Marko Jaric, attending the Timberwolves media session Friday, made it very clear that he has asked to be traded and would prefer to play for another team this season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves signed second-round draft pick Chris Richard on Saturday.

The 6-foot-9 forward from Florida was the 41st overall selection in this year's draft. He has spent most of the past two months in the Twin Cities working out with teammates despite not having a contract.

"I felt like I did a lot of work in the offseason," Richard said. "I've been working hard and I felt like I at least deserved a chance to get on the court before we left (for Instanbul, Turkey for training camp)."

The Timberwolves traded guard Trenton Hassell to the Mavericks for guard Greg Buckner on Friday night.

Hassell, who spent the last four seasons with the Wolves, averaged 6.7 points per game and three rebounds in 476 games. In 2006-07, he played in 76 games and averaged 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds.

Buckner is an eight-year NBA veteran with career averages of 5.5 points and 2.9 rebounds, including two stints with Dallas along with stops in Philadelphia and Denver. Last season, Buckner averaged four points while grabbing 2.1 rebounds.

Timberwolves forward Juwan Howard would rather not serve as the mentor to a team that has nine players that are 25 years old or younger, ESPN is reporting.

Soon after superstar Kevin Garnett was dealt, Howard asked vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale and owner Glen Taylor to trade him to a contender.

"Yes I would love to play for a contender and put myself in the position to win a title before my career is over with," the 34-year-old Howard said Friday in his first public comments about the situation. "If I was 27 or 30 years old, this situation wouldn't be bad at all. That would mean I would still have time to grow with this team, because this is going to be a growing process."

"I'm like Kevin [Garnett]," Howard said. "He wanted to win a title before he's done playing and I feel the same way. But now, of course, we come to a team that has a different makeover. It's more of a young team that's building for the future.

"When I say the key word, the 'future,' that means that they're like two to four years away as far competing to have an opportunity to play in the playoffs. I'm just being honest here. Do I have that left in my career? Four years? No, I don't think so."

Glen Taylor, owner of the Wolves, said that the Kevin Garnett trade might have never developed had Garnett not come to Kevin McHale last spring and asked for a three-year contract extension.

But Garnett, who was being paid $22 million a season, refused the suggestion of Taylor that KG take a cut in salary, so the decision was made to make the trade. Taylor said that the Chicago Bulls were interested in Garnett but not at the salary he demanded.

With the start of training camp looming Tuesday, the Miami Heat remains in talks with as many as three teams regarding possible trades, according to the Miami Herald.

Among those potential partners are the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are looking to unload several contracts after trading Kevin Garnett to Boston in a five-for-one deal in July.

The Garnett trade left Minnesota with a surplus of shooting guards and small forwards -- two positions where the Heat has been looking to add depth throughout the offseason.

Miami's interest likely centers on swingmen Ricky Davis and Trenton Hassell, veterans who apparently don't fit in Minnesota's plans to rebuild around a youthful nucleus of Al Jefferson, Gerald Green and former University of Florida star Corey Brewer.

The Timberwolves on Wednesday signed center John Edwards.

A little-used player out of Kent State, Edwards played parts of two seasons with the Pacers and Hawks. He averaged 1.5 points and 1.0 rebound in 65 career games.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, their roster bloated from this summer's blockbuster trade of Kevin Garnett, would like to make another deal before the season starts.

But with many other teams worried about the luxury tax, the Timberwolves are likely to start training camp this weekend with 16 players on their roster -- including five guys they got from the Boston Celtics for Garnett. Eight players are returning from last season, plus two draft picks and veteran forward Juwan Howard, who came in a trade with the Houston Rockets.

"We're talking with some teams. Really, it's just been a slow, slow month," vice president Kevin McHale said Tuesday. He said he had "three or four" deals on the table, waiting word from those teams once they assess their situation in regard to the salary cap.

The Warriors didn't get Kevin Garnett, but they're benefiting indirectly from the deal that moved the All-Star out of Minnesota.

Two people with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed Friday that the Warriors have agreed in principle with point guard Troy Hudson on a one-year contract. Hudson became a free agent in August after the Timberwolves agreed to buy out the last two years of his contract at a cost of approximately $10 million.

Hudson, 31, will receive $1.22 million this season, the minimum pay allowed for a player with his 10 seasons of NBA experience. Per league rules meant to make veteran free agents more attractive, the Warriors will be reimbursed nearly $450,000.

The Timberwolves hired Ed Pinckney as an assistant coach Friday.

Pinckney, who has been an assistant at Villanova, his alma mater, since 2003, will join head coach Randy Wittman on the Timberwolves bench. He will work primarily with Minnesota's post players, including Al Jefferson, who was acquired from Boston in a trade for Kevin Garnett in July.