Well, one thing you can say about the Timberwolves' first day of free agency was they didn't sign anyone to any bad contracts.
Timberwolves quiet so far as NBA free agents start making deals
Wolves haven't made any new signings or trades as of Monday night
August 3, 2021 at 9:42AM
That's because as of Monday night, the Wolves hadn't agreed to any reported deals or sign-and-trades with any free agents as several players around the league found deals.
That could change quickly, especially since negotiations can go well into the night on the West Coast, where President Gersson Rosas and the Wolves are in Los Angeles to meet with players and agents.
Either way, Rosas has said the Wolves' primary vehicle for roster turnover would be trades, and trades can take time to materialize as free agency opens. The question was just how much Rosas might push to make a deal in order to turn the Wolves into contenders sooner than later, especially with a new ownership group coming aboard in Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez.
About the only thing accomplished Monday was clarifying some targets that won't be coming to the Wolves. Rosas was still seeking to bulk up the Wolves' frontcourt after trading Ricky Rubio to Cleveland for Taurean Prince on draft night.
Less expensive forward targets — players like JaMychal Green, Zach Collins and Torrey Craig each signed deals. Green re-upped with Denver, Collins signed with San Antonio and Craig with the Pacers.
The more optimistic Wolves fans might point to the fact that a few of the Wolves' big targets in trades or sign-and-trades, like Philadelphia's Ben Simmons and Atlanta's John Collins, still hadn't been moved or, in Collins' case, agreed to a new deal.
The 76ers have reportedly been asking for a king's ransom in exchange for Simmons and teams haven't been willing to step up to those demands. Collins is a restricted free agent and played a big part in the Hawks' run to the Eastern Conference finals. He would seem to be an important part of Atlanta's future, but restricted free agency can sometimes be a tangled, lengthy and frustrating process for parties involved.
Even though Stadium reported the Hawks and Collins weren't close on a new deal, the Hawks will still have the opportunity to match any offer that comes in for Collins. If the Wolves were to acquire him it would likely be via a sign-and-trade. They had interest in Collins at the trade deadline.
The Wolves have their own restricted free agents in Jarred Vanderbilt and Jordan McLaughlin, and re-signing Vanderbilt could help provide some of the frontcourt depth the Wolves covet.
The Wolves had a little more than $10 million in cap space after the Prince trade, though some of that may be earmarked to sign 2020 23rd overall pick Leandro Bolmaro, who would be set to make around $2.3 million.
Another Wolves target who was still available was Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen, who the Wolves selected in the 2017 draft only to immediately deal him to Chicago in part of the Jimmy Butler trade. The 24-year-old from Finland has averaged 15.6 points in four seasons and is a 37% three-point shooter, though his advanced defensive numbers might not help the Wolves improve their defense, which ranked near the bottom of the league last season.
In other NBA news, Apple Valley's Gary Trent Jr. agreed to a three-year, $54 million deal to return to the Raptors, ESPN reported. The third year is a player option.
The Minnesota Frost chose Claire Thompson with the third overall pick in the PWHL draft, knowing they were getting a member of the Canadian national team and a future doctor.
