Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves have exercised the third-year team options on Anthony Edwards' and Jaden McDaniels' rookie-scale contracts, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. 

Both players were selected by the team in the 2020 NBA draft, with Edwards going No. 1 overall. The deadline for teams to exercise rookie options is Nov. 1. 

Edwards, 20, had an excellent rookie season, averaging 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game, shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from three. He was a finalist for Rookie of the Year, won by Charlotte's LaMelo Ball. 

Edwards is a key part of Minnesota's foundation for the foreseeable future, joining Karl Anthony-Towns and D'Angelo Russell as core pieces. The Wolves picking up his third-year option was a foregone conclusion. 

McDaniels, the 28th overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft, looks capable of being a nice role player for the Wolves going forward. The 21-year-old averaged 6.8 points in 63 appearances, largely coming off the bench for the team. 

But while he was toward the end of the rotation early in the season, he became a regular contributor as his rookie year progressed, seeing 28.4 minutes per game after the All-Star break, averaging 8.3 points per contest during that time. 

Much of McDaniels' staying power in the NBA will come down to his three-point shot. He was solid in that regard as a rookie, hitting on 36.4 of his opportunities from beyond the arc. In a league that is even pushing centers out past the three-point line, perimeter shooting can be the difference between a regular role and barely seeing any minutes at all. 

Have watched Jaden McDaniels shooting a lot in practice. The corner 3, in particular, has looked free and easy for him. Did just there in the game too.

— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) October 12, 2021

I asked Jaden McDaniels if he has any personal goals going into this season.

He first mentioned wanting to shoot 40% from three and then followed it up with saying he wants to keep up on his defense from last season.

— Brendan Hedtke (@B_HedtkeNBA) October 12, 2021

Defense and three-point shooting is always in demand for role players. McDaniels is on the right track in that regard. 

"He's going to be special. I've said that since Day One, and I think everyone on this team knows just what Jaden will be," star center Karl-Anthony Towns told reporters last week. "Man, we got lucky. We got really lucky to get him. He's improving every day. He's getting more experience. He's putting muscle on his body. He's becoming the player that we hoped he would become. He's a special, special, special specimen."

The past two years have been incredibly difficult for Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns. His mother died from COVID-19 in 2020. Six other members of his family, including his uncle, also died from the coronavirus. 

And in January 2021, Towns tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to quarantine for several weeks, losing 50 pounds as he recovered. 

 "I was as big as D'Angelo [Russell]," he joked with Sports Illustrated's Michael Pina. "I was as big as our guards. You think I'm gonna play center?"

While Towns was able to regain the weight and returned to the team on Feb. 1, that night he had the symptoms of a panic attack while watching the team and had to go back into the locker room. 

"It was too much for me," he said. "My skin was itching."

Towns was able to return to the court nine days later. But he said after his mother's death, he didn't want to let his teammates, coaches or the fans down by not playing, and it took an emotional toll. 

"I never got a chance to really sit down and say, 'Hey Karl, what do you need?'" he told Pina.

"[My mother] made basketball fun for me my whole entire life," he added. "She made it where I wanted to even do this. So for me, I was like, '[There's] too much on my mind. I'm not, I can't, nah, I can't.'"

Towns, 25, continued to produce, averaging 24.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 blocks while shooting 38.7 percent from three, though the virus and injuries limited him to 50 games.

But he said he spent the offseason self-reflecting, balancing working out and working on his game with relaxing with friends and family, telling Pina he's found "comfort in where my life is right now" and that the grief he feels has lessened. 

"I'm like, 'I'm ready. If we had to start today. I'm more than prepared. I'm mentally prepared to go to Minnesota, live in Minnesota, play this game of basketball,'" he said he told his girlfriend Jordyn Woods in early September. "I've been working tremendously hard this offseason. I've been working on not only my body but just working on me."

Following their front-office shakeup, Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons remains a trade target for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

SKOR North's Darren Wolfson reported on his radio show that new head of basketball operations Sachin Gupta "has full authority to go make the Ben Simmons trade."

"He may want Ben Simmons more than Gersson Rosas wanted Ben Simmons," Wolfson said, beginning at the 29:12 mark. "... I'm convinced Gupta wants Ben Simmons. He is going to try. He's going to work his ass off to try to acquire Ben Simmons."

The Timberwolves announced Wednesday they fired Rosas, with Gupta now the primary decision-maker on basketball-related matters.

Many wondered how Rosas' departure might impact Minnesota's reported interest in Simmons. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the three-time All-Star isn't planning to attend Philadelphia's training camp while attempting to engineer his exit.

