JJ Barea to Sign With the Timberwolves, NOT the Knicks

Point guard JJ Barea is reportedly planning to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a 4-year, $19 million dollar contract.

The Knicks were also in the hunt to sign Barea along with the T'Wolves, but have ultimately lost out. That being said, the Knicks can still acquire Jamal Crawford who would be a key player on this season's Knicks squad.

As for Barea, I find this move a bit odd. His annual salary averages out to be less than $5 million a year and I can't imagine that the Knicks' offer would have been much less. Plus, the Timberolves had the worst record in the NBA last season and are a bottom-feeder while the Knicks are a playoff team in possible championship contention. Then again, Barea has already won a championship and may not care about that anymore.

Now that Barea is not an option for the Knicks, here is how their lineup looks:

PG: Toney Douglas - Mike Bibby

SG: Jamal Crawford* - Landry Fields, Iman Shumpert

SF: Carmelo Anthony - Bill Walker, Renaldo Balkman

PF: Amar'e Stoudemire - Jared Jeffries

C: Tyson Chandler - Josh Harrelson

* - Pure Speculation

Have any thoughts on the Knicks losing out on JJ Barea? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.