National Basketball Association

Timberwolves waive veteran guard Barea

Published Oct. 27, 2014 3:05 p.m. ET

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MINNEAPOLIS -- Looks like J.J. Barea is going back to where it all began.

Head coach and president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said Monday the Timberwolves have negotiated a buyout with the veteran guard and waived him ahead of Monday's 4 p.m. 15-man roster deadline. According to ESPN's Marc Stein, Barea is expected to clear waivers and re-sign with Dallas.

The Mavericks would still have to clear a roster spot in order to ink Barea to a new deal.

It was his time with them that saw Barea go from undrafted free agent to NBA champion. After five seasons in Dallas -- culminating with his heroics in the 2011 NBA Finals -- he signed a four-year, $18 million free-agent deal with Minnesota in 2011.

The 6-foot, 175-pound Puerto Rico native hit some timely 3-pointers during his three seasons here but never morphed into the backup to Ricky Rubio former president of basketball operations David Kahn brought him on to be. Last year, Barea put up his worst shooting percentage (38.7 percent) and 3-point clip (31.6 percent) since his rookie year in Dallas.

Saunders signed free-agent point guard Mo Williams this offseason, signaling a possible end to Barea's tenure in Minnesota. But Barea impressed Saunders during training camp and the preseason, at least enough that the coach said he'd wait until close to Monday's deadline to make any decisions.

Barea had one year left on his contract worth about $4.5 million.

The move leaves forwards Robbie Hummel and Glenn Robinson III, both second-round picks earning guaranteed money after training camp, on the roster. Barring a trade, the final spot was thought to be up for grabs among that pair and Barea.

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