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Thank you to the Minnesota Timberwolves organization and the fans for everything. I'm excited for the new opportunity in #SacTown #Kings !
— Derrick Williams (@RealDwill7) November 26, 2013
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Happy for DWill on his opportunity with the @SacramentoKings! Getting back to the west coast will be a trampoline to a great NBA career!
— Sean Miller (@UACoachMiller) November 26, 2013
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Derrick Williams will play for Sacramento, where Mike Bibby flourished the most in the NBA
Former Arizona Wildcats forward Derrick Williams, who was averaging a career-low 14.7 minutes a game with Minnesota, was traded to today from the Timberwolves to Sacramento.
Minnesota will send Williams, the 2011 No. 2 overall pick, to the Kings in exchange for former UCLA player Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.
Williams struggled in coach Rick Adelman’s system while he was in Minnesota and was caught between playing small forward and power forward.
Williams underwent extensive training to shed weight and improve his breathing over the last two years to handle the up-and-down flow of a small forward. Williams reportedly fell out of favor of Adelman because of his defense on the wing.
Williams projects to be a power forward for the Kings, a position he is most comfortable with dating back to his Arizona days. Sacramento needs help offensively on the frontcourt alongside DeMarcus Cousins. The Kings have been without a scoring power forward after Carl Landry went out with a torn hip flexor in the preseason.
Williams became the highest draft pick in franchise history when the Wolves took him second in 2011.
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Can former No. 2 pick Derrick Williams salvage his thus-far-subpar career? Kings GM Pete D'Alessandro discusses- http://t.co/mmKSSXIajp
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) November 26, 2013
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ESPN reported today that his style of play didn’t mesh with Adelman’s system, and the impasse reached a breaking point early this season. Williams missed one game because of back spasms and did not play in four others as Adelman elected to go with Robbie Hummel and Dante Cunningham with the second unit instead.
Chase Budinger, a former Arizona Wildcats forward, is still recovering from knee surgery and has yet to play for Minnesota.
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