The Minnesota Timberwolves’ free agency search continues, and the team is slowly but surely finding and fitting players to the team’s roster. Their latest find is veteran guard Austin Rivers, a player who last competed for the Denver Nuggets, an obvious connection to Minnesota Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations, Tim Connelly.
Austin Rivers is a ten-year veteran who is a combination guard, a role that is a solid fit for this roster. He can absorb minutes, bolster the offense with solid shot selection, nail three-pointers from the perimeter, and add a bit of veteran leadership to the roster.
Free agent guard Austin Rivers has agreed on a one-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, his agents Dave Spahn and Aaron Mintz of CAA Sports tell ESPN. Rivers played 67 games for Denver a year ago, where new president Tim Connelly signed him in consecutive seasons.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 15, 2022
While Rivers’ ability to put up points has waned over the years, his aim from beyond the arc remains solid. With the team frontcourt-focused right now, Rivers’ ability to set up and shoot from three-point range is a welcome addition to the Timberwolves roster.
Vital veteran PG
Even as he is backsliding, he has been a vital enough player to be re-signed twice by Connelly and the Nuggets in the past.
The Timberwolves have needed a point guard to back up D’Angelo Russell after trading away Patrick Beverley to the Utah Jazz, and Austin Rivers will fill that void. This will be Rivers’ seventh NBA team in what will be his 11th season.
Rivers not only fills a positional void for the team, but he is battle-tested in the NBA playoffs as well. In fact, he has played in the postseason on seven different occasions. He last played for the Nuggets last year.
Rivers is the third free agent signed to the roster and is perhaps the most vital signing to date. The Timberwolves’ new roster configuration is far more dependent upon a solid field general at the point guard position to create plays and distribute the basketball to the open shooter. Austin Rivers should be ideally suited for the role.