Minnesota T-Wolves Blog – Page 24 – NBA Blog

Bulls trade Jimmy Butler to Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves tonight acquired forward Jimmy Butler and the draft rights to center Justin Patton, the No. 16 selection in this year’s draft from the Chicago Bulls, in exchange for guards Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn and the draft rights to forward Lauri Markkanen, the No. 7 selection in this year’s draft.

Butler, a 6-7 forward, has played six seasons in the NBA, all with the Bulls. The three-time NBA All-Star (2015, 2016 and 2017) averaged career highs with 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game this past season en route to earning 2016-17 All-NBA Third Team honors. Butler scored 30+ points 14 times in 2016-17, including a season-high 52 points vs. Charlotte on Jan. 2.

Butler, 27, owns career averages of 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals in 399 games. The Houston, Texas, native has been named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team three times (2014–2016) and was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player after the 2014-15 season after increasing his scoring average from 13.1 ppg to 20.0 ppg and his rebounds from 4.9 rpg to 5.8 rpg while averaging the same minutes in each season. Chicago originally drafted Butler with the 30th overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft out of Marquette University.

Patton, 6-11, played in 35 contests over one season at Creighton, averaging 12.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 0.9 steals per game en route to earning Big East Freshman of the Year honors. Patton, 20, led the Big East and ranked second nationally with a field goal percentage of 67.6%, which stands as the highest field goal percentage of any freshman from a major conference in NCAA history. The Riverdale, Georgia, native also shot 53.3% from the three-point during his line season as a Bluejay. Patton sat out the 2015-16 season as a redshirt.

Dunn (6-4, 205), selected fifth overall by the Timberwolves in the 2016 NBA Draft, appeared in 78 games and averaged 3.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 17.1 minutes per game last season. Dunn won back-to-back Big East Player of the Year awards while at Providence (2014-15 and 2015-16). He averaged 15.6 points and 7.5 assists in his junior season, and finished with 16.4 points and 6.2 assists in his senior season.

LaVine (6-5, 185), picked 13th overall by Minnesota in the 2014 NBA Draft, averaged 18.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 47 games last season. LaVine shot .459 from the field, .387 from long range and .836 from the foul line. For his career, LaVine is averaging 13.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 206 games and shooting .445 overall, .378 from 3-point range and .821 from the stripe. After his first year in the league, LaVine was named to the 2014-15 All-Rookie Second Team.

Markkanen (7-0, 230), the seventh overall selection in this year’s Draft, averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in his one season at Arizona. Markkanen posted shooting marks of .492 from the field, .423 from distance and .835 from the foul line. The Finland native was named Third-Team All-American by the Associated Press, Sporting News and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and First-Team All-Pac-12 last season. Over the last 25 years, Markkanen and Kevin Durant are the players to record at least 69 3-pointers and 266 rebounds in their freshman year.

Report: Bulls will trade Jimmy Butler to Timberwolves

After 14 months of relative inactivity, Tom Thibodeau made what may be the biggest splash in Timberwolves history on Thursday night.

Minnesota acquired all-star forward Jimmy Butler and the No. 16 pick, which it used to select Creighton center Justin Patton, in Thursday night’s draft in exchange for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the No. 7 pick, a source confirmed.

Chicago used the No. 7 pick on Arizona forward Lauri Markkanen, who was a likely candidate to land in Minnesota prior to the trade.

— St Paul Pioneer Press

Timberwolves waive Nikola Pekovic

The Minnesota Timberwolves have waived center Nikola Pekovic, who has been battling lingering injuries. His NBA career may be over.

Pekovic appeared in 271 games for the Wolves, averaging 12.6 points, on 51.8 percent shooting, and 6.7 rebounds. He was drafted by Minnesota in the second round (31st overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft.

Timberwolves buy D-League team Iowa Energy

The Minnesota Timberwolves and the NBA Development League today announced the final sale of majority ownership in the Iowa Energy to Glen Taylor.

More information regarding management of the team and an introduction to team ownership will be forthcoming at a future announcement in Des Moines.

The Timberwolves are now one of 25 NBA teams to own or operate a Development League affiliate team.

It’s assumed that eventually, all 30 NBA teams will own their own D-League squad.

New Timberwolves logo revealed

The Timberwolves unveiled a new team logo tonight at halftime of their final home game of the season against Oklahoma City. The new logo will be implemented beginning with the 2017-18 season.

“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate this new era of Timberwolves basketball than with the unveiling of our new logo, in front of our dedicated fans, on Fan Appreciation Night,” said Timberwolves CEO Ethan Casson. “This new logo embodies the emerging culture of our franchise, a solid mark that grounds us in our heritage while adding bold new hues that light an exciting path forward. This mark will bind our fans as a pack and together we will focus on growing and building something special at this turning point in Timberwolves history.”

