Minnesota T-Wolves Blog – Page 45 – NBA Blog

Minnesota Timberwolves re-sign Chase Budinger

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has re-signed forward Chase Budinger.

According to the Associated Press, “Budinger agreed to terms last week on a three-year, $16 million contract. Brewer agreed to on a three-year, $15 million deal on Wednesday.”

“We are excited that Chase has decided to make Minnesota his home next season and beyond,” said Flip Saunders, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “We made bringing back Chase a priority because of his shooting ability, athleticism and his familiarity with Coach Adelman’s system. We look forward to watching his continued development in a Wolves uniform.”

Budinger, 25, played in 23 games for the Wolves last season, averaging 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 22.1 minutes per contest. The 6-7 forward sat out 59 games after undergoing surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee on Nov. 13. In six games before suffering the injury, Budinger averaged 11.8 points on .480 shooting – both of which over a full season would have been career highs. Budinger scored a team- and season-high 18 points Nov. 9 vs. Indiana, including the game-winner with :00.8 left. An Encinitas, Calif., native, Budinger owns career NBA averages of 9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 233 games with Houston and Minnesota. Budinger is a career .358 shooter from beyond the arc, including a career-best .402 over the 2011-12 season.

The Wolves originally acquired Budinger, along with the draft rights to Lior Eliyahu, from the Houston Rockets on June 26, 2012 in exchange for the No. 18 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Budinger was the was the 44th overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons before having his draft rights traded to Houston on draft night.

Three-team trade sends Kevin Martin to Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has acquired guard Kevin Martin via a sign-and-trade as part of a three-team deal with Oklahoma City and Milwaukee. As part of the trade, the Wolves send Luke Ridnour and a 2014 second-round pick (from the Los Angeles Lakers via the Phoenix Suns; acquired on July 27, 2012) to the Bucks. Minnesota and Milwaukee also receive cash considerations from Oklahoma City while the Bucks send the draft rights to Szymon Szewczyk to the Thunder.

“We are excited to add a talented veteran in Kevin Martin to our team,” said Flip Saunders, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “Kevin is one of the top shooters and more efficient scorers in the NBA and will help us immensely in those areas. Kevin is familiar with Coach Adelman’s style of play and had success playing for him in Sacramento and Houston. We expect that to continue.”

The Timberwolves were last in three-point shooting in 2012-13 and Martin shot a career-high 42.6 percent from three-point range last season and is 39 percent from that distance for his career. Also, in the last seven years, Martin is the fourth leading scorer at two-guard, behind only Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Monta Ellis.

In his nine seasons in the NBA with Sacramento (2004-10), Houston (2010-12) and Oklahoma City (2012-13), Martin has averaged 17.8 points. 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 552 games (387 starts). The 30-year-old has career shooting averages of .443 from the field, .385 from three-point range and .867 percent from the free throw line. He has averaged over 20.0 ppg and made more than 100 three-pointers in a single season five times in his career. Martin has previously played three-plus seasons for Rick Adelman (2004 – 2006, Sacramento; 2010 – 2011, Houston), averaging 14.9 ppg, including 23.4 ppg in the 2010-11 season which ranked ninth in the NBA.

In 2012-13, Martin, a 6-7 guard, averaged 14.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 77 games for Oklahoma City. He shot .450 from the floor and a career-high .426 from three-point range while making 158 treys, the second-highest single-season total of his career. Martin ranked 4th in the NBA in free throw percentage, shooting .890 from the charity stripe. In 11 playoff games with the Thunder, Martin averaged 14.0 points and 3.1 rebounds, including scoring 25 points in the series-clinching Game 6 at Houston and 25 points in the series opener vs. Memphis.

Martin was originally selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings out of Western Carolina. He was traded to Houston in exchange for Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey on Feb. 18, 2010. Oklahoma City acquired Martin, along with Jeremy Lamb and three future draft picks, on October 27, 2012 in exchange for James Harden, Daequan Cook, Lazar Hayward and Cole Aldrich.

Martin will wear uniform No. 23 for the Wolves.

“We thank Luke for his contributions to the Wolves during his three seasons in Minnesota,” said Saunders. “He is a consummate professional and we wish him the best in Milwaukee.”

In his three seasons in Minnesota, Ridnour averaged 11.7 points and 4.6 assists in 206 games (201 starts). In 2012-13, he averaged 11.5 points and 3.8 assists in 82 contests (all starts). Ridnour returns to Milwaukee where he played from 2008-10.

Timberwolves Waive Greg Stiemsma and Mickael Gelabale

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has waived center Greg Stiemsma and forward Mickael Gelabale.

Stiemsma played in 76 games for the Wolves last season, averaging 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game. Minnesota originally signed the 6-11 center as a free agent on Aug. 2, 2012. In 131 contests over two seasons with Boston and Minnesota, Stiemsma owns career NBA averages of 3.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game.

Gelabale appeared in 36 games a year ago for Minnesota, posting averages of 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per contest. After signing him to a pair of 10-day contracts in January, the Wolves signed Gelabale for the remainder of the 2012-13 season on Feb. 8, 2013. In 145 career NBA games with Seattle and Minnesota, the 6-7 forward has registered career averages of 4.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per contest.

Timberwolves adding Kevin Martin, keeping Chase Budinger

The Minnesota Timberwolves entered unrestricted free agency with two priorities at the top of their list – add a shooting guard with range and bringing back Chase Budinger.

Within the matter of a couple of hours on Tuesday, new team president Flip Saunders accomplished both of those goals.

The Timberwolves agreed to a four-year, $30 million deal with shooting guard Kevin Martin and a three-year, $16 million with Budinger, according to two people with knowledge of the deals. Budinger’s deal includes a player option for the final season. The people requested anonymity because an official announcement has not been made.

