Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: All-Star Game, Fernando, Snyder, NBRPA, Woj

January 22nd, 2025 at 8:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Six NBA reporters at The Athletic, including Sam Amick, Fred Katz, and Joe Vardon, made their picks for the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star starters, with all six writers selecting the same three frontcourt players in the East: Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns.

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic were the only unanimous choices in the West. Meanwhile, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama each showed up on all but one of the six ballots from The Athletic’s reporters.

The NBA will officially announce this year’s All-Star starters on Thursday evening during a TNT broadcast. The starters are determined by votes from fans (50%), players (25%), and the media (25%).

We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Veteran NBA big man Bruno Fernando, who was waived earlier this month by Toronto before his full-season salary could become guaranteed, is in talks with Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, as Michalis Gioylenoglou reports for Eurohoops.net. Gioylenoglou describes Fernando as becoming more open to making the move to Europe after having initially been reluctant to head across the Atlantic. However, no deal is done yet.
Hawks head coach Quin Snyder is among the candidates receiving serious consideration to become the next coach of Australia’s national team, sources tell Olgun Uluc of ESPN. The Boomers are seeking a successor to Brian Goorjian, who coached the national team at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics.
Former NBA big man Antonio Davis, who appeared in over 900 games from 1993-2006 and made an All-Star team with Toronto in 2001, has been named the CEO of the National Basketball Retired Players Association, reports Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). According to Spears, Davis will “drive the strategic visions, business operations, member services, and growth” of the NBRPA, a non-profit association representing former NBA players.
In a feature story for The New York Times, Bruce Schoenfeld checks in on Adrian Wojnarowski, exploring why the former star news-breaker, who was making $7.3MM annually at ESPN, accepted a job at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure, that pays him about one percent of that amount ($75K per year).

Community Shootaround: Western Conference Playoff Race

January 21st, 2025 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Of the 15 teams in the Western Conference, only two are clearly focused more on the 2025 draft lottery than the 2024/25 standings. The 10-31 Jazz and 14-28 Trail Blazers don’t have realistic postseason aspirations this season, with management prioritizing the development of young players and the possibility of landing another high draft pick.

Those two teams are sandwiching the 12-32 Pelicans, who definitely didn’t expect their season to play out like this. Plagued by injuries since top offseason acquisition Dejounte Murray broke his hand on opening night, New Orleans has won its past four games but likely dug too deep a hole in the first half to seriously vie for a play-in spot this season, even if the roster gets (and stays) fully healthy.

Still, that leaves 12 teams in the hunt for eight playoff spots in the Western Conference.

We can safely pencil in the Thunder for one of those spots — and it will almost certainly be the top one. At 35-7, Mark Daigneault‘s squad has a seven-game cushion on the next-best team in the conference.

The Rockets (28-14), Grizzlies (28-15) and Nuggets (26-16) round out the current top four in the West and appear well positioned to claim playoff berths. That’s not necessarily a lock, given how competitive the conference is — a single injury could be all it takes for one of those teams to fall back to the pack. But they’re in strong positions.

After the top four, things gets interesting. Here are the current Western Conference standings from five through 12:

Los Angeles Clippers (24-18)
Los Angeles Lakers (22-18)
Dallas Mavericks (23-20)
Sacramento Kings (22-20)
Minnesota Timberwolves (22-21)
Phoenix Suns (21-21)
Golden State Warriors (21-21)
San Antonio Spurs (19-22)

These eight teams are separated by a total of 4.5 games. The gap from No. 6 to 11 is just two games. A five-game winning streak or losing streak for any of these clubs could significantly change the perception of how their season is going.

To that point, as recently as January 4, the Kings were 12th in the conference at 16-19, while the Spurs were in eighth place at 18-16. A Sacramento hot streak and a San Antonio cold spell have resulted in those two clubs swapping places in the standings just seven games later.

The Spurs are probably a little ahead of schedule in their rebuild and didn’t necessarily expect to make the postseason this year, so if they continue to slump, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for them. But the rest of the clubs listed above had serious playoff aspirations this season. The Clippers, Lakers, Mavericks, Timberwolves, Suns, and Warriors are all spending into the tax on their rosters, and the Kings aren’t far off.

Barring a major collapse from one of the top four seeds, one of these clubs (or two, if San Antonio sticks around) will finish outside the top 10, missing out not just on the playoffs but on the play-in altogether. Two more will be eliminated in the play-in tournament and will fail to clinch one of the eight playoff spots in the West.

