Wolves Notes: Finch, Conley, Edwards, Taylor
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch has been fined $35K by the NBA for “directing inappropriate language toward game officials and failing to leave the court in a timely manner” following his ejection in Friday’s game against Oklahoma City, the league announced (via Twitter). Finch was thrown out of the contest midway through the first quarter for expressing his displeasure over a lack of foul calls, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (subscription required).
According to Hine, it took several assistant coaches and security personnel to keep Finch away from the referees after he was tossed. Finch was irate that the Thunder weren’t whistled for a foul during a possession in which he claims Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle were both grabbed and hit.
Finch didn’t address reporters following the game, but he explained the incident at Saturday’s practice, saying he “wanted to make my point” with the outburst.
“I thought early on, the tone was being set in the wrong direction, and I wanted to set about trying to change things,” Finch said. “All credit to the guys. They really responded, picked up the pieces. The staff did an incredible job navigating that game. The most important thing is we got the win and that our guys responded and played well over the last three and a half quarters.”
It was only the second career ejection for Finch, and his players were impressed by the tirade, with Randle calling it “top tier.”
“I don’t know what image he’s projected to y’all. I don’t know what they’re seeing, but Finchy is a hell of a competitor,” Randle added.
There’s more from Minnesota:
- The Timberwolves have upgraded Mike Conley to available for Sunday’s game with Milwaukee (Twitter link). The veteran guard has missed the past four games with right Achilles tendinopathy.
- In an interview with Shams Charania of ESPN (YouTube link), Edwards talks about the benefits of playing for Team USA in the 2024 Olympics. Edwards says it was inspiring to experience Stephen Curry‘s work ethic up close, and he learned how to be a better leader by watching his veteran teammates. “I think probably being with the USA team,” Edwards responded when asked about his leadership skills. “Just seeing like everybody got their own way of leading. You gotta learn how to talk to everybody. Some guys you can be super hard on and some guys you’ve got to pull to the side and talk to them one on one.”
- Former owner Glen Taylor is glad to see that Kevin Garnett will rejoin the organization as a team ambassador, even though he and Garnett never resolved the dispute that drove him away, Hine adds in a separate story. “I always thought he should be there,” Taylor said. “That he wanted to wait until now is fine. It’s his decision. Overall, I like the guy, respect the guy, and I’m happy for him.”
Northwest Notes: Joe, Wiggins, Blazers, Timberwolves
Isaiah Joe is back in action tonight for the Thunder after missing four games due to a bruised left knee. Alex Caruso said that Joe’s presence provides optimal spacing of the floor, Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman tweets.
Joe is averaging 12.9 points per game, with most of them coming from beyond the arc. He’s attempting 6.9 three-point shots per game and making 41.9% of them.
“He’s the anomaly for our team with spacing rules and cutting and moving stuff,” Caruso said. “He’s the one guy we tell to stand a couple feet behind the line and space the floor as far away from the basket as you can because he carries that threat.”
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Aaron Wiggins is also averaging better than 41% on his three-point tries for the Thunder this season. Wiggins has filled up the stat sheet, averaging a career-best 12.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 24.2 minutes per game. “He’s a guy who has mastered our system over time on both ends of the floor,” coach Mark Daigneault told Martinez. “He’s just a system monster. He’s finding different ways to impact the game. … He’s an impressive person from that standpoint. He can wear a lot of different masks.”
- Interim Trail Blazers coach Tiago Splitter has come up with a novel way of motivating his players to excel on the defensive end, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. They have started a new post-game ritual that recognizes defensive prowess. After each win, the Blazers’ coaching staff will select a player they deem to be the “best defender of the night,” and that player will write his name on a piece of paper and slide it into a small wooden box. At the end of the season, the players with the most entries will win a to-be-determined prize. “I wanted to do something for the group, (offer) a little reward for a good defensive day,” Splitter said.
- The Timberwolves haven’t played like an elite Western Conference team this season, Chris Hine of the Star Tribune opines. A case in point was their home loss to Memphis on Wednesday. “Our offensive decision-making was awful,” head coach Chris Finch said. “From shot selection to turnovers to execution it was just not very good.” The Wolves will get a chance to show they can still compete at that previous level on Friday when they face the Thunder, who defeated them 113-105 in late November.
