Minnesota Timberwolves tackling free agency aggressively in an attempt to build a strong roster – NBA News
The Minnesota Timberwolves looked in great position to qualify for the playoffs last season but an ACL injury to their star point guard Ricky Rubio hurt their objective for the season. In the absence of Rubio, Kevin Love tried to keep the Wolves afloat in the run for a playoff spot, but he alone could not guarantee victories for the Wolves, despite having some amazing personal statistics for the season.
Now in the offseason, the Wolves are in no mood to wait for Rubio to fully recover from his injury and are going into free agency season with a lot of aggressiveness.
The Wolves are reported to be eyeing Portland Trail Blazers guard/forward Nicolas Batum and have also prepared a four year $50 million offer for him. The Trail Blazers are likely to match any offer that Batum receives in an attempt to keep him there but their $58 million maximum contract offer to Indiana Pacers restricted free agent Roy Hibbert could put them in a financial squeeze.
In the end, it might come down to having to choose between Hibbert or Batum which increases the Wolves chances of landing him.
Wolves owner Glen Taylor, General Manager David Kahn and head coach Rick Adelman also travelled to Seattle last weekend to meet with retired guard Brandon Roy.
Roy was an All Star guard for the Portland Trail Blazers till the 2011 season but took retirement last summer after years of suffering from chronic knee problems. He is, however, eyeing a return to the NBA this season and a number of teams have their eyes set on him.
Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks are said to be interested and now the Wolves are also looking to signing him.
Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune recently reported:
“Batum, 23, was scheduled to fly from his home in France to Minneapolis to meet with team owner Glen Taylor, president of basketball operations David Kahn and coach Rick Adelman all of whom flew to Seattle to meet with retired two-time All-Star and unrestricted free agent Brandon Roy on Friday.”
Lakers free agent power forward Jordan Hill and Boston Celtics centre Greg Stiemsma have also been contacted by the Wolves, who are leaving no stone unturned in an attempt to prepare a roster that can qualify for the playoffs next season. After being so close to doing so last season, they seem to be motivated to get the job done this time around.
Kevin Love has proven to be the marquee player for the Wolves this season with exceptional figures that earned him MVP mentions and a place in the All NBA 2nd team. The Wolves are looking to build around him in the future and a few quality players in the right positions could make the Wolves a team to reckon with in the next season.
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