On Tuesday, Norchad Omier was headed to the Timberwolves on a two-way contract. By Tuesday night, he wasn’t. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that Omier, after agreeing to a two-way deal with Minnesota, changed his mind and plans to sign one with the Cleveland Cavaliers instead.
Omier would have been a depth piece in Minnesota, a backup body for a thin frontcourt. Minnesota went after a frontcourt player for that two-way spot for a reason, and the reason hasn’t gone anywhere. With Houston up next on Wednesday, November 4, I’d fill the opening with another big, and do it quickly.
What happened on Tuesday
Scotto first reported the Omier agreement on Tuesday. He also reported that the Wolves would waive two-way forward Enrique Freeman, who has a minor injury expected to keep him out a few weeks. Then came the reversal. Scotto’s update, posted late Tuesday Central time, says Omier “has changed his mind” and adds: “The Timberwolves now have an open two-way spot after waiving Enrique Freeman.”
The Freeman move went through anyway. The NBA’s player movement log lists him as waived on November 3. It’s his second release from Minnesota this fall. He was cut with four other players on October 17, signed to a two-way deal on October 27 and waived again on Tuesday.
Cleveland still has to clear room. Basketball Reference’s Cavaliers roster lists Tristan Enaruna, Riley Minix and Ernest Udeh Jr. as Cleveland’s two-way players, and teams can carry three, per the G League. As of Wednesday morning, the NBA’s log doesn’t show a Cavaliers signing yet.
I can’t blame Omier for preferring Cleveland. He knows that organization. According to Basketball Reference, he played 20 regular-season G League games for the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ affiliate, before finishing the year in San Diego on a two-way deal with the Clippers. An undrafted player trying to stick has good reason to go back to people who already know his game.
Why the Wolves wanted Omier
Omier is a forward who rebounds like a center. Across 27 regular-season G League games last season, he averaged 19.3 points and 12.4 rebounds, 4.9 of them on the offensive glass, while shooting 59.1% from the field, per Basketball Reference. He played six NBA games for the Clippers, at 4.0 minutes a night. Minnesota had him in training camp and waived him on October 17, along with Freeman, KJ Martin, Drew Timme and Antonio Reeves, per the team.
Look at the two players Minnesota picked for this spot in a week. Freeman is a forward who averaged 17.6 points and 9.0 rebounds in 28 regular-season games for Iowa last season, per Basketball Reference. Omier is a rebounder first. The front office keeps shopping in the same aisle, and I think it’s right to.
On October 23, after Dalton Knecht went to New York, I argued that the open two-way spot should go to a shooter worth developing. I’ve changed my mind, and one game did it.
The Spurs game is the case for a big
On October 31 in San Antonio, Rudy Gobert sat with back spasms, per the AP recap on ESPN. The Basketball Reference box score lists Freeman and Rocco Zikarsky as inactive too. That left Joan Beringer as the only center Chris Finch could play.
Beringer played 34 minutes and 28 seconds, picked up five fouls and grabbed six rebounds. I liked how he handled the fourth quarter, but nobody should want a second-year center who turns 20 next week carrying that load with no help. Trey Lyles was the only frontcourt reserve who played, and he went 16:46 without a rebound. San Antonio won the rebounding battle 49-38, and Minnesota lost 121-111.
That’s the night a two-way big exists for. Gobert is averaging 30.1 minutes in his seven games, with Beringer at 18.1 and Lyles at 16.8 across all eight, per Basketball Reference. Lyles has taken 3.1 of his 4.4 shots a game from three, which makes him a spacer at the four. Zikarsky, the two-way center, hasn’t appeared in a game yet this season.
So the Wolves are one Gobert injury away from another San Antonio night, and he’s 34. Naz Reid and Julius Randle went out in the LaMelo Ball trade, taking their frontcourt minutes with them. Beringer and Zikarsky are the only other centers on the roster, and the current roster and depth chart has Lyles as the backup power forward.
What I’d do with the spot
A two-way contract is the right tool for this. It leaves the open 15th standard roster spot alone, since Minnesota carries 14 standard contracts. A two-way big can live in Iowa, get real minutes and come up for nights like October 31.
My checklist is short. He has to rebound at the G League level, he has to defend without fouling his way off the floor, and he has to be ready to play 12 honest minutes without plays run for him. Shooting is a bonus. Omier fit that profile, which is why I’d have liked him here. Freeman fits it too, and once he’s healthy I’d bring him back if he’s still available.
The Wolves are 5-3 and play Houston on Wednesday. Losing Omier is a small story. Leaving the spot empty and hoping Gobert stays healthy would be a bigger one. Sign a big.