game against the Warriors on Sunday, and it sounds like he will wait until he returns home before addressing the extension.

“I’m just going to take it day by day,” he said. “There’s no rush to do it. We’re going through preseason and I’m all the way here in China.”

Wolves, Wiggins Expected To Finalize Extension Soon

September 18th, 2017 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves and fourth-year forward Andrew Wiggins are expected to finalize a five-year, maximum salary contract extension in the coming days, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). Having spoken to team owner Glen Taylor, Wolfson suggests that the two sides are likely to get the deal done before Minnesota’s first practice on Saturday.

We heard nearly a month ago that Wiggins had decided to part ways with agent Bill Duffy shortly after Duffy had negotiated a potential five-year extension for his client. The deal between Wiggins and the Wolves wasn’t expected to get done until the 22-year-old sorted out new representation, at which point the club’s offer figures to remain on the table. While the exact value of that offer won’t be known until the 2018/19 salary cap is finalized, a maximum deal currently projects to be worth about $148MM, based on the most recent cap estimates.

That would be a significant investment in Wiggins, who has developed into one of the NBA’s most dangerous scorers, but struggled on the defensive side of the ball last season, and doesn’t contribute much in other statistical categories. Wiggins increased his three-point percentage to 35.6% in 2016/17, which was easily a career high, but averaged a modest 4.0 RPG and 2.3 APG.

Taylor has reportedly indicated that he wants to meet with the former No. 1 pick face-to-face before locking in his new deal in order to receive assurances that Wiggins is committed both to the franchise and to improving his all-around game.

Assuming Wiggins and the Wolves finalize an agreement, the next major investment on tap for the franchise would likely come a year from now, when Karl-Anthony Towns will become extension-eligible for the first time.

O’Connor’s Latest: Capela, Smart, Wiggins, Nuggets

September 13th, 2017 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Gary Harris (Nuggets), Marcus Smart (Celtics), Jabari Parker (Bucks), and Clint Capela (Rockets) are among the most intriguing players eligible for rookie scale contract extensions this offseason, Kevin O’Connor writes in his latest piece for The Ringer. In addition to going into detail on those four players, who have until October 16 to work out new deals with their respective clubs, O’Connor drops a few other notable tidbits within his article, so let’s round up the highlights…

The Rockets and Capela have had “very introductory” discussions on a contract extension, according to O’Connor. Those discussions figure to become more frequent and more in-depth as next month’s extension deadline nears.
The general consensus among the league sources O’Connor has talked to is that Smart’s next contract figures to be in the neighborhood of Andre Roberson‘s three-year, $30MM deal, given both players’ defensive prowess and offensive limitations. O’Connor believes the Celtics guard will be able to do better than that though, and I’m inclined to agree. Smart will be a restricted free agent next summer if he’s not extended this offseason.
Multiple league sources have told O’Connor that Andrew Wiggins is expected to sign the contract extension offered by the Timberwolves once he gets his new representation in order. Wiggins filed paperwork to part ways with Bill Duffy and BDA Sports shortly after Minnesota put a five-year, maximum salary offer on the table.
Multiple sources believe the Nuggets were targeting OG Anunoby in June’s draft when they traded down from No. 13 to No. 24, says O’Connor. Anunoby ended up coming off the board one spot earlier, with Toronto nabbing him at No. 23. Denver used the 24th pick on Tyler Lydon.