Gomes Agrees in Principle to New Contract

Ryan Gomes and the Timberwolves have agreed in principle to a new contract for the forward entering his fourth NBA season.

Timberwolves Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale will join Gomes for a 3 p.m. press conference on Tuesday, and afterwards we'll talk to Gomes individually to obtain a more intimate reaction.

Last season, Gomes averaged 12.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in playing in all 82 games, starting 74. Re-signing him was rightly seen as a top priority for the team. The versatile former Providence star played his first two seasons in Boston before coming to Minnesota in the Kevin Garnett deal prior to the 2007-08 season, and quickly proved himself to be a valuable piece to Minnesota's future.

Gomes can play both the small and power forward positions depending on matchups, which will be valuable for a Wolves team that has several other players - Mike Miller, Kevin Love, Al Jefferson, Randy Foye - that play multiple positions. Accordingly, Gomes can stay on the floor whether head coach Randy Wittman goes big (Jason Collins at center) or small (Jefferson or Love at center).

Minnesota's roster is now all but finalized, as the two remaining free agents (Michael Doleac and Chris Richard) are expected to depart and return, respectively.