Stein’s Latest: Kings, Harden, Kessler, Rozier, Jones, Payton
If executives around the NBA were asked which team is viewed as the most likely seller ahead of this season’s trade deadline, many would name the Kings first, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
“Active is the word I would use to describe them,” one exec said of Sacramento.
Few players on the Kings’ roster are off limits, with the team seemingly open to inquiries on anyone outside of fourth-year forward Keegan Murray and rookie Nique Clifford, Stein writes.
Sacramento has “certainly” made veterans Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan available, Stein continues, though the club is reportedly telling teams that it has no intention of attaching draft assets – or highly regarded guard Keon Ellis – to any of its higher-paid vets in order to accommodate a deal.
Stein has more to share from around the NBA:
- A number of teams are keeping a close eye on Clippers guard James Harden, a source tells Stein. Given L.A.’s disappointing record, Harden’s age (36), and his contract situation (he holds a partially guaranteed player option for 2026/27), the former MVP would make an intriguing trade candidate if the Clippers are open to moving him. Stein points out that the Timberwolves are among the teams seeking a play-maker on the trade market.
- Echoing recent reporting from Grant Afseth, Stein says the Pacers have registered interest in Walker Kessler, though he adds that the Jazz have shown no signs that they want to trade the big man ahead of his restricted free agency.
- Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA haven’t confirmed one way or another whether the Heat would be permitted to trade Terry Rozier while he remains on leave following his arrest in connection to a federal gambling investigation. However, Stein hears that the Heat are “quietly confident” that the league wouldn’t block them from making a deal that includes Rozier’s $26MM+ expiring contract for salary-matching purposes.
- Nuggets two-way forward Spencer Jones is being viewed as a near lock to have his contract converted into a standard deal later in the season, Stein reports. Denver has an open spot on its 15-man roster but is navigating the luxury tax line. Still, the club seems likely to promote Jones, who has been active for all 25 Nuggets games so far and has averaged 8.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game on .564/.448/.682 shooting in 10 games since entering the starting lineup.
- Like big man Christian Koloko, veteran guard Elfrid Payton has also recently joined the Spurs‘ G League affiliate in the hopes of making an impression on NBA evaluators at this weekend’s NBAGL Showcase, Stein notes.
Kevin Garnett Rejoins Wolves As Team Ambassador, Will Have Jersey Retired
1:20 pm: The Timberwolves have officially announced that Garnett has been hired as a team ambassador and will have his No. 21 jersey retired at a later date. Garnett said in a statement that he’s “thrilled to be back home.”
“The Big Ticket is back! Kevin Garnett is synonymous with the Minnesota Timberwolves,” Lore and Rodriguez said in a statement of their own. “Bringing Kevin home has been a priority since we acquired the teams. He is the greatest player in Timberwolves history, and his impact on our franchise and community is immeasurable. This is more than a reunion—it’s a statement about honoring our past while pursuing excellence and building one of the most admired sports organizations in the world. We couldn’t be prouder to welcome him home.”
8:48 am: Kevin Garnett is returning to the Timberwolves in an “all-encompassing” role, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who reports that the former star forward will be involved with the team’s business, community, and fan engagement efforts, as well as content development.
The Timberwolves also intend to retire Garnett’s No. 21 jersey at some point within the next year or two, Charania adds.
A Hall of Famer who began his playing career in Minnesota, Garnett made 10 All-Star teams and won a Most Valuable Player award during his 12-year stint with the Timberwolves from 1995-2007. He later returned to the team for a season-and-a-half in 2015-16 before calling it a career.
However, Garnett had a bitter feud with former team owner Glen Taylor, so while he repeatedly professed a love for Minnesota and Timberwolves fans, he had a frosty relationship with the franchise after his retirement.
Garnett’s long-running beef with Taylor reportedly began when a plan to rejoin the organization once his playing days were over fell apart following the death of former Wolves president and head coach Flip Saunders. Garnett, who believes Taylor reneged on an agreement between them, said in 2020 that he would never forgive Taylor for it, adding, “I don’t do business with snakes.”
During the protracted process that eventually saw majority control of the Timberwolves change hands, multiple reports indicated that incoming owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez were eager to reconcile with Garnett and wanted to retire his jersey.
