The Minnesota Timberwolves have waived the non-guaranteed contract of wing Cameron Reynolds. Plus, they’ve hired another forward-thinking front office executive.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have had a busy pre-free agency period.
After extending the qualifying offer to Tyus Jones earlier in the week and following a flurry of coaching staff and front office transactions over the past month or so, the Wolves have officially waived good-bye to one of last year’s midseason additions.
Cameron Reynolds was waived on Friday. He was originally signed to a 10-day contract back in February before ultimately being added to the team for the balance of the season.
Reynolds had been a five-year player at Tulane before tearing it up for Stockton of the G League last season, scoring 16 points and pulling down 4.2 rebounds per game while knocking down 3-pointers at a 51 percent clip.
With the Wolves, Reynolds appeared in 19 games, becoming a fairly regular member of the rotation once injuries began to severely impact interim head coach Ryan Saunder’s bench down the stretch of the season.
He scored in double-digits three times in his 19 appearances, including a 4-for-7 performance from beyond the arc in a March 12 game against Denver and a 5-for-7 from 3-point range en route to a season and career-high 19 points in the season finale, also against the Nuggets.
Reynolds was 21-for-51 from downtown in a Wolves uniform, good for a 41.2 percent mark. His contract was non-guaranteed for 2019-20, but there was some thought they he may stick around as a cheap bench option. The fact that he’s being waived before free agency suggests that the Wolves are freeing every last dime of cap space that they can manage.
Reynolds’ contract would have become guaranteed if he had been traded, so that’s why he didn’t have significant trade value. That said, Minnesota isn’t completely out on a Reynolds return, either.
Told the #Twolves would have interest in re-signing Reynolds if they strike out in free agency. This move, which I still can't fully figure out, was about what Rosas is trying to accomplish, not Reynolds having a guarantee elsewhere.
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) June 28, 2019
Reynolds certainly seems like a rotation player in the NBA, and it would be fair to expect him back with the Wolves if they don’t get what they’re looking for otherwise.
Elsewhere, the Wolves continue to diversify their front office by creating innovative roles and making outside-the-box hires.
Robby Sika is the new Vice President of Basketball Performance and Technology. He has consulted for teams in all four of the major sports leagues in the United States and has an impressive bio, per the Timberwolves’ press release.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe had positive things to say about the addition.
Gersson Rosas has taken another big step re-shaping Wolves. Sources say MIN has hired Robby Sikka to revamp its sports science infrastructure. Sikka is CEO of the Sports Medicine Analytics Research Team + has consulted for teams in NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL. Very well-regarded. (1/2)
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) June 28, 2019
Sikka will serve as Minnesota's Vice President of Basketball Performance and Technology, sources say. He will give up consulting gigs to focus entirely on the Wolves and have authority to hire staff. Signal that MIN will go all-in on an increasingly important area.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) June 28, 2019
What can we say? It’s a fun time to be a Timberwolves fan.
We’re only a couple of days away from things really getting started, and it’s a safe bet that we’ll hear more than a few rumors in the meantime.