Timberwolves: What the Eric Paschall signing means
The Minnesota Timberwolves signed forward Eric Paschall to a two-way contract, but what does this exactly mean for the future of this team?
The Timberwolves legitimately have 16 guys on their roster that could play on any given NBA team. Austin Rivers and Bryn Forbes are likely going to be fighting for the 10th spot in the rotation. If I would have told you that five years ago, you would have thought I was crazy.
Minnesota can sign players like Paschall to a two-way contract because they’re contending for a championship this season. Rivers would never consider coming to the Land of 10,000 Lakes on a vet-minimum had he not believed they had a real shot at a ring.
We’re in uncharted waters, and it’s a fun and unfamiliar development.
If Tim Connelly continues to make moves as he has been, this is going to become the new norm.
Paschall attended Villanova and was a part of that special group that won the NCAA National Championship in 2017-18. After three seasons at Nova, Paschall entered the NBA Draft and was selected in the second round.
He had a great rookie season, and it appeared the Golden State Warriors found yet another gem late in the draft. However, his production dipped each season, and didn’t get much run with the Utah Jazz after getting traded.
- 2019-20 (GSW): 60 G, 26 GS, 27.6 MPG, 14.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 49.7 FG%, 28.7 3P%, 77.4 FT%
- 2020-21 (GSW): 40 G, 2 GS, 17.4 MPG, 9.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.3 SPG, 49.7 FG%, 33.3 3P%, 71.3 FT%
- 2021-22 (UTA): 58 G, 3 GS, 12.7 MPG, 5.8 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.2 SPG, 48.5 FG%, 37.0 3P%, 76.7 FT%
Minnesota has a deep roster, and it’s likely that production will only continue to decrease. When and where will he play? The only likely scenario is in garbage time or if there’s an injury.
He’s good offensively and can hit the corner 3 or drive for an easy dunk/kick out. Defensively, there are some question marks, but there’s no denying what he can do with the ball in his hands.
Paschall is currently listed at 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds, but with shoes, he’s more like 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8. You can never have too much length, and the Timberwolves continue to add guys with size.
Paschall can play the three or four, but Kyle Anderson and Taurean Prince will be ahead of him on the depth chart. The Timberwolves also have Naz Reid and Nathan Knight as their backup bigs.
At the moment, Minnesota has 15 guys on the roster and two two-way contracts (17 total). The roster is essentially complete, barring a trade or if they use their bi-annual exception.
Why would Paschall, a 25-year-old former First Team All-Rookie join the Timberwolves on a two-way contract? He could easily get a one-year deal with another team.
That’s all true, but potentially he believes this is the right situation for him. It’s going to be a young and fun team competing for a championship. The Timberwolves also only have 11 fully guaranteed contracts on the roster.
Rivers, Reid, Knight and Jaylen Nowell are all on non-guaranteed deals. If Paschall performs and impresses the front office/coaching staff, then he could potentially have his two-way contract converted into a fully guaranteed deal. That would mean one of those four would have to get waived before Jan. 10.
There’s a lot to like about this roster, and Paschall’s contract is something to keep an eye on moving forward. Will he play himself into a fully guaranteed offer? That’s to be determined, but the Timberwolves just got one hell of a player on a two-way deal.