After a legal battle that saw Taylor try to retain control of the franchise, an arbitrator ruled in favor of Lore and Rodriguez, who were permitted to move forward with their purchase of Taylor’s remaining stake — the NBA’s Board of Governors officially approved that deal in June, clearing a path for Lore and Rodriguez to repair the team’s relationship with Garnett and bring him aboard in a formal capacity.
We don’t yet know what Garnett’s official title will be, and it remains possible that his role will evolve after he formally rejoins the team. However, Charania’s report doesn’t suggest that the longtime NBA star will be involved in the Wolves’ basketball operations department, which remains the domain of Tim Connelly.
Injury Notes: Herro, Jovic, Trae, Magic, Wolves, Dosunmu
Tyler Herro (right big toe contusion) is traveling with the Heat on their three-game road trip that begins in Brooklyn on Thursday and hopes to return to action at some point on that trip, but admitted there’s “a lot of swelling” in his toe, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Herro, who has missed three of the past four games due to the toe injury, played last Tuesday after taking a Toradol shot, then practiced during the team’s five-day break before being ruled out of Monday’s contest.
“I probably shouldn’t have practiced,” Herro said today. “That kind of like sparked things back up. So I’m just trying to control the swelling and the inflammation, and then from there I can kind of decide what I want to do from there.”
Forward Nikola Jovic, who was diagnosed with a right elbow contusion/laceration after taking a hard fall on Monday, told reporters on Wednesday that he considers himself week-to-week. However, he’s optimistic his absence won’t be a lengthy one and said he was relieved that his injury wasn’t worse.
“I was scared I broke my arm, because I didn’t feel anything and I just saw a lot of blood,” Jovic said. “And they were really scared, too, because I had a pretty deep and a big cut, too. I have stitches now. But it didn’t look good as soon as I went back, because I started feeling my arm. It feels good now. I can’t do a lot of stuff. I can’t really hold stuff right now. But it’s not broken, so I guess that’s the most important thing and I think I’ll be back really soon.”
We have more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Hawks guard Trae Young, who has been out since October 29 due to a sprained MCL, appears to be nearing his return. Young was assigned to the G League on Tuesday to practice with the College Park Skyhawks, then recalled on Wednesday for a practice with the NBA squad, according to the team (Twitter links).
- Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain) and Moritz Wagner (ACL recovery) aren’t traveling with the Magic on their four-game Western Conference trip that begins Thursday in Denver, reports Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links). While the Wagner brothers remain in Orlando to focus on their rehab work, Jalen Suggs (left hip contusion) will join the team on its trip, though head coach Jamahl Mosley said the guard “wasn’t able to go and do much in practice” on Wednesday.
- After missing the Timberwolves‘ past two games, star guard Anthony Edwards (right foot injury maintenance) is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s matchup with Memphis (Twitter link). Veteran point guard Mike Conley, meanwhile, has been ruled out for a third straight game due to right Achilles tendinopathy.
- Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. Cleveland and hopes to be active following a two-game layoff, but both of his thumbs are sprained and taped up, and he has a bone bruise in his right thumb. Those injuries would eventually heal with rest, but Dosunmu intends to play through them, referring to it as a “pain tolerance thing” (Twitter links via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network and Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic).
Trade Rumors: Nets, Thomas, Mavs, Suns, Sabonis, Pacers, More
As the only NBA team with cap room, the Nets figure to be active on the in-season trade market and will be open to taking on unwanted salary if it comes attached to a more valuable asset. However, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes (subscription required), there will be over-the-cap teams around the NBA with the ability to accommodate salary dumps using various exceptions, so Brooklyn will have competition in that space.
“It’ll be interesting. There’s other teams in the market for taking on money: Utah will be in that market, Washington will be in that market,” an assistant GM told Lewis. “We’ll see if the Nets — again, it’s worked out for (general manager) Sean (Marks) in some respects — but the Nets have often charged a premium for (that). They’ve wanted to hold to their valuation and get a number they feel really good about. So we’ll see if they get undercut in that salary dump market, if other teams want to do it cheaper.”
According to Lewis, the Nets are also expected to listen to inquiries on several of their own players, including guard Cam Thomas. But Thomas has the ability to veto any deal that involves him and it’s unclear whether there will be much of a market for him anyway, Lewis writes.
