The Minnesota Timberwolves are signing Tayshaun Prince to a contract and with the team at 15 roster players, the Wolves will likely have to make a trade and names like Anthony Bennett, Shabazz Muhammad, Ricky Rubio or Damjan Rudez could be options for the team to move to get the roster down after signing back Kevin Garnett and adding Andre Miller this summer.
Prince was sitting on the market without much interest since free agency opened and now he has found a new team. According to Marc Spears at Yahoo Sports, the Wolves have agreed to terms with Prince to a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum. Prince comes in at 35, but he can still play solid minutes and can be a productive player in the NBA. Prince is a tough defender and he now adds some depth up front for the Wolves.
Former league executive Bobby Marks wrote about the deal on Twitter and he speculates that the Wolves could look at making a trade after signing Prince. Marks writes that the team already has 15 guaranteed contracts on the roster, but that the team has moves they can make, as they have "moveable contracts" for trades. Marks writes that Rudez, Anthony Bennett and Shabazz Muhammad are options to move. Ricky Rubio also could be a target, but a trade is unlikely at this point, as the Wolves still think Rubio can be a top point guard in the NBA.
Prince gives the team some very solid depth overall at forward, where Andrew Wiggins, Kevin Garnett and Gorgui Dieng/Adreian Payne could be the top rotation players at the two positions. The team has Bennett after the trade for Wiggins last year and Muhammad was a top draft pick a couple years ago. Bennett has been mentioned in trade rumors since before the draft and there is a chance the Wolves could look to move him over Muhammad. Marc Stein at ESPN reported in June that Bennett was on the trade block.
Pro Basketball Talk reports that Prince makes it 17 players for the Wolves and that either Rudez or Lorenzo Brown could be cut if a trade doesn't happen. The site also adds that Rudez could be a good trade target, as he is affordable and is just 29. Rudez averaged 4.8 points last season in 68 games. Prince comes in after averaging 7.5 points and 3.6 rebounds last season in 58 games and he should be able to give the Wolves 20-25 minutes per game.
The Timberwolves may not be "good" in the tough western conference, but the team is assembling a solid roster of young talent and veteran leadership. Garnett returned and said he wanted to mentor the young players on the roster and Andre Miller has been looked at as one of the best "professional" players in the league with how he handles himself. Miller and Garnett along with Prince all have playoffs experience and while the Wolves likely will not make it this year, the vets may help lay a foundation that could breed some postseason appearances down the road.
Check here for more on the Prince deal or for more on the potential for trades.
