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[h2]Wolves, Sessions a convenient match[/h2]
By Chad Ford
ESPN.com
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Glenn James/NBAE/Getty ImagesIf the Bucks don't match the offer sheet, Ramon Sessions will give the Timberwolves some firepower.
That sure was quick. Just days after Minnesota Timberwolves president David Kahn was left atthe altar in Spain by Ricky Rubio, he's on the rebound.
ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan reported that the Wolves have signed Milwaukee restrictedfree agent Ramon Sessions to a four-year, $16 million offer sheet, which the Buckswill have seven days to match. Sources say it's highly unlikely the Bucks will do so, however, as they are just $2 million under the luxury-tax threshold.If they match the offer for Sessions (expected to start at $3.7 million), it would push them over the tax -- something GM John Hammond has been working hardall summer to avoid.
It's been a long ordeal for both Kahn and Sessions. Kahn has spent the summer unsuccessfully trying to convince Rubio to leave Spain and play for theWolves this season. Sessions has spent the summer waiting on lucrative offer sheets from the Clippers and Knicks that never came.
In the end, they found each other in a marriage of convenience more than love. There's no question the Wolves would've preferred Rubio. But Rubiopublicly stated that he felt it was too risky to join the Wolves right now and opted to join FC Barcelona in the Euroleague instead.
There have been all sorts of conspiracy theories about why Rubio ended up jilting the Wolves. There has been talk of immaturity and shady family lawyers whodidn't have Rubio's best interest at heart. Maybe that's it. But Rubio had good reasons not to join the Wolves.
He would've had to cough up roughly $4 million to $5 million of his own money to pay the buyout. He would've been immediately thrust into a pointguard controversy with fellow rookie Jonny Flynn. And he would've been playingfor a team with virtually no shot of winning for the next several years.
By staying in Spain, Rubio got someone else to pay his buyout and gets to be the starting point guard on one of the best teams in Europe. Also, if he waitsthree years, he can avoid the NBA's rookie salary scale and negotiate a much more lucrative deal with the Wolves (or another team if Minnesota trades hisrights) when he comes to the NBA.
Sources close to the situation say that despite the public posturing on both sides, Rubio really wanted to play in the NBA -- just not for the Wolves. Hisagent, Dan Fegan, had been working behind the scenes since the draft to broker a trade, but Kahn believed he could talk Rubio into playing in Minnesota.
At the center of the storm was Kahn's decision to draft Flynn one spot behind Rubio in the draft. Rubio's circle took the move as a lack ofconfidence in his abilities and was determined from draft night to either force a trade or stay in Spain. The drawn-out discussions were more of a negotiationtactic until he could either work out a trade with an NBA team or a deal with another team in Spain. When forced to choose between the Wolves and Spain afterKahn worked out a buyout, Rubio chose Spain.
With Rubio out of the picture and Flynn left as the only point guard on the team, the Wolves had to do something. Sessions was the best free-agent pointguard on the board. The Wolves knew that at this point in the free-agent process, he would come cheap.
The team signed Sessions to a four-year deal, with a player option after the third year. That's a pretty clear sign that they believe it will be closerto three years before Rubio comes to the league, if he comes to the Wolves at all.
A number of GMs around the league believe the Wolves will eventually trade Rubio -- especially if either Flynn or Sessions pans out. People close to Rubiosupport that assertion. Although no one expects Rubio's rights to be traded right away, if Rubio continues to develop in Europe and Flynn or Sessions pansout for the Wolves, a deal is almost inevitable in a year or two.
For Sessions, the end of this free-agent period has to be bittersweet. As a young, proven starting point guard, he was widely regarded as a free agent thatcould easily net the full midlevel exception. However, Sessions quickly ran into trouble once free agency began. The teams with cap space spent all of theirmoney and Sessions spent the last month trying to convince the Clippers or Knicks to make an offer.
The Clippers had the stronger interest of the two. However, with starting point guard Baron Davis eating up a ton of cap space, coach Mike Dunleavy couldn't convince ownerDonald Sterling to fork over the cash.
The Knicks liked Sessions as a player, but sources close to the team told ESPN.com that an offer was never close. With the Knicks trying to preserve as muchcap space as possible for the summer of 2010, they would have needed to trade either Jared Jeffries or EddyCurry before they could commit to a long-term deal with Sessions.
With neither the Knicks nor the Clippers making concrete offers, Sessions was left scrambling over the last month to find a new home. Sessions flirted withsigning the one-year qualifying offer with the Bucks so he could become an unrestricted free agent next year, but when the Wolves came calling, he optedinstead for security and a starting role in Minnesota.
Lost in all the behind-the-scenes drama is what type of basketball move this is for the Wolves. Sessions gives them an experienced point guard to pair withveteran Al Jefferson and second-year big man Kevin Love. However, after those three players, the Wolves still have lots of question marks.The team has two rookies -- Flynn and Wayne Ellington -- who will figure prominentlyin the backcourt alongside Sessions. Third-year swingman Corey Brewer is coming backfrom injury. And the rest of the squad, including Ryan Gomes, Mark Blount, RyanHollins and Oleksiy Pecherov, doesn't exactly inspire a lot ofconfidence.
While Sessions will provide some inexpensive leadership and a solid scoring option in the backcourt, the Wolves still look years away from being able tochallenge in the West.
Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.
By Chad Ford ESPN.com
Archive
Glenn James/NBAE/Getty ImagesIf the Bucks don't match the offer sheet, Ramon Sessions will give the Timberwolves some firepower.
That sure was quick. Just days after Minnesota Timberwolves president David Kahn was left atthe altar in Spain by Ricky Rubio, he's on the rebound.
ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan reported that the Wolves have signed Milwaukee restrictedfree agent Ramon Sessions to a four-year, $16 million offer sheet, which the Buckswill have seven days to match. Sources say it's highly unlikely the Bucks will do so, however, as they are just $2 million under the luxury-tax threshold.If they match the offer for Sessions (expected to start at $3.7 million), it would push them over the tax -- something GM John Hammond has been working hardall summer to avoid.
It's been a long ordeal for both Kahn and Sessions. Kahn has spent the summer unsuccessfully trying to convince Rubio to leave Spain and play for theWolves this season. Sessions has spent the summer waiting on lucrative offer sheets from the Clippers and Knicks that never came.
In the end, they found each other in a marriage of convenience more than love. There's no question the Wolves would've preferred Rubio. But Rubiopublicly stated that he felt it was too risky to join the Wolves right now and opted to join FC Barcelona in the Euroleague instead.
There have been all sorts of conspiracy theories about why Rubio ended up jilting the Wolves. There has been talk of immaturity and shady family lawyers whodidn't have Rubio's best interest at heart. Maybe that's it. But Rubio had good reasons not to join the Wolves.
He would've had to cough up roughly $4 million to $5 million of his own money to pay the buyout. He would've been immediately thrust into a pointguard controversy with fellow rookie Jonny Flynn. And he would've been playingfor a team with virtually no shot of winning for the next several years.
By staying in Spain, Rubio got someone else to pay his buyout and gets to be the starting point guard on one of the best teams in Europe. Also, if he waitsthree years, he can avoid the NBA's rookie salary scale and negotiate a much more lucrative deal with the Wolves (or another team if Minnesota trades hisrights) when he comes to the NBA.
Sources close to the situation say that despite the public posturing on both sides, Rubio really wanted to play in the NBA -- just not for the Wolves. Hisagent, Dan Fegan, had been working behind the scenes since the draft to broker a trade, but Kahn believed he could talk Rubio into playing in Minnesota.
At the center of the storm was Kahn's decision to draft Flynn one spot behind Rubio in the draft. Rubio's circle took the move as a lack ofconfidence in his abilities and was determined from draft night to either force a trade or stay in Spain. The drawn-out discussions were more of a negotiationtactic until he could either work out a trade with an NBA team or a deal with another team in Spain. When forced to choose between the Wolves and Spain afterKahn worked out a buyout, Rubio chose Spain.
With Rubio out of the picture and Flynn left as the only point guard on the team, the Wolves had to do something. Sessions was the best free-agent pointguard on the board. The Wolves knew that at this point in the free-agent process, he would come cheap.
The team signed Sessions to a four-year deal, with a player option after the third year. That's a pretty clear sign that they believe it will be closerto three years before Rubio comes to the league, if he comes to the Wolves at all.
A number of GMs around the league believe the Wolves will eventually trade Rubio -- especially if either Flynn or Sessions pans out. People close to Rubiosupport that assertion. Although no one expects Rubio's rights to be traded right away, if Rubio continues to develop in Europe and Flynn or Sessions pansout for the Wolves, a deal is almost inevitable in a year or two.
For Sessions, the end of this free-agent period has to be bittersweet. As a young, proven starting point guard, he was widely regarded as a free agent thatcould easily net the full midlevel exception. However, Sessions quickly ran into trouble once free agency began. The teams with cap space spent all of theirmoney and Sessions spent the last month trying to convince the Clippers or Knicks to make an offer.
The Clippers had the stronger interest of the two. However, with starting point guard Baron Davis eating up a ton of cap space, coach Mike Dunleavy couldn't convince ownerDonald Sterling to fork over the cash.
The Knicks liked Sessions as a player, but sources close to the team told ESPN.com that an offer was never close. With the Knicks trying to preserve as muchcap space as possible for the summer of 2010, they would have needed to trade either Jared Jeffries or EddyCurry before they could commit to a long-term deal with Sessions.
With neither the Knicks nor the Clippers making concrete offers, Sessions was left scrambling over the last month to find a new home. Sessions flirted withsigning the one-year qualifying offer with the Bucks so he could become an unrestricted free agent next year, but when the Wolves came calling, he optedinstead for security and a starting role in Minnesota.
Lost in all the behind-the-scenes drama is what type of basketball move this is for the Wolves. Sessions gives them an experienced point guard to pair withveteran Al Jefferson and second-year big man Kevin Love. However, after those three players, the Wolves still have lots of question marks.The team has two rookies -- Flynn and Wayne Ellington -- who will figure prominentlyin the backcourt alongside Sessions. Third-year swingman Corey Brewer is coming backfrom injury. And the rest of the squad, including Ryan Gomes, Mark Blount, RyanHollins and Oleksiy Pecherov, doesn't exactly inspire a lot ofconfidence.
While Sessions will provide some inexpensive leadership and a solid scoring option in the backcourt, the Wolves still look years away from being able tochallenge in the West.
Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.
