"The Timberwolves exercised contract options on guard/forward Corey Brewer and forward Kevin Love before Monday night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers, keeping both players from becoming free agents after the season.

For now, Brewer and Love are under contract through the 2010-11 season. The Wolves exercised the fourth-year option on Brewer and the third-year option on Love.

"It's always good to have a guaranteed deal for next season; at least you know you'll have a job," Brewer said. "I want to be a Timberwolf. I feel like we're building something good here."

A 2010-11 option on forward Oleksiy Pecherov's contract was not picked up. President of basketball operations David Kahn said Pecherov's situation would be evaluated after the season, when his three-year deal expires.

Kahn, traveling with the Wolves on the team's two-game road trip, spoke with all three players Monday — the NBA deadline to extend contracts. Kahn said Brewer, the Wolves' first-round pick in 2007, still has significant improvement to make before earning a long-term deal. Brewer is in the final year of a three-year deal that pays him $2.9 million this season.

"I like a lot of the things he has done in the past few weeks, but he and I have had some candid discussions," Kahn said. "He has to become a much more reliable shooter and better ball-handler. I know how badly he wants to do that, and that's a big part of it."

Love, acquired by the Wolves in 2008 in a draft-day trade with Memphis, is in the second year of a three-year deal paying him $3.4 million this season. He is out until at least December because of a broken bone in his left hand. The former UCLA standout averaged 11.1 points and 9.1 rebounds last season and led all rookies with 29 double-doubles.

Pecherov, a 7-foot forward who got his first start in Sunday's loss at Phoenix, is earning $1.5 million and becomes a free agent after the season. He said he wasn't upset by the team's decision.

"Not at all," he said. "I want to be here. I'm still excited about this season coming up. I just want to play basketball and have some fun, you know. I feel like I have an opportunity here to play and be part of the team." "