“Obviously, we’ve all seen him have these games where he can fill it up, and there’s a certain segment of the Nets fan base that is obsessed with him,” a veteran Eastern Conference executive said of Thomas. “And yet, I think this is another coaching staff now where it doesn’t seem like the coaching staff (is all-in on) him, doesn’t seem like he helps the team win.
“But I try to value every player around the league, to understand what other teams are going to do. And I wonder if anybody is going to pay him a mid-level. I know he thinks he’s worth a lot more than that, but he won’t get more than that. I feel like I wouldn’t be interested in really having him on my team at all. But also, as you say that, then you play against him and he scores 30 points … in one of those games where shots are going in and you feel like an idiot for saying it.”
Here are several more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:
- Checking in on the Mavericks‘ trade plans, Christian Clark of The Athletic says the team is willing to listen on several of its veterans, but wants to be competitive and isn’t inclined to hold a fire sale prior to this season’s deadline. Clark also spoke to multiple sources with rival teams who think Dallas is more likely to hang onto Anthony Davis through the deadline than trade him on or before February 5.
- Sam Amick of The Athletic recently suggested that the Suns have had interest in Kings center Domantas Sabonis in the past and could be among his suitors if he’s on the trade block this season. However, Gerald Bourget of Suns After Dark (Patreon link) hears from a source that Phoenix isn’t interested in making a play for Sabonis.
- Following up on rumors indicating that the Pacers are on the lookout for their center of the future, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star considers which players Indiana might target on the trade market.
- Looking ahead to the trade deadline, Zach Harper of The Athletic considers which NBA teams should be preparing to buy, which will be sellers, and which will probably end up standing pat. Meanwhile, John Hollinger of The Athletic shares his “All-Deadline Team” for 2025/26, identifying several players he thinks will dominate trade rumors and be involved in deals this season. In addition to obvious names like Jonathan Kuminga, Hollinger spends some time discussing more under-the-radar trade candidates like Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng, Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan, and Wizards guard CJ McCollum.
- In his own look ahead at trade season, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports singles out a few potential candidates to be dealt and considers potential fits for some of them, speculating that Nets center Nic Claxton could be an option for the Warriors and suggesting that the Lakers will have interest in Kings guard Keon Ellis.
Wolves Notes: DiVincenzo, Gobert, Shannon, Edwards, Injuries
The season that Donte DiVincenzo spent with the Splash Brothers helped him build the confidence to take late-game shots like the ones he hit against the Warriors on Friday night, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. DiVincenzo drilled a three-pointer to tie the score with 1:48 remaining and another 80 seconds later to put the game out of reach as the Timberwolves spoiled Stephen Curry‘s return from injury.
“I didn’t shoot the ball well at all tonight, but I could care less if I’m being honest with you,” DiVincenzo said. “My year here changed my entire mindset. Playing with that dude over there, 30 (Curry), it just changed my mindset on my misses, my mindset on my approach. I want the big shot at the end of the game. That’s the mindset I have.”
As Krawczynski notes, DiVincenzo was looking for a new NBA home when he signed a one-year deal with Golden State in the summer of 2022. He had been a starter on Milwaukee’s 2021 championship team, but he was removed from the starting lineup the following season and traded to Sacramento halfway through. Joining the Warriors gave him the chance to learn from Curry and Klay Thompson, picking up their practice habits and their fearlessness about taking clutch shots.
“It changed me, my approach, my mentality, how I process the game, how I live with negatives in my career,” DiVincenzo said. “I think it changed my entire trajectory of my career, and after that, I’ve been who I am.”
There’s more on the Wolves:
- Another flagrant foul for Rudy Gobert any time this season will trigger an automatic suspension, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (subscription required). Gobert was whistled for flagrants in back-to-back games over the past week, putting him one flagrant-foul point away from a one-game suspension and two points away from a two-game suspension. He disputed the call in Monday’s game when he was assessed a flagrant foul for making “significant” contact to the ribs of Phoenix center Mark Williams while Williams was airborne. “There was an intent to foul, but I don’t feel like it was meant to really hit him in the rib to hurt him,” Gobert said. “It was more like to take away his momentum and contest the shot. They deemed that it was winding up. I didn’t feel like it. I just felt like it was just maybe a very physical foul. But I hope he’s doing OK. It seems like he was doing OK after that. It was just, to me, a physical basketball play.”
