The Minnesota Timberwolves haven't found a solid spot for guard/forward Shabazz Muhammad all season. Even with the injury to All-Star Jimmy Butler, Muhammad has not seen as much action, with head coach Tom Thibodeau instead electing to roll with Serbian forward Nemanja Bjelica.
Michael Scott and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic first reported that news that the Timberwolves and Muhammad have begun buyout negotiations.
The Athletic Sources: Shabazz Muhammad and the Minnesota Timberwolves are in buyout negotiations, @JonKrawczynski and I are told.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) March 2, 2018
Within minutes of the news, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed that Muhammad had been bought out in hopes of joining a playoff contender (other than the third-seeded Timberwolves, of course).
Shabazz Muhammad has agreed to a contract buyout with Minnesota in hopes of signing with a playoff contender, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 2, 2018
Muhammad became a restricted free agent in the summer of 2017 when he was issued a qualifying offer by the Wolves. He couldn't find a deal that he wanted on the market, and instead opted to take the qualifying offer for the 2017-18 season and hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2018.
With the Wolves this season, he couldn't see enough court time to make an impact, averaging career-lows at just 3.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 9.4 minutes per game. Even after the knee injury to Butler after the All-Star break, Muhammad saw just over three mintues of playing time in a single game.
Muhammad had the best season of his five-year career during his second season with the Wolves, putting up 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 49-percent shooting from the field and 39.2 percent from beyond the arc.
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