The Minnesota Timberwolves are looking for the second star to put next to Karl-Anthony Towns. (Don’t bring up Andrew Wiggins and his contract, it just makes Timberwolves fans glow red with rage.)
How about All-Star D’Angelo Russell?
The Timberwolves — with Towns and aggressive new president Gersson Rosas in the room — are going to meet with the Nets’ restricted free agent, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.The Minnesota Timberwolves will meet with Brooklyn Nets restricted free agent D’Angelo Russell when free agency opens on Sunday, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Timberwolves contingent expected to be present at the meeting: president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, head coach Ryan Saunders and franchise player Karl-Anthony Towns, sources said.
Russell is a restricted free agent, however, if Kyrie Irving commits to Brooklyn as is widely expected, the Nets would rescind their qualifying offer to Russell, making him an unrestricted free agent. (Otherwise, Brooklyn can match any offer, although whether they would match a max is a matter of debate.)
Russell’s agent has been looking everywhere for a team willing to give his player the full $27.5 million max, after finding many teams think his value is a little below that ($22 million to $25 million). Minnesota is going to go all in according to friend-of-PBT Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports.
Told that D'Angelo Russell's team would not have set a meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves without assurances Wolves could clear the necessary cap space to sign Russell. Minnesota has made it clear they believe they can get to the $27.25M max space necessary to sign Russell.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 29, 2019
However, to get that much cap space one of two things needs to happen.
The buzz around the league for a while has been Minnesota had a new home for Andrew Wiggins and his remaining four years, $122 million. There certainly would be sweeteners (picks and/or players) in that deal, but if the Timberwolves can get off Wiggins’ salary they would have the cap space to sign Russell to the max.
The other option is to move both Jeff Teague and Gorgui Dieng to teams that can absorb their salaries and send nothing back. Getting Wiggins out of Minnesota would be the preferred option.
As ESPN’s Zach Lowe has noted, Minnesota was “up to something” and suggested Charlotte as a potential dumping ground for Wiggins after Kemba Walker bolts to Boston.
Russell will have a lot of suitors, but the top two picks in the 2015 NBA Draft could be teaming up in Minnesota.