The Minnesota Timberwolves have been very active this offseason. After finishing at the 13th spot in the Western Conference standings last season, the Timberwolves are hoping they can finally make the playoffs next season with the roster changes they've made so far this summer. The last time the Wolves played a playoff game was during the 2003/2004 season, and last season they were nowhere near the postseason with their 31-51 record. But then the offseason started and Minnesota decided to make some changes. They traded Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn to the Bulls in exchange for Jimmy Butler and also acquired Jeff Teague via free agency.
Minnesota had to send Ricky Rubio to the Jazz due to financial reasons and they also decided to pull their qualifying offer from Shabazz Muhammad as he became an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The Timberwolves want Shabazz back
Earlier this summer, in July to be exact, the Minnesota Timberwolves decided not to make their qualifying offer for Shabazz Muhammad's contract that would've kept him in Minnesota. Muhammad became an unrestricted free-agent and he's still looking for a roster spot on an NBA team. Just a couple of days ago, Darren Wolfson of ESPN reported that the Timberwolves are looking for a way to bring the 24-year-old Muhammad back to Minnesota. Wolfson also reported that the Timberwolves can now offer Muhammad a contract only for the veteran's minimum, and it seems like this will be a difficult task for the Wolves.
Muhammad was the 14th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, and he was originally drafted by the Utah Jazz. He never played for the Jazz as he was traded right away to the Timberwolves. Shabazz spent all of his first four seasons with the Wolves and last season he averaged 9.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in 78 games played for Minnesota.
His best season was during the 2014/2016 campaign when he averaged 13.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. At 6-foot-6 Shabazz has great size for the small forward position in the NBA and his three-point shooting has improved also. Muhammad connected on 33% of his three-point shots last season.
Cole headed to Europe
Norris Cole will continue his career in Europe next season, after playing six seasons in the NBA.
It was reported earlier this week that Cole received a $700k offer from Maccabi Tel Aviv and the team officially announced today that they've signed the 28-year-old point guard. Cole played 13 games for the Oklahoma City Thunder last season and averaged 3.3 points and 1.1 assists per game while playing an average of 9.6 minutes per game. Cole is a two-time NBA champion as he won two NBA titles playing with the Miami Heat. He holds career averages of 7.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He will play for the Maccabi Fox Tel-Aviv in Israel next season as he looks for a new challenge in his career.
