In a surprising turn of events, the Minnesota Timberwolves have waived a training camp/preseason standout.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have waived forward/big Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who has excelled in his role for the team throughout preseason. The Wolves presumably did this due to the fact that they are about $2.5 million away from the luxury tax threshold.
Through three games, Hollis-Jefferson averaged eight points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal per game. He shot nearly-90-percent from the floor – and while that certainly is not sustainable, it is promising to see RHJ buy into a role of getting to the rim offensively.
Hollis-Jefferson was arguably the Timberwolves’ second-best defender throughout preseason (only after Josh Okogie), and brought intensity, rebounding, and versatility to the power forward position.
Regardless of how he played, Hollis-Jefferson almost assuredly would have brought a unique and much-needed skill set that complemented the Timberwolves roster – he is the type of player that can improve upon a team that is attempting to build a playoff berth. Waiving him is not only disappointing, but counter-intuitive given there is unnecessary money on the roster currently.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was only brought in on a training camp deal, but he played well enough to where most teams would offer a regular season roster – especially a team that has the flexibility to make a roster spot available.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have to find a way to help the frontcourt of their team, as it is currently led by Karl-Anthony Towns, followed by Ed Davis, Naz Reid, Jake Layman, and Juan Hernangomez. Not great!
While some of those players have shown some improvements, there is a lot that is to be desired.
Presumably, Gersson Rosas has a plan – or at least, that’s the hope. Time after time, he has proven to have had a vision in terms of roster construction. And for a team that has a make-or-break season ahead of them, that’s exactly what they need.