A lot of the Timberwolves/Simmons stuff I had heard had stemmed from Gersson feeling pressure to make a big splash to impress new the new ownership group. Now he's gone. Will be interesting to see how this impacts the Simmons situation.

— Sean Highkin (@highkin) September 22, 2021

The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski reported Aug. 31 while at the NBA Summer League he "came away with the impression that the Timberwolves were the team that was most active in talks to try to make a Simmons deal happen."

Krawczynski followed up Friday to report the implications of Gupta's promotion on any trade negotiations were unclear but that the move wasn't off the table entirely.

"While what exactly happens with Simmons is unknown, one thing that is clear is that Rosas’ firing will not, in and of itself, torpedo the Wolves’ hopes of getting Simmons," he wrote.

Minnesota tips off the regular season Oct. 20 against the Houston Rockets, leaving less than a month to finalize any deal before the meaningful games begin.

The Timberwolves began 2018-19 with a cloud hanging over them from the Jimmy Butler trade drama, and they eventually shipped out the five-time All-Star to the Sixers. The inevitability of his departure undoubtedly affected the team.

Now, the inverse situation may be unfolding for both Minnesota and Philadelphia.

In just three seasons, Luka Doncic has established himself as one of the best players in the NBA. 

According to Patrick Beverley, the Dallas Mavericks star is also the hardest player in the league for him to guard. 

“Easy, so far it’s been Luka” 🗣

Pat Bev on the toughest player to guard 🚧

(via @patbev21) pic.twitter.com/OvA0YkzCT0

— Overtime (@overtime) September 24, 2021

This does mark a change for Beverley, who as recently as July 2020 named Damian Lillard as the most difficult player to guard. 

"Dame is one of the reasons why I went into the weight room," Beverley said on the JJ Redick Podcast (h/t Colin Ward-Henninger of CBS Sports). "I told my guys, 'Hey, I gotta get faster laterally. I don't feel like I'm fast. I can't keep up with the speed right now. I don't know if I need to lose weight. I don't know if I need to get stronger. I don't know if I need to hire a new f--king team. But I need to get f--king faster.'"

Doncic has success against some of the NBA's best defensive players in his three seasons. For evidence of his dominance, he dropped 36 in a March 31 game against the Boston Celtics with Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum attempting to stop him. 

Smart was a first-team All-Defensive Team selection in 2018-19 and 2019-20. 

The 6'1" Beverley knows a few things about playing lockdown defense on the perimeter. The 33-year-old has been named to the All-Defensive team three times in his career. 

The 6'7" Doncic has finished in the top six in NBA MVP voting in each of the past two seasons. The Slovenia native has averaged 28.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.7 assists in those 127 regular-season games. 

Things have not exactly gone smoothly for Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves since the franchise selected him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft, but the big man reportedly has not asked for a trade.

Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic explained the situation to SiriusXM NBA Radio (h/t RealGM): 

Karl-Anthony Towns has weathered a lot of drama in his six years here. The Jimmy Butler situation. He's had a bunch of guys who have been president of basketball operations. He's had a bunch of head coaches. There's just been so much turmoil and tumult around him. You've seen stars ask out in other places and you say 'Do you really need to go that far? Is that really necessary?'

I think if he fired that bullet, I don't think many people would disagree. It's been a mess here. 

Now so far, there's no indications that he's ready to go that route. I know the team has engaged directly with him and his representation over the last 24 hours to really try... They've engaged with every player to try to send a new message and get everyone on board and let them know what they're thinking and doing.

The latest development happened Wednesday when the Timberwolves announced they parted ways with president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas.

Towns was seemingly among those who were surprised by the move, especially since it happened so close to the start of the 2021-22 season:

The timing Rosas of firing indeed caught players and those in the organization by surprise as Rosas was still holding meetings and in the gym this morning, sources tell me and @ZachLowe_NBA https://t.co/g9LBNU9jNs

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) September 22, 2021

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report reported that "Rosas was dismissed from his post with Minnesota only after ownership learned in recent days of a consensual extramarital affair between Rosas and a female Timberwolves staffer, who also parted ways with the franchise on Wednesday."

On the court, the Timberwolves are coming off a 23-49 season after going 19-45 in 2019-20.

They have made the playoffs just once since the 2003-04 campaign, and that happened in 2017-18 with Towns leading the way. Yet they lost to the Houston Rockets in five games in the first round that season.

There are some building blocks in place with Towns, Anthony Edwards, Malik Beasley and D'Angelo Russell, but competing in the Western Conference will be a daunting task. At least the team can take solace knowing Towns is not looking for a trade.

