Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota Timberwolves star D'Angelo Russell "is being shopped around" the NBA, according to The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor.

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported May 11 that Minnesota was "believed" to be open to seeing Russell's value on the trade market this offseason.

Russell's friendship with Karl-Anthony Towns clearly played a role in the Timberwolves' midseason acquisition of the veteran guard in 2020. Trading Russell could then theoretically impact Towns' relationship with the franchise.

It doesn't appear the Wolves are all that concerned.

"Numerous rival teams expect the Wolves to try to trade Russell this offseason irrespective of Russell's close relationship with Minnesota star Karl-Anthony Towns," NBA insider Marc Stein reported on May 2.

In winning 46 games and reaching the NBA playoffs, where it lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in six games, Minnesota might have seen its ceiling with Russell in a high-usage role.

The 26-year-old hasn't made the kind of breakthrough his All-Star nod with the Brooklyn Nets in 2018-19 seemed to portend. Since landing in Minnesota, he has averaged 18.8 points and 6.6 assists while shooting 35.6 percent from beyond the arc.

While those are solid numbers, Russell is clearly miscast as the second star alongside Towns, and his four-year, $117.3 million contract hasn't reflected his value on the court.

The ship has probably sailed on the Wolves flipping Russell for an All-Star-caliber talent, but he might be the best trade asset at their disposal. Towns isn't going anywhere, and Anthony Edwards should be considered untouchable.

By dealing Russell now, Minnesota would also spare itself the inevitable headache that will come with figuring out what to pay him when he hits free agency in 2023.

The Washington Wizards "are not interested" in Minnesota Timberwolves star D'Angelo Russell, according to Darren Wolfson of SKOR North.

Wolfson opened the most recent episode of The Scoop by reporting the Wizards want to add a "lead guard" this offseason but that Russell isn't on their radar.

On May 11, Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported the Timberwolves were rumored to be "willing to gauge [Russell's] trade value. Fischer followed up on May 31 to report the 2018-19 All-Star was a possible target for the New York Knicks.

While Minnesota is coming off a 46-win season that saw it reach the first round of the playoffs, the franchise is facing a dilemma in that it might have reached its ceiling with Russell as the primary playmaker and second star alongside Karl-Anthony Towns.

The 6'4" guard averaged 18.1 points and 7.1 assists while shooting 41.1 percent from the field and 34.0 percent from beyond the arc in 2021-22.

Russell is a positive contributor overall, but his $31.4 million salary for the upcoming season doesn't reflect the value he provides on the court. The emergence of Anthony Edwards has made him a bit redundant in Minnesota as well.

For now, the Wizards are continuing to attempt to build a contender around Bradley Beal even though he can opt out of his deal this summer. Beal said in May he's "leaning toward" re-signing with Washington, which would require the arrival of reinforcements after the team failed to even qualify for the play-in tournament.

By making a move for Russell, though, general manager Tommy Sheppard would risk making the same mistake the Wolves did when they acquired the 26-year-old.

He wouldn't help improve a unit that finished 23rd in defensive rating, per NBA.com, and his fit alongside Beal isn't ideal since he's more of a combo guard and not a natural distributor. Russell Westbrook certainly commanded a large role in the offense during his lone year in the nation's capital, yet he also led the league in assists (11.7 per game).

The Wizards will presumably be active in trade negotiations over the coming weeks—assuming Beal comes back—but Russell shouldn't be a primary target for Sheppard.

The deal that brought Andrew Wiggins to the Golden State Warriors reportedly almost fell apart in the days leading up to the 2020 NBA trade deadline.

ESPN's Zach Lowe reported Tuesday former Minnesota Timberwolves executive Gersson Rosas became "incensed by what he viewed as overaggressive demands" from the Warriors, which included four draft picks, and "briefly cut off talks."

Golden State eventually reduced its demand over the number of picks, but disagreement remained over the protections on the selections as deadline day arrived, per Lowe.

"I went to bed thinking we were not going to get a deal done," Warriors general manager Bob Myers said. "Deals die over picks all the time."

The sides finally came to terms before the deadline, with D'Angelo Russell headlining the package heading to Minnesota, and Wiggins has proceeded to play a key role in helping Golden State get back to the NBA Finals.

