Former Hawkeyes Luka Garza signs two-way deal with Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves stole all the headlines when they traded multiple first-round picks to land Rudy Gobert. Pairing him with another prominent presence in the paint like Karl-Anthony Towns was a bold, risky move, to say the least. However, the upside was there and some think it was worth the risk.
It was evident from day one that the Timberwolves vastly overpaid for Gobert’s services. However, the prospect of having two of the best big men on Earth canceling each other's flaws made the front office believe they were on to something.
Fast-forward to today, and that hasn’t been the case. That’s why the Timberwolves have had to dig deep into their rotation and around the league to try and find more players who could step up and give them a helping hand while they figure things out.
Notably, that led them to former Iowa Hawkeye Luka Garza, who had a brief tenure with the Detroit Pistons last season. Garza is one of the best Iowa Hawkeyes basketball players in history, breaking several records during his time with the team.
However, upon drafting Jalen Duren, the Pistons declined Garza’s offer and allowed him to become a free agent. Now, he’s joining the Timberwolves on a two-way contract for the remainder of the season:
"For a young big, there's no better environment, with the best offensive big in the league and the best defensive big in the league,” the former Hawkeyes star said upon signing his contract with the Timberwolves.
What’s A Two-Way Deal?
In the NBA, a two-way contract is given to a player who has less than four years of NBA experience. This deal allows him to split time between the franchise’s G-League affiliate while also being called up to play for the first team.
Notably, each franchise can offer up to two two-way contracts, and those deals could be converted into standard contracts at any point in the season, providing the team has enough roster spots available. If not, the player signed to a two-way deal can only play up to 50 games in the NBA, including the playoffs.
Timberwolves Needed Some Help
Despite having two of the most dominant players in the Association, Gobert and Edwards, the Timberwolves were getting out-hustled and manhandled on both sides of the paint. They made that a point of emphasis when looking to snap their losing skid and look for areas of improvement going forward.
“We’re searching. We have to try to find some answers here,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said of their slow start to the season. “There are only certain combinations you can put out there at certain times.”
“I think we’ve got to find a way to be more physical and more gritty with our smalls on the glass,” Finch said. “A lot of the rebounds guys are getting on us are like these 50-50 rebounds that come out to the mid-range. Those should be the ones that our guards are able to get. We’re just not getting those.”
More Moves In The Future?
It’s clear that any new team needs some time to be at their best, find their groove, get to know each other, and develop rapport on and off the court. The Timberwolves signed off for this for the long run, so it’s still too early to sleep on them and count them out.
However, some believe they could be better off by parting ways with D’Angelo Russell, who’s been a shell of himself since arriving in Minnesota and no longer looks like the All-Star guard he was in Brooklyn.
Others think the Timberwolves should build around Anthony Edwards, meaning they should explore the trade market for Karl-Anthony Towns. However, that doesn’t seem likely at this point in the season.
