In his podcast Thursday, Darren Wolfson of KSTP in Minnesota said the Nets could have interest in Shabazz Muhammad, the 6’6” Timberwolves swingman. Muhammad, 24, is a restricted free agent.
Here’s what Wolfson stated...
“So I'm told Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden both took part in exit interviews with the players. I am told they expressed to Shabazz Muhammad a strong desire to retain him. Now was that lip service? I guess that remains to be seen come July. I am told they told him yes we badly want you back, we really enjoy you as a player. we think you can help us long term. We want you back.
I still say keep an eye on the Brooklyn Nets. Now a handful of teams will have cap space but keep an eye on the Brooklyn Nets. A reminder Shabazz Muhammad is a restricted free agent.”
Later in a tweet responding to a T-Wolves blogger, Wolfson elaborated a bit...
@nick_lt @loseehafer Context: they have cap space & aren't afraid to extend a RFA an offer. 'Bazz is RFA... In his exit meeting they expressed desire to retain.
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) April 20, 2017
No doubt, Muhammad’s agent would like to see a bidder for him. As Minnesota has added swingmen, Muhammad’s minutes have dropped. Last season, he recorded season averages of 9.9 points on 47.6 percent shooting overall, and 32.2 percent from deep.
In December of last season, there were rumors, posted by Wolfson and Adrian Wojnarowski, that the Nets and others were interested in Muhammad.
A league source confirmed back then that the Nets liked Muhammad but getting from there to a deal wouldn’t be so easy. Minnesota wanted picks from another team and the Nets didn't have any they could trade.