- In the same Star Tribune story, head coach Chris Finch pointed to Terrence Shannon Jr.‘s defensive habits as the reason for the second-year guard’s inconsistent play. “It’s largely rooted in readiness,” Finch explained. “He’s a great athlete. He’s probably spent a lot of his time making up ground with his closing speed. It’s a dangerous habit to get into at this level, the guys that have either equal or greater athleticism, but also teams that execute well and can take advantage of that. So his screen navigation is poor, and that puts him even further behind the play.”
- Anthony Edwards missed Friday’s game due to soreness in his right foot and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s home matchup with Sacramento. Bones Hyland, who left Friday’s contest with a right knee contusion, is also questionable, while Mike Conley has been ruled out with a right Achilles issue.
Afseth’s Latest: Mavs, AD, Klay, Giannis, Morant, Kessler, More
Although Dallas’ front office is open to listening to offers on Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford and D’Angelo Russell, the Mavericks aren’t “aggressively shopping” any of those four veterans, sources tell Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com.
As Afseth details, rival teams have gotten the impression that the Mavericks are currently evaluating not only their play to this point in the season but also their options on the trade market. They’re viewed as being “opportunistic” instead of a seller, Afseth writes, and whatever moves Dallas makes will be geared toward improving the team’s “long-term outlook.”
According to Afseth, the Mavs want to see Kyrie Irving play alongside Cooper Flagg and believe the star guard can complement the rookie forward and assist in Flagg’s development. Irving’s name is notably not among the aforementioned group.
While the Pistons, Hawks and Raptors are reportedly expected to among the suitors for Davis, sources who spoke to Afseth expressed skepticism about Davis’ fit in Detroit and Atlanta, with Toronto viewed as the best on-court landing spot of the group. Still, as Marc Stein recently reported and Afseth confirms, a Davis trade shouldn’t be viewed as an inevitability.
“The Mavericks are going to want to see how this team looks with AD and Kyrie,” one source told Afseth. “There is no sense in trying to just get rid of AD. The market has to be where they want to make a deal. If there isn’t a good enough deal on the table, I don’t see a deal getting done. They’d get another look at the trade market or evaluate an extension in the summer.”
Here are a few more highlights from Afseth’s rumor round-up:
- While Thompson’s on-court contributions have been up and down during his time in Dallas, he has remained a “positive” presence despite the organizational turmoil following the Luka Doncic trade, Afseth reports. If Dallas does end up having serious discussions about Thompson, the team is expected to be “considerate” of Thompson’s desire to play for a contender, Afseth adds.
- The future of Giannis Antetokounmpo is the biggest storyline on the trade market, but Afseth hears there haven’t been any new developments on that front. Some rival executives still view the Knicks as the favorites to land Antetokounmpo if he’s made available, but the Heat and Spurs are among the other potential suitors for the two-time MVP.
- Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, who returned from a 10-game absence on Friday, is not currently available on the trade market, per Afseth. Should that change, the Heat are not viewed as being a strong fit for the two-time All-Star, Afseth continues.
- The Rockets, Timberwolves and Kings are among the teams keeping an eye on point guards ahead of the February 5 deadline, according to Afseth.
- The Pacers have done background work on Jazz center Walker Kessler, according to Afseth, who says Tyrese Haliburton is a fan of the fourth-year big man. Kessler, who is out for the year following shoulder surgery, was seeking $120MM+ on a long-term rookie scale extension before the season began, Afseth reports. Kessler will be a restricted free agent next offseason.
Western Rumors: Kings, Wolves, White, Mavs, Murphy, Kuminga
Moving Zach LaVine‘s maximum-salary contract without attaching a draft pick as a sweetener could be a challenge for the Kings, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who suggests that Sacramento general manager Scott Perry views the team’s draft assets as a valuable part of a potential rebuild and isn’t inclined to move them.
With that in mind, Amick suggests there’s a “very real chance” that LaVine and other Kings veteran trade candidates, including Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan, stay in Sacramento beyond this season’s trade deadline. As Amick points out, Perry has preached patience as he attempts to turn the Kings’ roster into one capable of contending.
League sources tell The Athletic that Sabonis has “heeded that call” for patience and is prepared to remain in Sacramento for the foreseeable future. The Wizards, Suns, and Bulls are among the teams that have had interest in Sabonis in the past and could still be suitors, according to Amick, but like LaVine, the veteran center won’t be easy to move due in part to his sizable contract.
