Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 cheap free agent options (part 1)
The Minnesota Timberwolves have officially entered desperation mode with the remaining free agents.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been busy bees this summer, orchestrating two trades and three free agent signings.
However, that doesn’t mean Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden are done wheeling and dealing. Having only ten players on their roster and little money left to spend, the front office has their work cut out for them.
I’m about to throw a lot of math at you so be ready.
The Wolves’ current roster plus the Kevin Martin stretch provision means they have $97,014,989 tied up in contracts.
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Given that the 2017-18 NBA salary cap is set at $99,093,000, that gives Minnesota a little over $2 million to play with.
Even if Thibodeau uses that $2 million on a player, he can still sign other players for the veteran minimum. The minimum pay scale for veterans is determined based on the number of years they have been in the league. The more years of experience, the higher the salary.
Given that players who have played eight years or more in the NBA will make more than $2 million per season anyways (according to the veteran minimum scale) the remaining cap room is likely to be used on a player with less experience.
Barring a trade or other moves by Thibodeau, this is the only way the Wolves will be able to acquire talent this season.
Given the pickle Minnesota is currently in, here are five players they might be able to obtain with their salary cap situation.