The trade deadline has passed, and it was fairly nuts. We’ll have a recap of the goings on for tomorrow, but in the wake of the deadline, in which the Wolves, as expected, did not make a deal, there are rumors of potential roster churn in Minnesota as we enter buyout season.
First, there’s this:
The Timberwolves will try to sign Derrick Rose if he clears waivers after his looming release by Utah, according to league sources
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 8, 2018
Rumors about a Rose-Tom Thibodeau reunion have been around since Thibs landed with the Wolves, and have yet to come to fruition. One can only hope this is yet another bit of ultimately inaccurate speculation.
Because, yikes. Rose, who was traded today from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Utah Jazz, who are expected to waive him, hasn’t played good basketball in five years. Meanwhile, what role would he occupy for the Wolves? Jeff Teague is the starter, and Tyus Jones has been playing extremely well as the back up, and has been pushing to earn more minutes all season. To the extent that Rose replaces Aaron Brooks, I guess OK from a basketball perspective, but Rose no doubt still sees himself as much more than that, which could cause problems. Or a reduced role for Jones, which would be a travesty.
Rose, who abandoned the Cavs for weeks earlier this season and has appeared in only 16 games, is not someone who will help the basketball team. Given their other needs, it seems like a silly move, and hopefully one Thibs passes on.
All of which says nothing about his grotesque treatment of women, as evidenced by the testimony from his rape trial. After last year’s signings of Jordan Hill and Lance Stevenson, both of whom have domestic assaults in their back grounds, signing Rose would only add insult to that injury.
On the other side of the coin is this:
With time ticking, Minnesota forward Shabazz Muhammad could get a buyout and become a coveted free agent if he isn't traded, a source said.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) February 8, 2018
No doubt Muhammad wants a buyout, since he rarely sees the court after getting dropped from the rotation earlier in the season, and it would behoove both sides to make it happen. The problem for the Wolves is that Muhammad has a player option on his contract for next season that will have to be dealt with in any buyout agreement. No doubt they would prefer not to be on the hook for that if Muhammad is not on the roster.
Still, this should get done somehow. The Wolves aren’t going to use him, and Muhammad needs a place to play to try to re-establish some value. His return always felt like a capitulation by both sides that they couldn’t do any better, but it’s not been a good fit.