It had been rumored for several days that the Minnesota Timberwolves were first looking at and then had come close to agreeing to terms with Russian guard Alexey Shved.
Now it looks like it's official, as the Minnesota Star Tribune reported on Wednesday that the 'Russian Rubio' has officially been added into the mix by the Wolves. The contract term agreement reportedly came just hours before the signing period began in the NBA, in the late hours of Tuesday evening:
By doing so, they added a versatile international player who last week helped lead Russia to the London Olympics during a qualifying tournament in Venezuela but is just reaching the NBA at age 23.
Both Roy and Shved were eligible to sign multi-year contracts at 11:01 p.m. Tuesday, but neither is expected to do so until the Wolves' pursuit of Portland restricted free agent Nicolas Batum is resolved. The Wolves can sign Batum to a rich offer sheet that the Blazers have the right to match within three days or it can reach a sign-and-trade agreement with Portland.
We're going to have to wait and see how the talks go regarding Batum, who the Wolves have been chasing for quite a while now. How that trade or signing works will impact the Wolves' salary cap numbers going forward.
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