Lakers Free Agency Rumors: Shabazz Muhammad signing contract with Timberwolves, ends LA speculation

The dregs of the NBA offseason haven’t been particularly noteworthy for the Los Angeles Lakers, the biggest story coming in the form of a $500,000 fine for tampering. One of the few loose rumors remaining was a potential Los Angeles homecoming for free agent swingman Shabazz Muhammad, but that window has appears to be closed.

Muhammad is has decided to return to the Minnesota Timberwolves, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. He’s set to rejoin Minnesota on a veteran’s minimum deal, worth $1.6 million, which also gives the Timberwolves Muhammad’s bird rights. This could allow a longer-term deal down the road with the added flexibility, and a potential player option was still on the negotiation table.

It’s not a big loss for the Lakers, but it could have been an interesting low-risk, high-reward situation. That he was a former client of current general manager Rob Pelinka added some intrigue, and reason to think there might be something more than an empty rumor there.

It’s also interesting that Wojnarowski notes Shabazz “turned down better paying offers” of both the bi-annual exception or room exception. The Lakers, who were rumored to be interested in Muhammad, have that room exception to use still. It’s quite a specific thing to be mentioned, at the very least.

Either way, nothing to see here, folks.