Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors: Newly Signed Rasual Butler Has Pretty Good Chance Of Making Wolves, Nikola Pekovic’s Availability Is Unknown

The Minnesota Timberwolves have added veteran free agent Rasual Butler to their trading camp roster, according to Shams Charania of the Vertical.

Charania wrote that Butler’s deal is non-guaranteed, meaning that in order for him to make the team he will have to win a spot out of training camp, which is something he has done the past three years with the Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, and San Antonio Spurs.

Butler worked out with the T-Wolves for a couple of days, before signing with the team per The Star Tribune.

Butler wasn’t a part of the Spurs rotation last year, averaging 9.4 minutes in 46 contests. The 37-year-old averaged 2.7 points and 1.2 boards in 2015-16. He shot 47.1 percent from the floor, but just 30.6 percent from beyond the arc, the mark is Butler’s third worst mark in his 13-year career. For his career, the six-foot-eight forward averages 7.5 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 40.3 percent from the field and 36.2 percent on his three-point attempts.

Minnesota currently has 15 players with fully guaranteed contracts, so, at first glance, it would appear that Butler does not have a very good chance at making the team. However, as Inquisitr previously reported, the Wolves and Kevin Garnett are discussing a buyout. Garnett, whose contract is worth $8 million this season, is expected to retire if he is bought out.

If Garnett does leave the team, it would open a roster spot for either Butler, John Lucas III, or Toure’ Murry. Butler would be the favorite of the trio to secure a roster spot as his skill set best fits the needs of the organization. Lucas and Murry also possess non-guaranteed deals.

Butler is a ‘3 and D’ player who is still a capable defender at his advanced age. Butler also has the ability to light up a scoreboard when he is hot, and can provide a few rebounds a game.

Minnesota’s biggest weakness last year was its defense, rebounding, and three-point shooting. The T-Wolves are hopeful they fixed their defense with the addition of head coach Tom Thibodeau, rookie Kris Dunn, and center Cole Aldrich. Free agent pickup Jordan Hill should be a major contributor on the boards.

Lucas is a pass first point guard, who doesn’t shoot the ball very well. The 33-year-old played in Puerto Rico and with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League in 2015-16. Lucas last played in the NBA in 2014-15 with the Detroit Pistons. He has posted career averages of 4.8 points and 1.5 assists while shooting 38.4 percent from the field as well as 34.5 percent from beyond the arc in 237 games. The seven-year veteran has also played for the Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, and Utah Jazz.

Lucas enters training camp fourth on the depth chart behind Ricky Rubio, Kris Dunn, and Tyus Jones.

Murry is a six-foot-five combo guard. The 26-year-old spent all of last season in the D-League with the Texas Legends and Sioux Falls Skyforce, averaging 11.5 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.2 caroms a game. He shot 41.3 percent from the floor and 36.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Murry has played in 54 career NBA games over two seasons, tallying 2.6 points a game while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 41.7 percent on his attempts from long range. He has played for the Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, and Washington Wizards.

In other news, Nikola Pekovic will not be practicing with the Wolves when they open training camp next week. The six-foot-11 center remains out due to his bad ankle and Achilles, which has been an issue for three seasons. He was limited to 12 games last year as a result of his injuries and has only appeared in 97 games since the start of the 2013-14 campaign.

“He’s been here for a good chunk of the summer, trying to rehab,” Thibodeau told the Star Tribune. “He hasn’t been able to do much on the court. So he’s still having some issues there. At this point, I would say it’s unlikely he will practice.”

Power Ranking All 30 NBA Head Coaches Going into 2016-17 Training Camp, via @bleacherreport https://t.co/zyqRhokWcC pic.twitter.com/78DcPsr30Q

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) September 21, 2016

ESPN is reporting that there is a chance Pekovic may receive a buyout request from the Wolves if he can’t return to the court. The 30-year-old is owed $23.7 million through the 2017-18 season.

[Featured Image by Eric Gray/AP Images]