NBA free-agent season won't consume Wolves

Free agency has become the lifeblood of the NBA. Player movement and its revolving discussion throughout the year have fueled the league's growth and turned it into a must-follow event, primed for social media consumption.

But while free agency, which begins in earnest with the start of negotiations at 5 p.m. Sunday, might be the main attraction for some fans, it's not for Timberwolves President Gersson Rosas and his vision for the future.

"For us, free agency is important, but it's not the priority," Rosas said. "We're building this program through the draft. We're building it through trades and resetting and developing. Free agency plays an important role, but it's a calculated and strategic role. You don't want to be in free agency for the sake of being in free agency."

Rosas has referred to free agency as a "hard place" to live, and his cautious approach toward it might be wise given Minnesota is a market that hasn't traditionally lured big-name free agents. And the Wolves haven't been reported as sniffing around any of the big names set to become available like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker.

That's not to say the Wolves are going to be quiet come Sunday. Most of the speculation that has danced in the minds of Wolves fans while providing fodder for blogs and memes on Instagram and Twitter has been the Wolves' interest in Nets guard D'Angelo Russell, a restricted free agent.

Russell may come available because the Nets are the reported front-runners to sign Irving. Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns are good friends. But Russell's path to Minnesota is harder than him just agreeing to come here. The Wolves have $111 committed to eight players after the trading of Dario Saric and the drafting of Jarrett Culver with the sixth overall pick last week. The salary cap sits around $109 million, so the Wolves would have to create some space if they want to get Russell, most likely via a sign-and-trade with the Nets and potentially a third team.

Somehow finding someone to take on Andrew Wiggins' max contract would be one pathway to getting Russell in Minnesota, but that's a tall order given where Wiggins' value is after the first year of that deal.

Another way would be to package guard Jeff Teague's expiring contract at $19 million with assets, like multiple draft picks (and potentially multiple first-round picks) and using the stretch provision on the two years and approximately $33.5 million owed Gorgui Dieng. Doing so would spread the value of Dieng's contract over five years, providing over $9 million in cap relief this year.

Depending on how much Russell may command on the restricted free-agent market, trading Teague's contract and stretching Dieng could open up enough space to land Russell or get within shouting distance of being able to sign him.

There would then be questions about roster depth and the Wolves' ability to build a bench around Towns, Wiggins and Russell, but Rosas has made clear any time a star player becomes available, it's incumbent upon the front office to do what it can to try and land him. When Rosas was with the Rockets, the team kept pounding on the door until it finally was able to land James Harden in a trade with the Thunder in 2012. It cost a lot in assets, but it changed the trajectory of the franchise.

Russell, an All-Star last season when he broke out with the Nets, is at a similar place in his career to Harden. He was a player on the rise, but nobody knew for sure if he was a bona fide superstar. Perhaps Rosas sees a similar scenario with Russell.

One thing to expect, not just in this free agency but in ones to come: Even if there are obstacles to a deal, like cap space and onerous contracts, the Wolves under Rosas won't be afraid to get creative and will exhaust any avenue they can to find a way to get a deal done. That's what Rosas' executive VP, Sachin Gupta, was known for in Houston and Philadelphia.

The Wolves have other issues to address such as the future of restricted free agent Tyus Jones and how they will round out the roster if they don't land Russell, Will they use their $9 million midlevel exception on one player or attempt to split it up among a couple players?

But Russell remains the object of fascination for Wolves fans. If he doesn't end up in Minnesota, some other name will take his place in due time.