The agreements, which can’t become official until July 10, were two strong moves to address the team’s woeful outside shooting last season. The Wolves ranked dead last in 3-point shooting percentage last year, and Saunders made it a point to get more shooters to complement point guard Ricky Rubio’s slick passing.

Reported by Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press

Timberwolves in search of shooting guards

The Minnesota Timberwolves can us a lot of things. Better shooting from point guard Ricky Rubio. That plus health from Kevin Love. And some more talent would help as well, especially at the shooting guard and small forward positions.

The NBA’s free-agency negotiating period began at 11:01 p.m. Sunday and Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders was in Los Angeles with $7 million or more in his pocket to spend on a starting shooting guard.

Agents for unrestricted free agents O.J. Mayo, J.J. Redick, Kevin Martin and Mike Dunleavy are all based there.

Wolves unrestricted free agent Chase Budinger — who along with restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic is one of the team’s top two priorities, according to Saunders — also lives just down the freeway in San Diego.

Teams can strike deals with free agents as soon as the clock struck midnight July 1 in New York City — or 9 p.m. in California — but no contracts can officially be signed until a moratorium period ends July 10, after the NBA’s salary cap for next season is set.

Reported by Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune

Kirilenko opts out of final year of Wolves deal

Andrei Kirilenko has decided to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves and will become a free agent.

Kirilenko informed the Timberwolves of his decision on Saturday, the deadline that was written into the two-year deal he signed last summer. Kirilenko is declining the one year and $10 million left on his deal in an effort to get one last longer-term deal in his career.

Kirilenko averaged 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game for the Wolves last year, his best season in the league since 2005-06.

Reported by Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press

Timberwolves exercise contract option on Dante Cunningham

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has exercised the one-year option on forward Dante Cunningham’s contract for the 2013-14 NBA season.

“It was important for us to bring Dante back,” said Wolves President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders. “We all saw last year how he fits in really well with Coach Adelman’s style and system. His versatility, energy and ability to knock down the open jumper are all reasons we feel he is an invaluable piece to our team. We are excited to have Dante back for next season.”

Cunningham, 26, enjoyed a career-best season the Wolves in 2012-13, averaging career highs in scoring (8.7 ppg), rebounds (5.1 rpg), assists (0.8 apg) and minutes (25.1 mpg) in a career-high 80 games, including nine starts. He reached double figures on 32 occasions, including 10 of his final 16 contests, and shot a perfect 9-of-9 from the floor on Feb. 2 vs. New Orleans to set a single-game for accuracy. Cunningham also swiped 84 steals (1.05 spg) and ranked fourth in the NBA in steal/turnover ratio (1.50-to-1). The Wolves originally acquired the fourth-year forward from the Memphis Grizzlies on July 24, 2012 in exchange for guard Wayne Ellington.

In 285 career games with Minnesota, Memphis, Charlotte and Portland, Cunningham owns career averages of 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per contest. Cunningham was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft.

Timberwolves extend qualifying offer to Nikola Pekovic

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has extended a qualifying offer to Nikola Pekovic, making him a restricted free agent.

Pekovic, 27, concluded the 2012-13 season, his third in the NBA, with career highs in scoring (16.3 ppg), rebounding (8.8 rpg) and minutes (31.6 mpg). In 62 games, all starts, the 6-11 center finished 20th in the NBA in field goal accuracy at 52.0%, while shooting 74.4% from the free throw line. Pekovic collected a team-high 26 points/rebound double-doubles last season, including 11 games with 20+ points and 10+ rebounds. He became the first Wolves player in over four years to be named Western Conference Player of the Week when he averaged 25.0 points, on 58.9% shooting, and 8.5 rebounds in four contests from April 1 – 7.

In 174 NBA games, 108 starts, Pekovic owns career averages of 11.6 points and 6.2 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per contest. The Wolves originally selected the Montenegro native with the 31st overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Wolves owner Taylor, once a seller, ends up buying more stock

For the past several months, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has been looking for a buyer for the club who would originally own a portion of the team and then eventually would take over majority ownership.

But after not finding a suitable partner, Taylor changed his mind and bought the stock holdings of six partners who wanted out.

“I was looking at bringing somebody else in to do that, and it never worked out,” Taylor said. “So I just had told the partners that wanted to sell out, that had been with me for about 18 years, that if they wanted to sell out that I would buy their stock. I had about half of them do that, the other half stayed in. I just left that option up to them. They made their decisions, and everybody is happy with how it worked out.”

So now with the hiring of Flip Saunders as president of basketball operations, Taylor seems more involved than ever and he is probably more excited about this draft than any in recent memory.

Reported by Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune

NBA execs shop for right fit for their rosters

San Antonio’s Danny Green, Miami’s Chris Andersen and Indiana’s Lance Stephenson, to name a few, have proved nightly during this spring’s postseason that there is a prominent place in the NBA someday, someway for former second-round picks and those who once went undrafted.

New Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders just believes that time hasn’t yet arrived for his team or any such players in next month’s draft.

Before he jets off to Miami this weekend to bond with Ricky Rubio or travels to Europe after that to woo forthcoming restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic, Saunders did his long-term due diligence Tuesday at Target Center surrounded by representatives from 25 other teams, including NBA coaches Mike Woodson and Randy Wittman, doing the same.

They watched a dozen unsung draft prospects — many of whom won’t hear their name called next month — drill in separate sessions that opened two days of group workouts the Wolves annually hold.

“I don’t know right now if a second-rounder is going to be in our rotation,” Saunders said. “If you’re getting guys at that level, you hope they will somehow be able to play for you in two or three years.”

Reported by Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune