Shabazz Muhammad is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, but the big question is…will he stay in Minnesota?
Oh, the wonderful Wizard of Bazz.
Shabazz Muhammad was draft by the Jazz, with the 14th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Soon after being drafted, he was sent in a package trade on draft night, along with Gorgui Dieng, to the Minnesota Timberwolves for their ninth-overall pick, which happened to be Trey Burke. And now, four seasons removed, it’s no secret who won that trade.
After a roller coaster ride with the Wolves, Shabazz is set to become a restricted free agent this off-season. This means that the Timberwolves can match any offer he receives from any team and retain him. However, Shabazz may attract a big contract because of his ability to score.
Scoring the basketball is what Shabazz Muhammad does. When a team is looking at Muhammad, they are looking at his ability to score the ball, and his ability to become a spark plug off the bench, or perhaps even in their starting lineup. The only thing that is slowing Muhammad down from becoming a better player (and earning more money) is his apparent inability to pass the ball — and play defense.
Any team willing to overlook those two weaknesses will find a nice player who gets both the crowd and team energized with a prolific amount of dunk and his ability to score the ball.
But, these teams will also find that his contract could be north of $50 million. And keep in mind that lot of these teams have cap space and/or a need for a young scorer.