Another aspect of the trade also helped in the Warriors' return to the brink of a championship, but it was something that didn't happen: the inclusion of Jordan Poole.

Golden State needed to add in a few low-salary players in order to stay below the luxury tax, and at that moment, Poole was a rookie struggling to make an impact. He finished his debut season shooting just 33.3 percent from the field across 57 appearances.

Ultimately, the Dubs included Omari Spellman and Jacob Evans in the deal, and Poole "does not appear to have factored into that fringe salary conversation," per Lowe.

So not only did the Warriors land a starter in Wiggins, but they also retained a player in Poole who emerged this season as a valuable member of the rotation during a breakout season in which he averaged 18.5 points.

Wiggins and Poole have combined to put up 33.6 points per game during the team's playoff run.

Make no mistake, Golden State getting its Big Three of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green back to full strength after injury issues over the past few years is the biggest reason the franchise has a shot at its fourth title since 2015.

That core trio has a total age of 98, however, so having significant, consistent support from the rest of the roster is more important now than it was while they were in their primes.

It's impossible to know whether the Warriors would be in their current position if they never acquired Wiggins or if Poole, who often came up huge while Thompson was working his way back to a full-time role, was dealt away two years ago.

One thing's for sure: Golden State's chances of chasing down this year's title are bolstered by having that duo on its side against the Boston Celtics.

The Finals are tied, 1-1, as the series shifts to Boston's TD Garden for Game 3 on Wednesday.

The Golden State Warriors didn't have the opportunity to select Anthony Edwards with the No. 2 pick of the 2020 NBA draft because the Minnesota Timberwolves took him with the first pick, but his interaction with Golden State head coach Steve Kerr is still paying off for him.

In an interview on Jake's Takes, Edwards said his inability to complete a drill Kerr asked him to do during a predraft workout led to a different mindset:

"I couldn't do it. I'm too tired. I'm like, man, this s--t too much. But I'm not saying it, so I'm just jogging. And after the workout, Steve comes to me like, 'You can't go any faster?' I'm like, 'I thought I was going pretty fast.' He was like, he was like, 'Nah, do it again.' So I did it again. I'm going fast, I'm going fast. He stops me and like, 'You can't go faster than that?'"

Edwards then shared what Kerr told him:

"'If we gon' draft you at No. 2, you gotta be a hard worker. Like, you ain't working hard enough.' And I think, I think that was a stumble in the road for me. And I looked at it like, I called my trainer afterwards and was like, 'Ay bro, we gotta change, we gotta change it up.' ... Steve Kerr told me how Steph and KD used to work out super hard. It might not be long, but it's super hard when they in there. Ever since then is when I feel like I took that next step."

The Warriors drafted big man James Wiseman, which has not yet paid off. Wiseman has appeared in just 39 games across two seasons and hasn't played this season because of injuries. That stands in stark contrast to Edwards and LaMelo Ball, who went No. 3 overall to the Charlotte Hornets.

Ball won the Rookie of the Year Award and was an All-Star in his second season.

Edwards also seems to be on an All-Star trajectory after helping lead Minnesota to the playoffs while averaging 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game this season. He scored 30 or more points twice in six games as Minnesota lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.

Timberwolves fans may have to thank Kerr because the coach's words have stuck with the Georgia Bulldogs product two seasons into his NBA career.

It's not difficult to see why they would if Kerr was advocating for the prospect to work hard like Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry do on a consistent basis. Curry and Durant are both future Hall of Famers who helped bring the Warriors multiple championship rings.

Curry is three victories away from the fourth title of his career after he and the Warriors tied the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics at one game apiece with Sunday's win.

While Edwards may not reach that level in his career, he is one of the league's brightest young stars and owes some thanks to another team's coach for helping instill a better work ethic as he entered the NBA.

The Miami Heat reportedly believe Patrick Beverley would be a good fit for "Heat Culture."

Sean Deveney of Heavy.com reported an Eastern Conference executive expects the Heat to pursue a trade for the Minnesota Timberwolves guard.

"The Heat would love to get Patrick Beverley," the exec said. "The Timberwolves, obviously, they love what he brought last year, but if they could sell high, they might be willing to give him up. They have a new regime [ex-Nuggets president Tim Connelly] there, so they can look at things a little more realistically."

