Skip to content
Sixers
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied to clipboard

Shake Milton moves on from Sixers for two-year, $10 million deal with Minnesota Timberwolves

The former Sixers guard moves on after spending five seasons with the franchise.

Sixers guard Shake Milton is leaving the team after five seasons, joining the Minnesota Timberwolves on a two-year deal worth $10 million.
Sixers guard Shake Milton is leaving the team after five seasons, joining the Minnesota Timberwolves on a two-year deal worth $10 million.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

Shake Milton has agreed to a two-year, $10 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves and will leave the 76ers in free agency, according to ESPN.

The new deal is a notable raise for Milton, who made just shy of $2 million last season. And it could come with more opportunity for consistent playing time.

Milton joins a Timberwolves team that made the playoffs the past two seasons and has seen a slew of roster changes since executive Tim Connelly took over last summer. They are anchored by big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, as well as electric wing Anthony Edwards. Veteran Mike Conley became the starting point guard following a trade from the Utah Jazz at the deadline, while reserve guard Jordan McLaughlin is still on the roster and Nickeil Alexander-Walker reportedly agreed Friday to re-sign as a free agent.

» READ MORE: James Harden deal for dummies: What opting in means, what the Sixers can expect in trade, and more

Milton had spent the first five seasons of his NBA career with the Sixers, working his way up from second-round draft pick on a two-way contract to a rotation contributor.

He averaged 8.4 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in 76 regular-season games last season, thriving when he moved into the starting lineup when guards James Harden and Tyrese Maxey were out with foot injuries. He surpassed 20 points in five games during that stretch. But Milton was not part of the Sixers’ playoff rotation, playing 22 total minutes in 11 games against the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics.

Perhaps Milton’s best season came during the pandemic-interrupted 2019-20 campaign, when he emerged as a starter, poured in a career-high 39 points in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers, and scored in double figures in all four of the Sixers’ playoff games in the restart bubble.

Replenishing bench depth is now an offseason priority for the Sixers. On the first night of free agency, the team also lost sharpshooting forward Georges Niang, who agreed to a three-year, $26 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Athletic wing Jalen McDaniels and reserve center Montrezl Harrell are the other 2022-23 Sixers who are unrestricted free agents, while backup big man Paul Reed is a restricted free agent.