More Timberwolves free agency notes, Layden interview

We have a few more notes regarding the Timberwolves and free agency, plus a Scott Layden interview courtesy of Darren Wolfson.

Earlier on Tuesday, we presented a handful of rumors and tidbits that were also brought in part by ESPN 1500 and KSTP’s Darren Wolfson. Later on Tuesday afternoon, Wolfson posted his latest “The Scoop” podcast, and it was jam-packed with Timberwolves news and notes, as well as a post-Kris Dunn press conference interview with general manager Scott Layden.

Please head to the above link and listen to Wolfson’s podcast in it’s entirety; the initial 43 minutes or so (most of the podcast) is regarding the Wolves.

But we’ll bring you some of the highlights regarding free agency and the current roster specifically, as well as some of the more intriguing direct quotes from Layden.

First, on the current roster:

Wolfson says that Nikola Pekovic will likely be on the floor in some capacity come training camp, and that he will not be traded or bought out.
There remains a chance that Kevin Garnett will be bought out, and the Wolves would love to trade Adreian Payne. Also, Tayshaun Prince and Greg Smith will almost certainly not be back.
Damjan Rudez is already gone, although that news was officially broken by The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday when the Wolves declined his team option.

All of the above makes perfect sense. The Wolves certainly need shooting, but Rudez was as one-dimensional as they come. There simply aren’t very many stretch-fours that can literally only shoot threes, so the fit was awkward, to say the least.

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It would be too bad to see Garnett bought out, but if the Wolves are outbid for Joakim Noah (more on that in a moment), it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to get rid of KG. The 40 year-old should still be able to give 10-15 solid minutes per game in a role that the Timberwolves will need filled.

On free agency, which begins late Thursday evening:

The Wolves will have interest in the following players, in no particular order: Ryan Anderson, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, D.J. Augustin, Kris Humphries, Mindaugas Kuzminskas of Lithuania, Zach Pachulia, Randy Foye, and Eric Gordon.
Players the Wolves likely will not have interest in include: Marvin Williams, Nicolas Batum, and Jamal Crawford.

Most of the above makes sense, but at the right price. Wolfson predicts that Deng will get something in the neighborhood of $50 million over three years, which seems about right under the new cap. He also states that the Wolves will not get into a bidding war for Noah, who will have New York and Washington after him with fervor.

Anderson fits the current squad perfectly, but it would also be easy to overpay him on the open market. It’s tough to see how he would provide requisite value to the Timberwolves, although if they somehow get him on a reasonable contract it could be a nice marriage.

Foye, Augustin, and Gordon don’t appeal to me much, although Augustin and Thibodeau have history in Chicago and he played well there. Gordon would almost surely be overpaid, although he’s a solid three-point shooter.