The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that the team has exercised the third-year option on guard Randy Foye and the fourth-year option on guard Rashad McCants.

"We expect both Randy and Rashad to be a big part of our future," said Timberwolves Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale. "Randy is coming off of a season in which he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and showed he has the talent to be a very good NBA player. Rashad has worked extremely hard over the past year to return from injury and continues to improve every day. We believe that he will return to the form he showed the second half of his rookie season. Both of these guys are key pieces to the young core of players we are building around."

Foye, a second-year guard from Villanova, earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors in 2006-07. The seventh overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, Foye played in all 82 games for the Wolves, including 12 starts. He averaged 10.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 2.8 apg in 22.9 mpg, becoming the first Wolves rookie double-digit scorer since Wally Szczerbiak. Foye finished 19th in the league in free throw accuracy at 85.4%, breaking Christian Laettner's franchise rookie record (83.5%). He finished the season strong by averaging 15.4 ppg while shooting 52.9% in April. In the 2007 preseason, Foye appeared in three games (two starts) and averaged 17.3 minutes per game.

McCants, averaged 7.9 points and 1.8 rebounds in 79 games as a rookie. The 6-4 guard set a Timberwolves franchise rookie record for three-point field goal percentage at 37.2%. McCants averaged 12.3 ppg (47.8% FG%) after the All-Star break. After undergoing microfracture surgery on his right knee on June 19, 2007, McCants played in 37 games in 2006-07. He has averaged 7.0 ppg (42.6% FG%) and 16.5 mpg in 116 career games.

Discuss this news with other fans on the InsideHoops basketball message board.