Outside of the Kings’ veteran stars, guard Keon Ellis continues to be the trade candidate who holds the most intrigue around the NBA, but the team hasn’t ruled out the possibility of hanging onto Ellis and working out an extension when he becomes eligible for one later this season, Amick writes. While that may be the case, I have to think that Ellis would have a more consistent role in Sacramento’s rotation if that path is really the team’s preferred outcome.
Here are several more trade-related items of interest from around the Western Conference:
- A team source confirmed to The Athletic that the Timberwolves have interest in Bulls guard Coby White, as was reported on Thursday. However, because White will likely be in line for a significant raise in the offseason, the Wolves may view him as a potential rental, which would make them less inclined to give up the sort of return Chicago would be seeking, Amick explains.
- While many NBA observers were anticipating a fire sale in Dallas following the Mavericks‘ slow start, one league source who spoke to Amick said there have been some indications that the Mavs are still mulling the possibility of pursuing upgrades on the current core this season rather than becoming a deadline seller. As Amick points out, Dallas is technically in a play-in spot right now at No. 10 in the West, so if the team expects to get Kyrie Irving back from his ACL tear in the coming months, the idea of making a postseason push isn’t outlandish.
- While the Warriors have long had interest wing Trey Murphy III, Amick has gotten “mixed” feedback on what the Pelicans think of Jonathan Kuminga, who would likely be a salary-matching piece in any Golden State offer for Murphy.
- Meanwhile, while Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area tweeted earlier this week that the Suns are still a potential suitor for Kuminga, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reports (via Twitter) that Phoenix’s level of interest in the Warriors forward has dropped since the offseason. Part of what appealed to the Suns when they considered Kuminga during the offseason was the idea of getting him on a four-year contract, Gambadoro explains, so acquiring him on his current short-term deal holds less appeal.
Timberwolves Have Inquired On Coby White
The Timberwolves, who remain on the lookout for an upgrade in their backcourt, have inquired on Bulls guard Coby White, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
Although the February 5 trade deadline is still almost two months away, Cowley hears from a source that Minnesota would like to make a deal to add another ball-handler sooner rather than later, if possible. The Bulls, on the other hand, likely aren’t ready to do anything drastic yet despite losing 14 of 18 games (including seven in a row) since their 5-0 start.
Mike Conley was the full-time starting point guard in Minnesota for most of the past two seasons, but the 38-year-old was moved to the second unit this fall in favor of Donte DiVincenzo. With Conley past his prime, DiVincenzo not a true point guard, and 2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham not ready to take on a significant role, the Wolves have essentially made Anthony Edwards their de facto point guard and would like to get him some help.
White isn’t exactly a true point guard either, but he’s a talented scorer and play-maker who averaged 20.4 points and 4.5 assists per game last season on .453/.370/.902 shooting. He has been limited to seven appearances so far in 2025/26 due primarily to a calf strain that delayed his debut.
White is earning $12.9MM on an expiring contract, and while he’s extension-eligible, he isn’t expected to agree to a new deal prior to free agency, since league rules would limit the Bulls to offering up to about $87MM over four years. The 25-year-old presumably believes he can do better than that on the open market with a strong contract year.
Cowley mentions DiVincenzo ($12MM), second-year guard Terrence Shannon Jr. ($2.7MM), and a draft pick as a possible package for White. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (YouTube link) recently identified those same two players as candidates to be included in a hypothetical White trade, noting that the Bulls had interest in Shannon – a Chicago native – ahead of the 2024 draft.
Johnson also suggested that the Bulls are in “wait and see” mode and may seriously pursue any deals until closer to the trade deadline. Still, it’s worth noting that the Wolves don’t currently have a tradable first-round pick, so if the Bulls wanted some sort of draft compensation from Minnesota in a deal for White, it would have to be second-rounders and/or pick swaps.
The Wolves have been linked to other guards since the season began, including being identified a few weeks ago as one of the teams to inquire on Grizzlies star Ja Morant. However, a player like White, who has a salary in the range of the mid-level exception, could be a more appealing target based on their potential outgoing salary-matching pieces. Acquiring a maximum-salary player like Morant would require them to part with at least one of Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, or Naz Reid.