Wednesday Open Thread

Hello, loyal readers. I wanted to quickly get a new thread up for today so we can all chat about the hot new topics of the daily news cycle.

I didn’t comment much on the signing of the man pictured above, but getting Luol Deng on the veterans minimum was a smart move by the Wolves. He knows Thibodeau’s system, the messages he wants to get across, and very well might still have some gas left in the tank.

Signing him to 1-year deal to find out if he still has meaningful minutes in him seems like a wise move with little risk. Of course, everyone will focus on the “TimberBulls” narrative and chalk this move up to more uncreative, nepotistic management from Thibs, but I don’t see how this transaction hurts the team much in the long run.

Adding Deng means more depth on the wing and perhaps he can still defend well enough to be a positive part of lineups. My guess is this move will be a net positive when all is said and done. While the rookies do need time to develop, and James Nunally should get a fair chance to see if he sticks (they certainly need his shooting!), Deng is likely the best bet to be a real glue guy off the bench. And if he’s not, that’s perfectly fine. Eat the money and let him continue to collect DNP’s like last season.

As for other news, a group of Wolves have been working out at Mayo Clinic Square in preparation for training camp, which is right around the corner. Where did summer go?

First round pick Josh Okogie (20th overall) has agreed to a multi-year shoe deal with Nike. KAT is also with Nike, Butler is with Jordan Brand, and Wiggins and Rose are with Adidas. That’s your shoe update for the week.

Still no word on rookie scale contract extensions for Karl-Anthony Towns or Tyus Jones. Locking both up immediately to long-term deals would have been my very first priority this offseason so it’s concerning to see it taking this long. Towns might be pushing for a player option or using this time to make a larger statement that he isn’t content. In the case of Jones, it’s hard to say right now what their plan even is. He should be the starting point guard next season though and hopefully the powers that be feel the same way.

What’s on your mind today?