Even though the league is shifting towards smaller lineups, NBA executives are still always looking to add size. According to CBS Sports , the Minnesota Timberwolves are signing Jordan Hill to a two-year contract worth approximately $8 million. The seldom used Indiana Pacers big man finds himself getting another chance to prove that he deserves to be on the court.
In the NBA nowadays, teams generally have just one big man on the floor. That player is usually surrounded by four perimeter players, most of whom are able to spread the floor by being able to shoot from beyond the three-point line.
The signing of Jordan Hill by the Minnesota Timberwolves comes as quite a surprise to many in the NBA. That’s because the team already has a good amount of depth on the front court. It seems a bit redundant to add Hill, especially for the amount of money that he was handed.
Report: Wolves, Jordan Hill agree to 2-year, $8 million deal https://t.co/gqiDDFBE4W pic.twitter.com/HJaaNiZnfD
— CBS Sports NBA (@CBSSportsNBA) July 13, 2016
According to CBS Sports , the Minnesota Timberwolves signed Cole Aldrich to a three-year contract worth approximately $22 million. For that amount of money, it is hard to envision the Timberwolves keeping Aldrich tied down to the bench. The former Los Angeles Clippers backup center is going to receive some playing time in Minnesota.
Karl Anthony Towns is going to be the featured big man for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Having won the NBA Rookie of the Year award, it makes all the sense in the world that the coaching staff, led by new head coach Tom Thibodeau, to have him on the court as much as possible.
Another player that should see plenty of time on the court for the Minnesota Timberwolves is Nikola Pekovic. Management eventually wants to move Karl Anthony Towns to the center position, so they’re going to want Pekovic being featured so that his trade value will be increased.
The big man that should receive the most amount of playing time behind Karl Anthony Towns is Gorgui Dieng, who has earned the trust of the Minnesota Timberwolves front office. Jordan Hill is going to have to work pretty hard to take away playing time from Dieng.
Another player that the Minnesota Timberwolves must factor into the mix is Kevin Garnett. The legendary forward and future hall of fame inductee hasn’t really decided on what his future in the NBA will be. Garnett wants to be involved with the Timberwolves, but he might not want to be on the court anymore.
According to ESPN , Kevin Garnett was only able to play in five games after being acquired from the Brooklyn Nets via trade. The 6-foot-11 forward was also only able to compete in 38 games last season because of an assortment of injuries.
Even with the addition of Jordan Hill, the Minnesota Timberwolves are required to spend approximately $14 million more. There’s a minimum amount of money that teams are required to spend on the salary cap without being penalized. Minnesota is more than likely going to sign some perimeter players to fill out the roster.
With 15 players already under contract, the Minnesota Timberwolves may find themselves in a situation where they overpay perimeter players to join the roster. That way, they can hit the salary cap minimum. It’s not the best case scenario for the Timberwolves, but it is something that they have to do if they want to comply with the rules that the NBA has set forward.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are going to be a really good team in the NBA some day. Signing Jordan Hill might not speed things up, but he will provide some depth at least.
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