The Minnesota Timberwolves turned heads Wednesday when they announced they had parted ways with president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas.

According to Mike Max of WCCO, the decision was made because Rosas allegedly created a toxic workplace culture and had an "inappropriate relationship" within the organization.

"People inside the organization have been put off by him at times, and the latest issue to surface was seemingly the final straw," Max wrote. "One other employee of the team also left abruptly Wednesday."

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported that Sachin Gupta was promoted from vice president to replace Rosas on an interim basis.

There were some within the organization, including players, who were reportedly surprised by the decision to move on from Rosas:

The timing Rosas of firing indeed caught players and those in the organization by surprise as Rosas was still holding meetings and in the gym this morning, sources tell me and @ZachLowe_NBA https://t.co/g9LBNU9jNs

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) September 22, 2021

Chris Hine of the Star Tribune reported additional details about the culture inside the Timberwolves organization, noting "throughout the past few months there has been growing discord and strained relationships among Rosas, the front office and the rest of the organization."

The team reportedly decided to move on in an effort to prevent the tension from carrying over into the season.

"Other parts of the organization got a sense for how the culture on the basketball side was deteriorating at summer league in Las Vegas last month, and that continued over the past few weeks," Hine wrote. "Rosas' attitude toward staff and ways of conducting business contributed to a morose atmosphere around the organization."

Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania of The Athletic provided further details, noting "a vocal contingent of staffers express concern about the way Rosas conducted his business."

The report from Krawczynski and Charania cited team executives and agents who took issue with how he conducted negotiations and staff members who highlighted long hours without the ability to give much input into personnel decisions. Rosas' tenure was described by some as "dysfunctional."

There was also reportedly tension between Rosas and Gupta, with the former blocking the latter from making a move to the Houston Rockets. Rosas reportedly even banished Gupta from the team's offices in August and gave him leave to find another job before ownership got involved.

Rosas denied to The Athletic that there were any cultural problems.

Gupta and whoever takes over the role in a permanent position will have their work cut out for them as they look to improve the overall culture and product on the court. Minnesota has made the playoffs just once since the 2003-04 campaign and was 23-49 last season after going 19-45 in 2019-20.

The Timberwolves kick off their 2021-22 campaign on Oct. 20 against the Rockets.

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Sachin Gupta reportedly made history Wednesday.

According to Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer, Gupta will be the new head of basketball operations for the Timberwolves. Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reported Minnesota's decision to promote Gupta from his vice president position to his new role makes him the first person of Indian origin to have such a position.

This decision comes after Minnesota announced it parted ways with president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski noted the team is still "planning to conduct a broader search to find a permanent replacement for Gersson Rosas" and instilled Gupta into an interim position.

The move to part ways with Rosas apparently caught the players by surprise:

The timing Rosas of firing indeed caught players and those in the organization by surprise as Rosas was still holding meetings and in the gym this morning, sources tell me and @ZachLowe_NBA https://t.co/g9LBNU9jNs

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) September 22, 2021

"Today, the Minnesota Timberwolves parted ways with President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas," Timberwolves governor Glen Taylor said in a statement. "As an organization, we remain committed to building a winning team that our fans and city can be proud of."

Chris Hine of the Star Tribune reported the last few months has brought "a growing discord and strained relationships between Rosas, the front office and the rest of the organization" so the Timberwolves made this move in an effort to prevent the tension from carrying over into the season.

Minnesota starts its season on Oct. 20 against the Houston Rockets.

As for Gupta, the Timberwolves named him the executive vice president of basketball operations in July 2019 after he previously worked for the Philadelphia 76ers, Rockets and Detroit Pistons. He was the assistant general manager in Detroit prior to joining Minnesota.

He will look to help the Timberwolves reach the playoffs for just the second time since the 2003-04 season. 

The Minnesota Timberwolves fired president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas on Wednesday, a move that seemed to surprise a number of people around the NBA.

Most importantly, Wolves superstar Karl-Anthony Towns was among those who were stunned:

wtf…

— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) September 22, 2021

"Today the Minnesota Timberwolves parted ways with president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas," current team governor Glen Taylor said in a statement. "As an organization, we remain committed to building a winning team that our fans and city can be proud of."

The timing of the move is surprising on a number of levels. For one, Rosas was allowed to essentially run the team's entire offseason, from the draft and free agency to potential trade talks, with the Wolves consistently rumored to be interested in Ben Simmons. 

In the 2 weeks, Gersson Rosas was allowed to make the Patrick Beverley trade, bring back Jarred Vanderbilt, Jordan McLaughlin and sign first-round pick Leandro Bolmaro.

