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Word came today that Nikola Peković can't and won't play for Montenegro in the Euro Championships (EuroBasket).
Danilo Mitrovic, the general manager for the Montenegro national team says that because Peković is a free agent in the NBA and he's in ongoing negotiations, he can't participate with the national team. Nikola certainly doesn't want to risk injuring himself while he's looking to get a better contract offer from the Timberwolves than the 4-year, $48million contract Minnesota's currently offering. I'm sure Minnesota is happy to hear he won't be playing in EuroBasket as most teams are quite nervous when their international players play in these kinds of competitions during the summer, risking injuries that could bench them for the season. If anything, this likely means that Peković and the Wolves aren't any closer on an extension. Stay tuned for the latest, thanks for reading and GO WOLVES!
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The Minnesota Timberwolves currently have 13 guaranteed contracts and once Peković re-signs they'll have 14 and just one open roster spot.
The depth chart would look something like this... PG: Ricky Rubio & J.J. Barea SG: Kevin Martin & Alexey Shved SF: Chase Budinger, Corey Brewer & Shabazz Muhammad PF: Kevin Love, Derrick Williams & Dante Cunningham C: Nikola Peković, Ronny Turiaf, Gorgui Dieng & Chris Johnson Out of those 14 players, everyone has a guaranteed contract. However, rumors are, if need be, the Wolves would/could waive Chris Johnson. Heading into training camp, it sounds as though it will be a 'battle' between 2013 second-round pick Lorenzo Brown, 2012 second-round pick Robbie Hummel, summer league standout Othyus Jeffers and a to-be-determined big man. It seems a bit more likely that either Brown or Jeffers would make the roster considering the Wolves' 'thin' backcourt. With Budinger, Brewer and Muhammad all also capable of playing shooting guard, the need seems to be for a third-string point guard--especially considering the injury history of Rubio & Barea! Stay tuned for more and thanks for reading! Nikola Peković's return to Minnesota has seemed to be inevitable to the Wolves' front office, local media members, myself and the majority of a slightly anxious fan base. Pek is a restricted free agent, giving the Wolves the capability to match any offer he receives. Unfortunately for Peković and his representatives, most every team doesn't have the cap space to make him a better offer than Minnesota (offering 4-years, $50M). The couple teams that have the money to offer (ie: Milwaukee) already have plenty of capable bodies in the frontcourt. The Wolves have an offer of 4-years, $50M on the table. Pek's reps have countered with a 4-year, $55M proposal. Monnesota's offer pays him an average of $12.5M a year, while the counteroffer nets him a little over $13M annually. Minnesota's offer is a good one and considering Peković wants to remain in Minnesota, the obvious stall seems to be the agents looking for a bit more to line their pockets with. Montenegro's training camp for EuroBasket started a few weeks ago, but Peković hasn't been in attendance as he clearly can't risk injury during these ongoing negotiations. Your guess will be as good as mine as to when Peković will put the pen to paper on a new deal. |
Cody AndersonA TWolves fan, bringing you the daily updates. News Archives
August 2017
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