What happens at the trade deadline could go a long way toward determining how this race plays out down the stretch, but we want to know what you’re thinking at the halfway point of the season.

Which teams do you expect to finish outside of the top 10 in the West? Which teams will be eliminated in the play-in? Which clubs besides the Thunder are the most serious contenders to represent the conference in this year’s NBA Finals?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Wolves’ DiVincenzo Ruled Out Indefinitely With Grade 3 Toe Sprain

January 20th, 2025 at 12:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves wing Donte DiVincenzo, who has missed the past two games with a toe injury, underwent an MRI and has been diagnosed with a Grade 3 left great toe sprain, the team announced today in a press release.

According to the Timberwolves, DiVincenzo has been ruled out indefinitely, with he and the club currently seeking a second opinion to determine the best treatment option going forward.

While the Wolves don’t explicitly refer to DiVincenzo’s injury as turf toe, it sounds like that may be what he’s dealing with, and a Grade 3 designation represents the most severe form of that injury.

The Thunder recently ruled out Ajay Mitchell for at least 10-to-12 weeks after he underwent a procedure to address a turf toe sprain. If DiVincenzo and the Wolves ultimately determine that he needs to address his ailment via surgery, he could face a similar recovery timeline. Figuring out whether or not surgery is necessary is likely the impetus for the two parties seeking a second opinion.

DiVincenzo, who was traded from New York to Minnesota in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster just ahead of training camp, got off to a slow start with his new team, averaging 9.0 points, 3.3 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per game across his first 29 outings, with an underwhelming shooting line of .370/.335/.783.

However, the 27-year-old had been heating up in recent weeks, boosting his averages to 16.4 PPG, 4.3 APG, and 4.9 RPG on .446/.436/.852 in his last 11 contests before the injury.

With DiVincenzo sidelined, rookie guard Rob Dillingham – whose return from an ankle injury coincided with DiVincenzo going down – figures to take on an increased role going forward. He has averaged 10.5 points in 15.7 minutes per night in his first two games back in action.

Stein’s Latest: Butler, Beal, Okogie, C. Johnson, Mavericks

January 20th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Jimmy Butler‘s return from his seven-game suspension hasn’t changed the Heat‘s desire to work out a trade before the February 6 deadline, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required).

Butler was back in the starting lineup and played 33 and 28 minutes as Miami split a pair of weekend games, but concerns remain that the relationship will continue to deteriorate if he’s still on the roster past the deadline. Sources tell Stein that the Heat are “exploring every potential pathway” to assemble a multi-team trade to get Butler off their roster.

The Suns remain Butler’s preferred location, but it’s not clear that Phoenix is eager to pursue him or that it has enough assets left to make a competitive offer, Stein adds. Phoenix gave up three second-round picks and got one in return in last week’s trade for Nick Richards. That leaves the Suns with just their 2031 first-rounder and a 2025 second-rounder from Denver to offer in any deal.

The Raptors have been mentioned as a team that might be interested in helping to facilitate a Butler trade, and Stein says a well-placed source told him that “about half the league” has expressed similar sentiments to Miami. He cites the Timberwolves as another club that might be willing to help the Heat move Butler on to his next location in exchange for other assets.

Stein shares more inside information from around the NBA:

League sources confirmed to Stein a report that Butler’s camp hasn’t told the Bucks not to pursue a deal. However, he believes Milwaukee might be more interested in reviving its previous interest in Suns guard Bradley Beal if it’s going to add a player in that salary range. Stein points out that the Bucks can’t trade for either player without dropping below the second apron, which would likely mean trading Pat Connaughton‘s $9.4MM contract without taking back any salary in return.
Some rival teams are questioning why the Hornets were willing to take on extra salary in the Richards trade while only netting two second-round picks, Stein adds. Charlotte acquired Josh Okogie at $8.3MM while parting with Richards’ $5MM contract, a move that will save the Suns more than $20MM in luxury tax. Stein speculates that the Hornets may have another move planned involving Okogie before the deadline.
Stein hears that the Nets don’t feel an urgency to trade Cameron Johnson because they’ve already weakened their team enough for tanking purposes by unloading Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith. Brooklyn is just 4-13 since sending Schröder to Golden State and has moved into sixth in the race for the best lottery odds.
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is typically active at the deadline, but Stein doesn’t believe the team’s injury woes will force him into a move. “We look at everything,” Harrison said in a recent interview with Dalton Trigg for his Mavs Step Back Substack (subscription required), “but we’re not going to be reactionary to a short-term injury.”
Discussing the Mavericks, Stein also writes that it would be a “misnomer” to suggest Dallas is shopping center Daniel Gafford. However, he didn’t outright dispute a previous report stating that the Mavs have been willing to discuss the big man.