Beverley spent the 2021-22 season in Minnesota after a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers. He averaged 9.2 points and a career-high 4.6 assists while acting as an emotional leader for a Timberwolves team that made the playoffs for just the second time in the last 18 seasons. Minnesota was so impressed with Beverley's play that the team inked him to a one-year, $13 million contract extension.

"I think that Pat is a huge part of our team," Karl-Anthony Towns told reporters in March. "Not only as one of the leaders, but just our soul of our team. I really believe that. I feel like he's our Draymond [Green]. When he's on the floor, when he's on the bench, we have a different mentality. Shoutout to him."

The Heat have assembled a group of hard-nosed veteran players, and Beverley would be a perfect on-paper fit. That said, it'd be a surprise if the Timberwolves chose to move on from their emotional leader—even if a new front office is in place. The level of success has been so low for so long in Minnesota that messing with the recipe could ruin the Wolves' upward trajectory.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards isn't lacking confidence as evidenced by his selection of an all-time starting five.

When asked by House of Highlights to pick his all-time starting five, Edwards chose himself along with Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Shaquille O'Neal, notably leaving off Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.

It is difficult to argue with any of the picks Edwards made aside from himself given all they accomplished during their careers.

Iverson, James, Durant and Shaq are all either current or future Hall of Famers, and they have won many championships between them.

A.I. never won an NBA title, but he was an 11-time All-Star, four-time scoring champion and one-time NBA MVP during a career that he primarily spent with the Philadelphia 76ers.

James, Durant and O'Neal have all won multiple NBA championships and been named NBA Finals MVP on multiple occasions.

LeBron is in the conversation for being the greatest player of all time, having won four NBA championships with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.

James is a four-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA Finals MVP, and he ranks second in NBA history in scoring.

Durant twice led the Golden State Warriors to NBA Finals wins over James and the Cavs, and he was named NBA Finals MVP each time. KD is also a one-time NBA MVP and four-time scoring champion.

Shaq is arguably the most dominant center of all time, having won a total of four championships between the Lakers and Heat, plus he was a three-time NBA Finals MVP, one-time NBA MVP and two-time scoring champ.

Perhaps Edwards will reach those heights one day, but he has a long way to go. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft.

Edwards finished second in the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year voting before averaging 21.3 points per game this season and helping lead the T-Wolves to the playoffs.

The most glaring omission from Edwards' list was undoubtedly Jordan, who is widely regarded as the greatest of all time thanks to his six NBA championships, six NBA Finals MVP awards and five NBA MVP awards.

After being named to the All-NBA third team for the 2021-22 season, a potential contract extension for Karl-Anthony Towns has become a more significant investment for the Minnesota Timberwolves if they decide to present him with an offer.

Appearing on the HoopsHype Podcast, The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski said, "I fully expect that Karl-Anthony Towns will get a max offer from the Timberwolves and that he'll sign that max offer."

This marks the first time Towns has made the All-NBA team since the 2017-18 season. He signed a five-year, $190 million supermax extension in September 2018.

Towns remains under contract to the Timberwolves through 2023-24. A full supermax offer for the three-time All-Star would be worth $230 million over five seasons.

During the regular season, ESPN's Tim Bontemps said on The Hoop Collective Podcast (starts at 1:55 mark) that the Timberwolves wanted Towns to make the All-NBA team and to "be able to present him with a supermax deal and lock him in for a long time."

The Timberwolves have undergone significant changes in the past year that could change their future direction.

Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore officially joined the ownership group in July 2021. Glen Taylor is still the majority owner, but the Rodriguez-Lore tandem have the option to buy an additional 20 percent stake in 2022 and another 40 percent share in 2023 that would give them controlling interest in the franchise.

Tim Connelly, who spent the previous five seasons as president of basketball operations for the Denver Nuggets, agreed to a five-year, $40 million contract that included ownership equity to run Minnesota's front office.

Krawczynski doesn't make it sound like any of those changes will impact how the organization approaches a potential extension for Towns.

The T-Wolves made the playoffs this season for the first time since 2017-18 and just the second time in the past 18 seasons. They lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.

Towns averaged 24.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in 74 starts during the 2021-22 campaign. The 26-year-old led the team in both categories during the regular season.

Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker was named a first-team All-NBA selection on Tuesday night, while Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns was named to the third team. 

