The Timberwolves have waived PJ Dozier, the team announced in a press release.
Dozier signed a one-year contract with Minnesota in July that carried a $1MM guarantee on his $2.6MM salary. All contracts throughout the league will become guaranteed on January 7, so the Wolves opted to part with Dozier rather than paying him for the rest of the season.
Minnesota will incur a $1,051,255 cap hit and will save about $5MM on its luxury tax bill, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).
The 28-year-old swingman saw minimal playing time with the Wolves, appearing in nine games and averaging just 3.9 minutes per night. He collected seven total points, five rebounds and five assists.
Dozier was attempting an NBA comeback after playing for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia last season. He was given the opportunity by president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who ran the Nuggets during Dozier’s three seasons in Denver.
Dozier has played in 130 games over seven NBA seasons, spending time with Oklahoma City, Boston, Denver and Sacramento before coming to Minnesota. He has been mainly a reserve throughout his career and has compiled averages of 5.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 15.4 minutes per game.
The Wolves had a full 15-man roster, so they’re not facing any time limit to replace Dozier. They could decide to promote one of their two-way players, Jaylen Clark, Jesse Edwards or Daishen Nix, they could look for a minimum-salary free agent or they could keep the roster spot open to reduce their tax bill.