Knicks Notes: Robinson, Randle, DiVincenzo, Towns

January 18th, 2025 at 9:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks center Mitchell Robinson posted on his Instagram account Friday that his weight is down to 268.2 pounds as he awaits medical clearance to begin practicing, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Robinson, who is recovering from ankle surgery last May, is hoping to take part in practice by the end of January, but coach Tom Thibodeau cautioned that there are still several steps remaining.

“Just working individually right now. So he hasn’t been cleared. There will be a progression and it starts with 1-on-0, which is really where he is right now,” Thibodeau said in Friday’s pregame session with the media. “He hasn’t been cleared for contact yet. So that will be the next phase.”

Robinson’s return would be welcome for the Knicks, who have missed having a reliable rim protector. Thibodeau also confirmed that he envisions having Karl-Anthony Towns spend time at power forward to create a pairing with Robinson similar to what he had with Rudy Gobert in Minnesota.

“We feel like with Karl’s comfortable doing both, playing both positions,” Thibodeau said. “So we feel like it will be an added weapon for us.”

There’s more from New York:

Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, who made his return to Madison Square Garden on Friday after being traded in October, told Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that he often wonders how good last year’s Knicks could have been if he hadn’t suffered a shoulder injury. Buoyed by a late-December trade for OG Anunoby, New York was tearing through the league before Randle was lost for the season on January 27. “We went into every game expecting to win,” Randle recalled. “Teams would hang around and we would end up winning by like 20 points. It felt like we were starting to get super dominant. We had everything. And everybody’s game was going to the next level. Chemistry was dope. It was unfortunate the injuries happened. But that team was incredible.”
Randle was the only major player from that trade who took part in Friday’s game, notes Steve Popper of Newsday. Donte DiVincenzo was ruled out with a sprained left big toe, while Towns was a late scratch as he recovers from a right thumb injury he suffered Monday. There were no video tributes for Randle or DiVincenzo, according to Popper, as those took place during a preseason contest. “The thing is, it’s actually the third time we played now,” Thibodeau said. “And as time goes on, there’s always going to be that connection — it’s the reality of our league. Like I said, every night, there’s something for somebody. Just stay focused on getting ready to play. But that’s part of his story, part of Julius’ story, part of Donte’s, and that’s what makes the league what it is.”
The Knicks’ reliance on Towns was on display Friday, Popper adds, as they struggled to score without him available. New York is just 2-3 without Towns, who averages 25.4 points and 13.9 rebounds per night.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Dillingham, Murray, Westbrook, Simons

January 18th, 2025 at 8:32am CST by Tristan Tucker

For the second time in three seasons, the Timberwolves have struggled to develop chemistry following a massive offseason trade, Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes.

“It’s an adjustment, but we want to be winning games while we’re figuring it out,” Julius Randle said. “We show phases of being able to do that.”

MacMahon explores the various reasons for Minnesota’s troubles, including defensive slippage from last season, a lack of ball movement, and statistical regressions from top players.

After a career year for the Knicks last season, guard Donte DiVincenzo in particular hasn’t adapted as quickly to Minnesota. However, it seems as though DiVincenzo has turned a corner since mid-December, averaging 15.5 points per game on 43.7% shooting from deep in his last 15 games.

“It’s a mental game of just being aggressive and just going out there and being myself,” DiVincenzo said, who is now out with a toe injury. “There’s no secret behind that for me. When I’m passive, I’m not my best self.”