Now six days before training camp, Minnesota is looking for a new head of basketball operations.

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) September 22, 2021

It also comes at a time when a new ownership group led by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez owns 20 percent of the team, per The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski. That could expand that to 40 percent by Dec. 31, 2022, and majority ownership on Dec. 31, 2023. 

But perhaps most surprising is that the Wolves apparently didn't even give Towns a heads up about what was happening before making the decision. Superstars may not ultimately get a deciding vote when it comes to firing and hiring front-office executives, but keeping them in the loop is one way to keep them happy. 

The Minnesota Timberwolves announced Wednesday they parted ways with president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas.

"As an organization, we remain committed to building a winning team that our fans and city can be proud of," team governor Glen Taylor said.

The Timberwolves hired Rosas to the post in May 2019.

According to B/R's Jake Fischer, executive vice president of basketball operations Sachin Gupta will be promoted to replace Rosas. 

Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns appeared to react to Rosas' firing:

wtf…

— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) September 22, 2021

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Zach Lowe reported the decision "caught players and those in the organization by surprise as Rosas was still holding meetings and in the gym this morning."

The timing of the move is bound to raise questions, though the Star Tribune's Chris Hine provides some context:

There has been a building discord between Rosas, the rest of the front office and the organization that has been going on for months, sources said. The team decided to take action now before the season begins instead of letting that discord linger.

— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) September 22, 2021

Minnesota tips off the regular season Oct. 20 against the Houston Rockets, and the window to improve the roster through the draft or free agency has long since passed.

The Wolves have, however, been linked with Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons. Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin reported that Rosas was "feeling pressure to make a big splash to impress the new ownership group."

A lot of the Timberwolves/Simmons stuff I had heard had stemmed from Gersson feeling pressure to make a big splash to impress new the new ownership group. Now he's gone. Will be interesting to see how this impacts the Simmons situation.

— Sean Highkin (@highkin) September 22, 2021

Krawczynski wrote Aug. 31 while at the Las Vegas Summer League he "came away with the impression that the Timberwolves were the team that was most active in talks to try to make a Simmons deal happen."

Still, Minnesota wasn't willing to move Towns or Anthony Edwards, while D'Angelo Russell didn't appear to be the cornerstone the Philadelphia 76ers would want in a trade package.

There's bound to be a perception that Rosas' firing and the Simmons rumors are linked, as there might have been a disconnect between Rosas and other Timberwolves higher-ups about how much they should be willing to offer for Simmons. 

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report reported Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, who will eventually take control of the organization from Taylor, "have communicated they are fond" of Sixers general manager Elton Brand.

That will only fuel more speculation surrounding Simmons.

Towns is under contract for three more years, but the Anthony Davis and James Harden trade sagas showed how star players are increasingly feeling more freedom to request exits before their deals expire.

The acquisition of Russell was widely viewed as a move to appease the two-time All-Star given their friendship. It was also a tacit acknowledgment of the ticking clock the franchise is facing from Towns' free agency in 2024.

Between Rosas' ouster and Towns' reaction to it, a number of Timberwolves fans might be reaching for the panic button.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly unwilling to include Karl-Anthony Towns or Anthony Edwards in trade talks for Ben Simmons.

Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News said on his podcast that Wolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas informed the Sixers that "everybody else [is] on the table." However, Wolfson noted that Simmons and D'Angelo Russell have a good relationship and the team would prefer to keep Russell as well.

The Sixers have been exploring trade possibilities for Simmons all offseason. While the team  began the summer with expectations of landing a superstar, no trade came to fruition and the situation is bordering on toxic as training camp approaches.

Simmons informed co-managing partner Josh Harris, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, general manager Elton Brand and coach Doc Rivers of his desire for a trade last month, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The three-time All-Star reportedly has no plans to show up for Sixers camp later this month.

The Wolves have been among the teams regularly linked to Simmons, though they lack in the type of immediate-impact talent the title-hungry Sixers would prefer. A package of Russell, Malik Beasley and draft picks may move the needle but does not work under the NBA salary cap.

The Sixers would need to find an additional $3 million to move for matching purposes, a difficult task given how much of their roster was signed this offseason. Packaging Isaiah Joe and Paul Reed would fill the salary slots, but Reed was the G League MVP last season and may have independent value as a draft steal on a low-cost contract.

Simmons is the type of player the Timberwolves don't typically have a chance to acquire in free agency, so they should do everything in their power to make a move before Towns starts to get antsy about his future. 

It's just clear that, for now, the Wolves would prefer to keep negotiations well on the low side.