Brandon Roy back to Minnesota? Wolves chase unrestricted free agent

Brandon Roy wore a Timberwolves cap briefly on draft night 2006.

Now the team that drafted him and quickly traded him in a deal that sent Roy to Portland for Randy Foye and a big chunk of cash appears poised to get in the hunt for the former All Star who essentially retired last December because of bad knees.

The Wolves were interested in making a bid on Roy last December after the lockout ended and it appeared he was amnesty candidate who might keep playing on those bad knees.

The Blazers did use their amnesty clause to wipe the remaining $63 million off his contract, but Roy retired instead.

He recently used a friend's Twitter account to say he is plotting a comeback and expects to play this coming season.

Yahoo!Sports Monday night reported Chicago, Dallas, Indiana, the Wolves and Golden State are seriously pursuing Roy and 1500espn.com here in the Twin Cities reported the Wolves are prepared to offer Roy a two-year deal in a move being pushed by assistant coach Bill Bayno, a former Blazers assistant, and coach Rick Adelman.

Roy is an unrestricted free agent who can sign with any team any time now and does not have to wait until the NBA's free-agent moratorium that begins July 1 and end July 11.

Yahoo reported that Roy's bad knees -- he retired basically because he had no cartilage left in either knee -- have been helped recently by the platelet plasma therapy producure that Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and baseball's Alex Rodriguez sought out.

Yahoo also reported the Pacers might have an edge because former Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard is now in Indiana's front office and Roy trusts him from their days together in Portland.

Golden State's GM Bob Myers used to be Roy's agent.

The Wolves certainly need a shooting guard and Roy would be worth the risk, depending on the price, of course.

The Wolves will hold their final draft workout on Tuesday, when Syracuse center Fab Melo is one of six players due into Target Center.

On Monday, Memphis' Will Barton was one of four players who worked out.

Melo, Barton and Royce White are the only candidates for the Wolves' 18th pick whom the team worked out at Target Center.

That might suggest how much they intend to trade the pick.

Or it simply could be a symptom of drafting 18th -- and having trouble getting players to agee to come for workouts who believe they're going higher than 18th -- this year rather than second, third or fourth as the team has done in recent years.