NBA free agency rumors: Cole Aldrich signs three-year deal with Timberwolves
According to ESPN’s Mark Stein, free agent center Cole Aldrich has agreed to a three-year deal worth $22 million with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Minnesota Timberwolves went into the 2016 NBA offseason needing to find a backup center for Karl-Anthony Towns. According to ESPN’s Mark Stein, they have inked one. Stein reports that the Timberwolves have agreed to a three-year deal worth $22 million with free agent center Cole Aldrich.
Cole Aldrich has landed a three-year, $22 million deal with the Timberwolves, league sources say
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 3, 2016
Aldrich spent the 2015-16 season with the Los Angeles Clippers, serving as their backup center. He averaged 5.5 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, and 1.1 blocks per game despite averaging just 13.3 minutes per game. Aldrich had a .596 field goal percentage as well. The Timberwolves will be his sixth NBA franchise after spending time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, and Clippers.
He was a first round pick of the New Orleans Pelicans of the 2010 NBA Draft. With a career PER of 17.6, Aldrich has proven to be a very efficient player in limited playing time. He had a career high PER of 21.3 last season, emerging as one of the most efficient backup centers in the NBA.
Aldrich should help improve the Timberwolves bench and allow them to optimize Towns’ minutes, giving him rest from time to time. While he hasn’t been a starter, his underlying numbers suggest that he could be a serviceable one.
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