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If Lance Stephenson was hoping to parlay his strong play with the Iowa Wolves into a contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, he’s getting some stiff competition.
According to Shams Charania, the Timberwolves will sign T.J. Warren to a 10-day contract later this week. While the offer is contingent on Warren passing his physical exam, this is essentially a done deal.
Charania notes that the Timberwolves have been “monitoring” the former Pacers and Suns forward all season long.
Warren hasn’t played at all this season, but the 30-year-old, 6-foot-8 forward has shown the ability to be an excellent scorer in the past. This includes averaging a career-high 19.6 points per game in 2018. He averages 14.6 PPG in his career, with a 35.4% 3PT rate across eight seasons. If he can regain that form, Warren can certainly help this Wolves team, but he has just ten days to show what he can do.
While Warren’s addition has the potential to be an impact signing, what does it mean for the Wolves’ noted interest in Marcus Morris, who was recently let go from the San Antonio Spurs?
T.J. Warren Signing Has Zero Impact On Marcus Morris
The Minnesota Timberwolves signed T.J. Warren? But what about Marcus Morris? He was waived by the Spurs on Thursday, which means the 48-hour window to claim his contract will expire at some point on Saturday.
This means he can then negotiate a new contract with any team he likes, including the Timberwolves.
Warren’s addition does nothing to impact Minnesota’s ability to sign Morris too. You might recall the Timberwolves signing Justin Jackson to a 10-day contract back on February 22. On March 3, his time will be up, unless the Timberwolves sign him to a second temporary contract.
Either way, the Timberwolves can afford to keep Jackson and add Warren, as they actually have two open roster spots at the moment. This additional spot opened after trading Troy Brown Jr. and Shake Milton to the Detroit Pistons for Monte Morris.
So, there’s a scenario where the Wolves add Warren and Morris to the roster. If so, it likely means Warren is competing with players like the aforementioned Lance Stephenson, who’s on Minnesota’s G-League team down in Iowa, and two-way player Luka Garza. If the Wolves want Garza to be eligible for postseason play, they’d have to convert his two-way deal to a full contract by April 15th, when rosters are set for the playoffs.
For now, they’ll get a chance to examine Warren while still evaluating Stephenson, Garza, and Daishen Nix (two-way contract) while determining who deserves to make the playoff roster.
More must-reads:
- Suns could be forced to trade Kevin Durant this offseason
- Watch: Wagner brothers help Orlando even up Cavs series
- The 'Most points in a playoff game by team' quiz
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