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Minnesota Timberwolves: Isaiah Canaan will not be brought back

By Andrew Neururer

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 08: Isaiah Canaan #7 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on February 08, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 08: Isaiah Canaan #7 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on February 08, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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The Minnesota Timberwolves will not sign Isaiah Canaan for the rest of the season after his second 10-day contract has expired.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have had to face a lot of adversity this season.

The Wolves traded Jimmy Butler, fired Tom Thibodeau and have dealt with a rash of injuries. With all that has happened this season, the Wolves are still 28-30 and only four games out of the playoff picture.

There is still a long ways to go, but the team is finally starting to get healthy. Now, only Robert Covington and Karl-Anthony Towns are on the injury list with Towns listed as day-to-day as he remains in concussion protocol following a car accident on Thursday.

ESPN 1500 and KSTP’s Darren Wolfson reports that the Timberwolves have decided not to sign Isaiah Canaan for the rest of the season. This isn’t much of a shocker, with Derrick Rose and Tyus Jones now back from their respective injuries.

Remember, a team is only able to sign a player two 10-day contracts. If the team wishes to retain that player beyond the second 10-day deal, they must sign him for the rest of the season.

Canaan is more of an undersized two-guard than a point guard, and he had some solid moments when called upon at both positions.

His best game came against the Orlando Magic, when he put up 13 points and six assists. He shot 5-for-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range. There was a stretch of games in which he found a good chunk of minutes, but beyond that he had inconsistent playing time.

Overall, Canaan averaged 13.6 minutes in his seven contests and put up 4.7 points, 2.7 assists and 0.6 steals per game. He also shot the ball fairly well, clocking in at 37.9 percent from the field and 36.8 percent on 3-point attempts.

With Jeff Teague, Rose, Jones, and Jerryd Bayless all healthy, the Wolves are finally fully-stocked at the point guard spot. Meanwhile, the 27-year-old Canaan will hit the open market, looking for another deal.

The decision to not retain Canaan allows the Wolves to gain an open roster spot, which would be valuable if the team considers adding another big man to the fold, depending on the individual situations of Towns and Gorgui Dieng.

While it’s unknown just how long Towns will be out as he’s listed as questionable for Saturday’s tilt in Milwaukee, Dieng was held out of Friday night’s game due to personal reasons and will miss the game against the Bucks, too.

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Minnesota will look to get healthy with only 24 games remaining on the schedule. While the playoffs are admittedly somewhat of a long shot, a lot can happen in the final seven weeks of the regular season.

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