The Minnesota Timberwolves are acquiring Portland Trail Blazers forward Jake Layman in a sign-and-trade, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Layman is signing a three-year, $11.5 million contract with Minnesota.
The Wolves are using a trade exception to absorb the forward; this is an alternative way for teams who don’t have cap space to acquire players in free agency, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out. Layman’s agent complimented Portland’s effort in facilitating the deal:
Minnesota absorbed Layman into a trade exception. "We’re extremely appreciative of how hard (Portland President) Neil Olshey worked with us to accommodate what we were trying to accomplish in this sign and trade,” Bartelstein told ESPN.