Despite DiVincenzo and others turning around their individual games, the Wolves continue to have an up-and-down season. They’re fresh off a 17-point win against the Knicks, but are 2-2 in their last four, 5-5 in their last 10, and 8-8 in their last 16.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Wolves rookie guard Rob Dillingham returned from an ankle injury on Friday. After not appearing in a game since Dec. 23, Dillingham played over 13 minutes in the win over New York, making four of his six field goal attempts and notching nine points and three assists. “He fire. Everybody know it. The world know it. It just takes time,” teammate Anthony Edwards said, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link). “It’s going to happen. … We been missing him the last couple weeks. He just got back out there and showed why he should be playing.”
The Nuggets‘ season hinges on Jamal Murray continuing to find high-level success, Troy Renck of The Denver Post opines. It seems as though Murray is hitting a stride, racking up 45 points in a 19-point win over Dallas on Tuesday and scoring 30 in a 20-point victory against Miami on Friday.
Denver is 9-4 in its last 13 games, with Russell Westbrook in the starting lineup as Aaron Gordon recovered from a calf injury and dealt with a minutes restriction upon returning to action. Bennett Durando of The Denver Post explores whether Westbrook will remain a starter once Gordon’s restriction is lifted and, if so, whose spot he’ll take. Westbrook has had his most productive stretch of the season during this stretch, averaging 15.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.2 assists while shooting 51.3% from the field and 38.3% from three.
Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons went scoreless for the first time since 2021 in a loss to the Clippers on Thursday, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian writes. Simons is averaging 18.2 points per game on 42.0% shooting this season after putting up 21.7 PPG on 43.9% shooting across the previous two seasons.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, DiVincenzo, Henderson, Camara, Murray

January 16th, 2025 at 11:06pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Timberwolves are out of excuses after losing to the shorthanded Warriors on Wednesday, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. Nearly everything went wrong for Minnesota, including a slow start to open the game that saw the Wolves fall behind 13-0.

“They came out how we should’ve come out,” said Donte DiVincenzo, who scored 28 points to go along with nine assists and six rebounds. “There’s no excuses. I think we just have to be better to start the game. We got it together. We fought and clawed our way back, but we start the game differently, this is a different story.”

Gui Santos made his first career start for Golden State and was effective, while Rudy Gobert was out-rebounded by Trayce Jackson-Davis. The Wolves rank 22nd in defensive rebounding after finishing ninth last year, which Krawczynski writes is a direct result of Gobert’s regression.

Anthony Edwards was critical of the lineup – himself included – that surrendered that early 13-0 deficit, Krawczynski writes in the same story.

“The starting five, we are terrible,” Edwards said. “Every game we come out low energy and the second group comes in and gives us energy. I would say the starting group has gotta come out with more energy like we want to play the game of basketball, like we love the game.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Things won’t get any easier for the Timberwolves as they embark on a difficult stretch that includes tilts against the Knicks, Cavaliers and Grizzlies. DiVincenzo is out with a toe sprain, according to team PR (Twitter link). It’s not clear exactly how much DiVincenzo will miss, but toe sprain absences are often measured in weeks and not days.
The Trail Blazers saw a glimpse of a brighter future in a Tuesday loss to the Nets, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report writes. Second-year players Scoot Henderson and Toumani Camara both recorded career games, with Henderson scoring a career-high 39 points while making eight three-pointers and Camara finishing the night with 24 points.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone expressed confidence last month that Jamal Murray would begin to silence his critics with his play and, after a season-high 45 points from the Kentucky product on Tuesday, Malone defended his guard again. “I think the microscope on Jamal is a little intense,” Malone said, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “Everybody’s just got to kind let the kid breathe a little bit. He’s not perfect. And if you look, I think his overall stats as of recently, he’s been very good for us.“

Northwest Notes: Edwards, Caruso, Timberwolves, Cancar

January 13th, 2025 at 8:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was fined again by the league, this time for making obscene gestures toward an official. It’s the fifth time Edwards has been docked by the league this season. He’s also tied for the league lead with nine technicals. Head coach Chris Finch says he has spoken with Edwards about both issues.

“It’s been addressed for sure,” said Finch, per Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Twitter link). “It’s been addressed organizationally, individually. I think he’s aware. We’re all aware.”

Finch believes Edwards will do a better job of controlling his emotions, Hine adds in another tweet.

“He’s extremely self-aware. I think he has emotional control for sure,” Finch said. “I think he’s frustrated on many levels. I think some of that frustration is certainly in & around the whistle no doubt, but he’s just got to figure it out, play through it and he’ll be fine.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Alex Caruso is no longer listed on the Thunder injury report, signaling that he’ll suit up for Tuesday’s game against Philadelphia, Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman tweets. Caruso, who signed a four-year extension last month, has missed the past 10 games with a left hip strain.
The parties involved in the Timberwolves’ ownership battle met for a final time on Jan. 10, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. Arbitration hearings were held in early November and it was expected to take a few months for a ruling. The decision will likely be handed down within the next 30 days. The dispute over control of the franchise between minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez and principal owner Glen Taylor moved to arbitration in July.
Vlatko Cancar traveled with the Nuggets to Dallas over the weekend and went through a full pregame workout, Grant Afseth of the Dallas Sports Journal tweets. Cancar underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Dec. 4. At that time, the team indicated that Cancar would be reexamined in eight weeks. The forward/center is currently inked to a one-year, $2.1MM veteran’s minimum deal.

