The Minnesota Timberwolves have bought out the remainder of Theo Ratliff's contract, and according to the Detroit News the veteran center will sign with the Detroit Pistons.

The signing cannot take place until Ratliff clears waivers in 48 hours.

Antoine Walker missed Minnesota's game in Toronto on Wednesday night due to a "passport problem", according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Timberwolves' Coach Randy Wittman denied that his absence had anything to do with his desire to part ways with the team.

"It has absolutely nothing to do with that," Wittman said. "I'm being straight-up honest with you."

Mark Bartelstein, the agent for Antoine Walker, is trying to negotiate a buyout for his client with the Timberwolves, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

An agreement must be reached by the league's Saturday deadline though, and is by no means guaranteed as the week progresses.

"We?re trying to find a solution that makes sense," Bartelstein told the Star-Tribune on Monday. "We?re trying to find something, if it ever comes together. There?s a lot at stake, a lot involved. But nothing?s been decided at this point."

Timberwolves' owner Glen Taylor said because of the millions of dollars the team has to pay to players like Juwan Howard and Troy Hudson, whose contracts were bought out, there won't be money left over to sign big-money free agents for the 2008-09 season, according to the Star Tribune.

That means the young Wolves, one of the NBA's worst teams, will have to improve from within heading into next season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves announced Thursday that the team has acquired 6-6 guard Kirk Snyder, a 2010 second-round draft pick, and cash considerations from the Houston Rockets in exchange for guard Gerald Green.

Snyder is in his fourth NBA season and holds career averages of 6.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game in 184 career appearances. A University of Nevada alum and the 2004 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Snyder was selected by the Utah Jazz in the first round (16th overall pick) of the 2004 NBA Draft and has spent time with Utah, New Orleans, and Houston during his career. Snyder has appeared in nine games for the Rockets this season, averaging 3.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per game.

Gerald Green is telling FOX 26 Sports he has been traded to his hometown Houston Rockets for guard Kirk Snyder and a second-round draft pick.

"It's like a dream come true. Never in my life did I think this would happen," Green said. "I am on cloud nine."

Antoine Walker and Gerald Green are both crossing their fingers for a trade as the Minnesota Timberwolves try to swing some deals before Thursday afternoon's trade deadline, according to the Pioneer Press.

"He would love to be traded," Walker's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told the Press on Wednesday. "He likes everything about the Wolves: the guys, the coaches. But they're rebuilding, and he's in the prime of his career here and wants to play. We understand there's a divergence in the directions of where he's going and where the Wolves are going."

However, Minnesota executive Kevin McHale doubts that a deal will be agreed upon.

"I would say as I sit here today, right now, we probably don't have anything that really makes sense," McHale said on Wednesday.

The Minnesota Timberwolves announced Monday that the team has recalled first-year center Chris Richard from the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. Richard appeared in six games for the Skyforce, averaging 10.2 points and 11.5 rebounds in 28.3 minutes per game.

He led the team in rebounds in three of six contests, while helping them to a 4-2 record in that span. Before heading to Sioux Falls, Richard appeared in 24 games for the Wolves, averaging 1.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per game.

"We're glad Chris had the opportunity to play some valuable minutes in the D-League," said Timberwolves Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale. "Chris went to Sioux Falls, worked hard, played well and demonstrated what he is capable of. We're confident that he will continue to develop and believe he has a bright future."

According to Marc Stein from ESPN, Dwight Howard has requested - and was denied - to have the rim risen to 12 feet for the NBA dunk contest.

Howard made the same request last season and was also rejected.

Last season Howard was planning to wow judges with a 360 dunk at 12 feet and an attempt at 11.5 feet which called for him to shift the ball between his legs in mid-air, Stein writes.

Fellow contestants Rudy Gay and Gerald Green took the challenge up to Howard, saying if he wants to dunk a 12 foot rim, they would too.

"You have that idea about moving the goal to 12 feet?," Gay wrote in his blog on nba.com "If you want to do it, go ahead and do it. I'm pretty confident in my jumping ability. If you go before me, I'll leave it up there and do my dunk."

Ever since Kevin Garnett was traded to the Boston Celtics, many have suggested Kevin McHale gave his old teammate a sweetheart deal.

?First of all, I have an owner,? McHale said Thursday. ?Then on my staff I have like seven guys. So for that whole thing to happen, it would have had to be, ?OK, this is what we?re doing because we like Danny, but you can?t tell the owner that.?"

?Yeah, like that could ever happen. Are you kidding me? We sat down and put every offer on the board, then hashed them and rehashed them. We went over it 5,000 times, and the one constant that kept coming up was that at 22, Al (Jefferson) was the best anchor piece that we could get. That?s what it came down to.?