Timberwolves sign Muhammad, Dieng
The Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday announced the signings of first-round draft picks Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng.
The Timberwolves selected Muhammad, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward from UCLA, with the 14th overall pick. Dieng, a 6-foot-11 center from Louisville, was the 21st overall pick. Both players' draft rights were acquired in a draft-day trade from Utah in exchange for the draft rights to Trey Burke, the ninth overall selection.
Per team policy, terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
In his only season at UCLA, Muhammad helped the Bruins to a 25-10 record. Muhammad led the Bruins in scoring with 17.9 points per game. While garnering numerous post-season awards, Muhammad had a rocky season, which saw him suspended at the beginning, and having to answer questions about his real age.
Thought to be a top-five pick at one time, Muhammad's was unimpressive at times and "fell" to 14.
His debut on Saturday in Las Vegas was equally unremarkable, according to probasketball.com. He made 3-for-7 shots, turned the ball over three times and committed four fouls in a loss to an NBA D-League Select team.
Dieng, a Senegal native, led Louisville in rebounds and blocked shots as the Cardinals won the NCAA title this past season.
He also made his debut on Saturday finishing with four points, four rebounds and two blocked shots.