Northwest Notes: Shannon, Dillingham, Murray, Gordon, J. Williams

January 13th, 2025 at 3:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Rookie guard Terrence Shannon has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 right mid-foot sprain, the Timberwolves announced in a press release.

Shannon, who sustained the injury on Saturday while on a G League assignment with the Iowa Wolves, will be out at least two weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated. His return timeline is expected to be two-to-four weeks, per the Timberwolves.

The 27th overall pick of the 2024 draft, Shannon hasn’t played much for Minnesota during his debut campaign in the NBA, averaging just 4.5 minutes per contest in 10 appearances. The former Texas Tech and Illinois star has been dominant in the NBAGL though, averaging 36.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steal on .540/.364/.963 shooting in four total games with Iowa (36.3 MPG).

Here’s more from the Northwest:

The Timberwolves‘ other first-round pick, Rob Dillingham, is on the mend from a right ankle sprain. On Sunday, Minnesota announced (via Twitter) that the former Kentucky guard was cleared for full contact 5-on-5 work. He was subsequently sent to Iowa for a rehab assignment.
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has been playing through left knee soreness, which caused him to be pulled at halftime from Friday’s victory over Brooklyn, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Head coach Michael Malone admitted that he almost repeated that on Sunday in Dallas, when Murray struggled mightily in the first half vs. Dallas, only to help lead the team to a turnaround victory in the second half. “I’m just gonna defend him for a second. Because he’s not 100% healthy,” Malone said after the win. “I thought about shutting him down at halftime. Because I’m watching him out there, and I know that’s not the Jamal Murray that (I watch) when he’s playing healthy. That wasn’t him, if that makes sense.”
Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon had an “outstanding” showing in his return to action on Sunday, Durando writes in another story for The Denver Post. “I think we’ll probably stay right around 20 (minutes) for a while, and then probably go to about 25,” said Gordon, who had 13 points (on 6-of-7 shooting), six rebounds, two assists and a block, with Denver outscoring Dallas by 23 points in his 18 minutes. “And then I don’t know. We’ll probably stay around there for a little while. … I don’t care whether I start or come off the bench. It does not matter to me. As long as I can contribute to winning the game for us and help us win, I don’t care.” Gordon has missed a total of 19 games this season due to right calf issues.
Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman makes the case for Jalen Williams to be selected to his first All-Star game, noting that the third-year forward is putting up career-best counting stats for the Thunder, who hold the best record in the Western Conference (32-6). Mussatto points out that Williams’ efficiency has dipped as his usage rate has increased, but ultimately thinks the 23-year-old will be one of the final wild card selections, as he’s been the second-best player on the second-best team in the league.

Wolves’ Anthony Edwards Fined $50K By NBA

January 13th, 2025 at 1:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has been fined $50K for “making obscene gestures toward a game official” late in the third quarter of Saturday’s two-point loss to Memphis, the NBA announced (via Twitter).

As Field Level Media notes, this is already the fifth time Edwards has been fined this season. He was docked another time for an obscene gesture, plus hit with three different fines for profanity. The former No. 1 overall pick has now been fined a total of $285K.

Edwards signed a maximum-salary rookie scale extension in 2023 featuring Rose Rule language, and after making the All-NBA Second Team in 2023/24, he’s earning 30 percent of the ’24/25 salary cap instead of 25 percent. That works out to $42,176,400 this season — $285K isn’t even one percent of that figure, so it’s still a relatively modest total compared to Edwards’ salary.

According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter links), Edwards’ latest fine was a result of a gesture he made after receiving a technical foul — which he believed was unwarranted — for celebrating an alley-oop dunk by Rudy Gobert while on the bench. Veteran forward Joe Ingles tried to calm him down, but didn’t in time, Krawczynski adds.

The broadcast video (YouTube link) of the technical itself certainly doesn’t show much, with Edwards simply appearing to flex on the sideline. The video isn’t on Edwards the whole time, to be fair, but what it does show is innocuous.

Saturday’s loss dropped Minnesota’s record to 20-18. The Wolves are currently the No. 8 seed in the jam-packed Western Conference playoff race — only three games separate the No. 5 seed (Dallas, which is 22-17) from the No. 12 (San Antonio, 18-19).