NBA Rumors: Timberwolves free agency can afford to sign . . . ?

Full Mid Level Exception candidates

There are currently two players that have been linked to the Timberwolves that would command the full or close two the entire MLE in Bruce Brown and Donte DiVincenzo.

Positioned to offer the full MLE, the Wolves will have to make a decision:

Are either Donte DiVincenzo or Bruce Brown worth giving up both forward Taurean Prince and unrestricted free agent wing Nickiel Alexander-Walker (NAW) to acquire?

Bruce Brown is a versatile guard who is a plus defender and wears a variety of hats as an offensive player. This past season Brown was tasked as the primary bench playmaker, and became a key contributor to the Nuggets winning their first NBA title.

While he has a respectable shot, 35.8% last year, his value lies in his versatility as a two-way player that can play 1-3 positionally.  Brown will have plenty of offers in his inbox come 6 p.m. ET, so getting his signature is far from a sure thing.

Donte is a combo guard and knockdown shooter who has flashed the ability to initiate offense with the Golden State Warriors this past season. His profile is similar to that of Alexander-Walker in that he is a plus point-of-attack defender, and is comfortable both on and off the ball offensively.

Where Donte really stands out is as a shooter, as he shot 39.7% from deep with the Warriors last season. There is a chance Donte may not command the entire MLE per my Twitter conversation with Darren Wolfson.

In order to realistically sign both, I would project Nickiel to command a three-year $18-20M deal with a player option worth $5.5-6.5 million in year one. with this projection, that leaves $8-9 million in range to sign BOTH Donte and Nickiel Alexander-Walker. So if Donte is the target, keep an eye on where his contract lands, if he falls in that $8-9 million range, NAW is officially in play!