That made both players eligible in the future for the designated veteran contract, aka a supermax extension, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps. 

Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young, who was named to the third team, became eligible for a 30 percent max extension.

Players are eligible for 35 percent supermax deals when they have between 7-9 years of NBA experience and meet one of the following criteria:

• Made an All-NBA team in the most recent season or each of the two seasons prior to being extension eligible.
• Were named Defensive Player of the Year in the most recent season or each of the two seasons prior to being extension eligible.
  
• were crowned MVP in one of the three seasons prior
  

So because both Booker and Towns otherwise met the criteria, Tuesday's All-NBA selection made them some serious coin (assuming their franchises offer them these supermax extensions, which seems likely).

ESPN's Bobby Marks offered the estimated figures for that pair and Young:

Chicago Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine, however, missed out on All-NBA honors, though he'll still be eligible to re-sign with Chicago at a massive number:

Then there's the case of Ja Morant, who was named an All-NBA second-team selection but isn't eligible for the 30 percent max extension just yet under the designated rookie extension rules:

Morant is an interesting case, in that he's extension-eligible this offseason but only at 25 percent of the cap since he isn't in the final year of his rookie deal and hasn't accrued four service years. If he fails to reach All-NBA next season, that 30 percent extension disappears entirely, which happened to Jayson Tatum last year. 

It's a complicated business, wading into the depths of the NBA's salary cap, though the extension waters are surely feeling just right for players like Booker, Towns and Young after Tuesday's news.  

The Minnesota Timberwolves announced Monday that they have found their new president of basketball operations in former Denver Nuggets president Tim Connelly.

"We are thrilled to announce Tim Connelly as the next leader of our basketball operations department and welcome his family to the Twin Cities," the front office said. "He brings a wealth of NBA front office experience with various franchises. We look forward to building upon our most recent playoff run and bringing more success to Timberwolves fans for years to come."

According to Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the two sides agreed to a five-year, $40 million contract that also includes a "kicker for ownership equity."

Charania and Krawczynski noted Timberwolves minority governors Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez met with Connelly before he flew to Minnesota on Saturday to meet with team governor Glen Taylor.

Connelly joins a Timberwolves franchise that is coming off just its second postseason appearance since the 2003-04 season. Minnesota lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in six games in the first round and is still looking for its first postseason series win since it reached the 2004 Western Conference Finals.

There are two legitimate building blocks in place with 26-year-old Karl-Anthony Towns and 20-year-old Anthony Edwards, although a decision may need to be made on D'Angelo Russell. The guard is currently set to make $31.4 million in base salary for 2022-23 before unrestricted free agency next summer.

Connelly had been with the Nuggets since June 2013 and helped build a roster that made the playoffs in each of the last four seasons. They went to the 2020 Western Conference Finals during that span and have been one of the most consistent teams in the league with back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic leading the way.

Denver will now turn in a different direction with Charania reporting general manager Calvin Booth is expected to become the primary basketball operations leader following Connelly's departure.

"There is significant belief in Booth inside the organization, and the former NBA veteran is well-respected as a rising executive across the league," Charania wrote.

He will be tasked with helping the Nuggets take the next step in the race for a championship.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are planning to make Tim Connelly one of the NBA's highest-paid executives if he chooses to take over their front office.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Connelly is set to meet with Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor over the weekend as he decides whether to leave Denver for Minnesota. Minority owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, who are in the process of taking over the franchise for Taylor, met with Connelly already to pitch him on the organization.

Connelly has been spearheading the Nuggets front office since 2013. After missing the playoffs his first five seasons, Denver has made four straight trips to the postseason as Nikola Jokic has emerged as a back-to-back MVP. Connelly nabbed Jokic in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft, along with selecting building blocks Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. in the lottery. 

The Wolves have two foundational pieces in place with Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards. Connelly's job, should he take it, will be to turn Minnesota into a perennial playoff team that eventually competes for championships.

The Wolves have not gotten out of the second round since 2004 and have made the playoffs just twice in the past 18 seasons. An extended run of non-futility would be a major step up for the organization.

That said, Connelly won't be leaving a comfortable job in Denver without having much larger goals in mind. It's a good sign of Lore and Rodriguez's level of investment in the franchise that they're willing to potentially splurge on a top executive to run basketball operations.