Wolves might look for a veteran point guard

July 16, 2015 at 12:34PM
Minnesota Timberwolves first round draft pick Tyus Jones.
Minnesota Timberwolves first round draft pick Tyus Jones. (Mike Nelson — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Wolves might be in the market for a veteran point guard, team president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said Wednesday.

At the moment the Wolves have recently drafted Tyus Jones and lightly-used Lorenzo Brown as backups to starter Ricky Rubio. On draft day Saunders had indicated the team might be set at the position after adding Jones.

Wednesday Saunders said that, even after signing Nemanja Bjelica the team had the salary cap flexibility to add another player. And that player could be a point guard.

"You don't want to put the pressure on the young guys so much," Saunders said. "Hey, listen, we're always looking to upgrade, so it could happen. It's a possibility."

Rudez update

Small forward Damjan Rudez, acquired from Indiana in the Chase Budinger trade, could stick with the team, Saunders said.

"He led all rookies in three-point shooting," said Saunders. "He shot 41 percent."

Rudez, from Croatia, came to the NBA last season after a number of years playing in Europe. He averaged 4.8 points on 45.2 percent shooting overall in 15-plus minutes per game. He also made 69 of 170 three-pointers (40.6 percent).

"He's played in bigger competition," Saunders said. "So the idea right now is that he'll be with us."

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If Rudez stays, that would likely mean unrestricted free agent Robbie Hummel won't return.

Etc.

• Saunders said the plan right now is to hold all of training camp at the team's new practice facility. In recent years, the team has opened camp on the Minnesota State Mankato campus.

Last year the Wolves began training camp with a "dunks after dark" exhibition. Wednesday, Saunders floated the idea of holding a similar event this year at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.

• The Wolves let Jones leave the Las Vegas Summer League to attend the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Tyus Jones (1) heads down court during an NBA basketball scrimmage in Minneapolis, Wednesday, July 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)
Tyus Jones was the MVP of the Final Four, but he’s a rookie out of Duke. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Minnesota Timberwolvesí Lorenzo Brown plays against the Boston Celtics in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015, in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves won 110-98. (AP Photo/Jim Mone) ORG XMIT: MNJM10
Lorenzo Brown, a second-year pro, averaged 4.2 points and 3.1 assists last season. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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about the writer

Kent Youngblood

Reporter

Kent Youngblood has covered sports for the Minnesota Star Tribune for more than 20 years.

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