Timberwolves Complete Buyout with Shabazz Muhammad

So it happened:

This has been rumored for a while, and it’s now done. Shabazz Muhammad is no longer a member of the Timberwolves.

There were moments over his first few seasons when it looked like Muhammad might develop into a useful bench scorer, but he could never quite put everything together. His poor defensive awareness and single-minded game never developed.

He was a free agent last summer, but was unable to find a lucrative deal. The Wolves were up against the salary cap and needed a body, so they brought Muhammad back in what seemed like a capitulation by both sides.

He fell out of the rotation early this season, and has seen very little playing time over the last several months.

What the buyout looks like is unclear. Muhammad had a player option for next season, and how much the Wolves had to pay for that is unknown.

Whatever the case, Muhammad hits the free agent market and the Wolves are free of a player that was never a great fit.

It creates another open roster spot for the Wolves, who currently have 13 players on full NBA contracts, two of whom are the currently injured Jimmy Butler and rookie Justin Patton who is in Iowa. Which means they have 11 players currently with the team and available to play.

We’ll see what if anything they do to change that.

And we wish Shabazz Muhammad the best.