The logo was created over the past 12 months as part of a collaborative effort between the Timberwolves ownership, team executives, the NBA and Mississippi-based design expert Rodney Richardson of RARE Design, whose resume includes recent identity designs for NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings and various brands across the world of sports and entertainment.

“It was an honor to work with the Timberwolves on creating this new identity and I’m glad to finally share a piece of our work with the public,” said Richardson. “I learned so much about this great state through the process and my team worked hard to create a logo that Minnesotans could be proud of, one that reflects the hard working, progressive and innovative people of this state.”

The colors include midnight blue, aurora green, lake blue, moonlight grey and frost white.

“From the motion and vibrant hues of the Northern Lights, to the depths and reflections of a midnight forest, to the rich contrasts of this great frozen city of the north, the palette is the perfect representation of modern sport colors inspired by the story of Minnesota’s landscape,” said Richardson. “It’s color with a sense of place.”

New Timberwolves logo coming April 11

The Minnesota Timberwolves begin a new chapter in their franchise history by unveiling a new team logo as part of Fan Appreciation Night at Target Center on Tuesday, April 11. The Wolves will conclude the home portion of their regular season schedule that evening by hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7 p.m.

The logo will be unveiled during a special halftime show and all fans in attendance will receive a commemorative t-shirt with the new identity featured.

While the new identity won’t fully take effect until the 2017-18 season, the unveiling marks only the fourth identity in the franchise’s 28-year history. The announcement is also the beginning of an eventful summer as the Wolves brand continues to evolve. There will be several future announcements regarding the unveiling of the new team uniforms, new court designs and additional events throughout the coming months.

“We are incredibly excited to share the new logo with our fans. This is but the first of many changes that fans will see that reflect our growing relevancy at home and abroad,” said Timberwolves CEO Ethan Casson. “These are exciting times for our state and our franchise, and this new logo embodies the hunger, drive and passion that will define us in this new era of Timberwolves basketball.”

Timberwolves sign Omri Casspi

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed forward Omri Casspi.

Casspi, 28, joins the Wolves after playing in 23 games with Sacramento and New Orleans this season, totaling season averages of 6.1 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 46.0 percent from the field, including a 39.4 percent mark from the three-point line. Casspi, 6-9, appeared in 22 games with Sacramento before being acquired by New Orleans on February 20, where he played in one game before suffering an injury. He was waived by the Pelicans on February 25.

Casspi has played parts of eight seasons in the NBA with Sacramento, Cleveland, Houston and New Orleans. Originally drafted by the Kings with the 23rd overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, he owns career averages of 8.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 21.6 minutes per game over 486 contests, 138 starts. Casspi is a career 44.2 percent shooter, including a 36.9 percent mark from the three-point line. His best season came in 2015-16 with Sacramento when he averaged 11.8 points, on 48.1 percent shooting and 40.9 percent shooting from the three-point line, and 5.9 rebounds while making 69 appearances, 21 starts.
Casspi will wear No. 18 with the Wolves. With the signing, Minnesota’s roster now stands at 15 players.

Timberwolves putting up wins lately

Like that mythical guy pushing the boulder, the Timberwolves still have lots of uphill work to do before they reach the playoffs this season, but Wednesday’s 107-91 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers showed again that they’re beating the rock, step by step.

The Wolves won for the seventh time in 11 games, and they did so against a Clippers team featuring Chris Paul and Blake Griffin back in the lineup together.

The last time these teams played, the Clippers played without either superstar and the Wolves prevailed by a mere three points in L.A. in January. This time, the Wolves won in both measurable and immeasurable categories, starting with the lopsided scoreboard, of course, but also including rebounding (50-36) and points in the paint (62-40).

— Minneapolis Star Tribune

Postponed Blazers-Timberwolves game rescheduled for April 3

The NBA announced today that the March 6 game between the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves, which was postponed due to unsafe playing conditions on the arena floor, has been rescheduled for Monday, April 3 at 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET at Target Center.

Timberwolves sign Lance Stephenson to second 10-day contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves signed guard Lance Stephenson to a second 10-day contract today.

Stephenson, who was originally signed to a 10-day contract by the Wolves on February 8th, has appeared in four games for Minnesota this season averaging 4.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.

Stephenson’s NBA career has taken a nosedive in recent seasons. He’s trying to get himself back on the map. Using this 10-day deal to earn a rest-of-season contract would be a good start.