MINNEAPOLIS – Andrei Kirilenko has decided to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves and will become a free agent.
Kirilenko informed the Timberwolves of his decision on Saturday, the deadline that was written into the two-year deal he signed last summer. Kirilenko is declining the one year and $10 million left on his deal in an effort to get one last longer-term deal in his career.
Kirilenko averaged 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game for the Wolves last year, his best season in the league since 2005-06. He was rejuvenated after spending the lockout year playing in Russia and flourished in Rick Adelman's free-flowing system.
But Kirilenko also missed 18 games with assorted injuries.
He will become a free agent on Monday.
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