The signing period for NBA free agents opens this Sunday, June 30 at 5 p.m.
Although the Wolves don’t have much cap space at their disposal, they can offer the mid-level exception – $9.2 million – to a free agent target. There’s been a lot of reported connections between D’Angelo Russell and Minnesota, but the Wolves would need to pull off a sign-and-trade as Russell’s a restricted free agent.
Hereare three free agents the Wolves should look at.
D’Angelo Russell
Russell had a breakout season with the Brooklyn Nets last year where he was named to Eastern Conference All-Star team.
In 81 games, Russell averaged 21.1 points on 43.4 percent shooting – including 36.9 percent from deep – while averaging seven assists per game.
He’d be a welcome upgrade over current starting point guard Jeff Teague. The issue is, the Wolves will have to sweeten the deal somehow because trading Teague for Russell straight up in a sign-and-trade is unlikely.
Also, Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns are best buds off the court. So not only would Russell fit in, but the move would keep Towns happy.
J.J. Redick
The Wolves lack 3-point shooting and J.J. Redick has made a hell of a career of hitting triples. In his 13 seasons in the NBA, Redick has shot 41 percent from downtown.
He’s spent the past two years with the Philadelphia 76ers, and last season he attempted a career-high eight triples per game, while averaging 18.1 points.
The 35-year-old shooting guard has playoff experience too, having played in 70 career playoff games. Redick has been a free-agent target of the Wolves in years past but it’s not clear if he’s on their radar this summer.
The former Duke University standout does have his own podcast, and on his latest episode, he mentioned that “Minnesota’s up to something” with their approach to free agency. Could that mean the Wolves are targeting Redick?
https://twitter.com/BlazersBySagar/status/1144382108741201920
Enes Kanter
Kanter could be a solid option either in the starting lineup or off the bench for the Timberwolves at the five. He’s an efficient scorer, averaging 13.7 points on 54 percent shooting and 9.8 rebound per game last season.
Despite his big frame at 6′ 11″ and 250 pounds, Kanter struggles on the defensive side of the ball. However, his offensive prowess would be a welcome addition off the bench, especially if Minnesota’s moving on from Derrick Rose, which it appears they will be.
In Zach Harper’s latest piece in The Athletic, he mentions a few names the Wolves should target this weekend.
“The Wolves should be looking at Dewayne Dedmon, Mike Muscala, and Richaun Holmes as backup big men. Throwing salary exceptions at guys like Seth Curry (likely too expensive), Garrett Temple (same), or Justin Holiday (might not be good) makes a lot of sense.”
With his first draft under his belt, new president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas now gets his crack at free agency.
With bloated contracts like Andrew Wiggins, Gorgui Dieng and Jeff Teague holding the team back financially, maybe the Timberwolves get more creative in trades this summer.
Regardless, with a big-time free agent class on deck around the league, this will be a fun summer for NBA fans and it starts this weekend.
