The Minnesota Timberwolves are working to find the right core group to move the franchise in the right direction. The team appears to have struck gold with Andrew Wiggins following the trade of Kevin Love and now they continue to adjust the team in a younger direction that might include Tyus Jones and not Anthony Bennett and Ricky Rubio.
Bennett came to Minnesota in the trade of Love and might not be staying as long as some thought he would. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports is reporting that the Timberwolves and Bennett are negotiating a contract buyout of the former No.1 overall draft pick that would make him a free agent immediately. The Timberwolves attempted to trade Bennett in the offseason, but after not being able to find a partner, a buyout is the best option to move forward.
Bennett appeared in 57 games while averaging 5.2 points per game. He never lived up to the hype of being the top draft pick for the team, but he could be a serviceable forward off the bench. Wojnarowski writes that teams unwilling to take on Markieff Morris could eye Bennett for help. The Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers have the most salary cap space to acquire Bennett while the Utah Jazz have space to get him as well. Regardless, Bennett's time in Minnesota is over.
Is Rubio's time coming to an end as well? The point guard's future has been debated topics during the offseason after Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reported the Timberwolves were getting impatient with the point guard and could look to move him at the mid-season deadline should Jones improve quickly. The Timberwolves like the idea of pairing Jones with Wiggins and if the combination works out, Rubio could be out. The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers have been tossed around has landing spots while Rubio denies the idea the franchise is going to move him.
"I have confidence that the team wants me but you know in this league anybody can get traded," Rubio said, via FOXSports.com. "You don't listen to the rumors. You just live day-by-day and that's it."
The Timberwolves have an impressive roster that makes certain players expendable. Karl-Anthony Towns comes in as the starting center while Kevin Garnett takes over the power forward spot. The Timberwolves acquired Adreian Payne from Michigan State from the Atlanta Hawks and he could act as the backup once Bennett is bought out.
