Anthony Edwards Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Edwards, Thunder, Hartenstein, Ayton

November 17th, 2024 at 5:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards racked up 36 points in an overtime win over the Kings on Friday. He also racked up a fine, according to the NBA (Twitter link).

Edwards was docked $35K by the league for making an obscene gesture on the playing court. The incident, which saw Edwards give a Sacramento fan the middle finger (Twitter link), occurred during the first quarter.

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Chet Holmgren‘s pelvic injury has forced the Thunder to use smaller lineups. They got out-rebounded by 55 boards in the two-game span that followed Holmgren’s injury, Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman notes, but also forced 48 turnovers in those contests. “A little bit is just the mentality of trying to get our best players on the court, regardless of position,” coach Mark Daigneault said. “That’s been something we’ve prioritized for a period of time now, and that’s often been perimeter players at different times, as it is now.”
It may not be long before the Thunder are able to use more traditional lineups. Key free agent pickup Isaiah Hartenstein was spotted working out and dunking during the pregame against Phoenix on Friday, Lorenzi tweets. Hartenstein, the former Knicks center, fractured his left hand last month.
Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton underwent imaging on his injured right index finger which revealed a deep contusion of the proximal phalanx, according to a team press release. Ayton sat out Sunday’s game against Atlanta and the team said additional updates will be provided as appropriate. The big man is averaging 13.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game this season.

Northwest Notes: Sharpe, Jazz, Edwards, Conley

November 8th, 2024 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

There were no signs of rust for Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe as he made his season debut Thursday night in San Antonio, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. Sharpe had been sidelined since early October after suffering a labral tear in his left shoulder during training camp. He entered the game late in the first quarter and contributed 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

“I was worried that he would be a little antsy,” coach Chauncey Billups said. “And kind of do some things, just because he was just getting back, that would be uncharacteristic of him. But he never did that. He looked great. I thought his shot selection was good, for the most part. Defensively, I thought he was sound.”

Fentress notes that the Blazers are counting on Sharpe to spark an offense that currently ranks 25th in the league at 107.8 points per game. He has the ability to create his own shot and is equally dangerous from beyond the arc or driving to the basket.

Sharpe admitted feeling some nervousness about his first game of the season, but added that it didn’t last long.

“Two up and downs and I was straight,” he said.

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The Jazz are emphasizing player development this season, but coach Will Hardy relied heavily on his veterans in Thursday’s loss at Milwaukee, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Kyle Filipowski, Isaiah Collier and Brice Sensabaugh all found themselves out of the rotation as Utah slipped to 1-7. “I have the long view in mind for all of these guys. The reality is that we can‘t play every young guy every night. That’s not how this is going to work. This is the NBA, and there is a level of earning minutes that has to happen,” Hardy said. “I think this notion of like, just getting minutes helps you get better is not true. Just playing for playing’s sake doesn’t just make them better. That’s why we have practices. That’s why we have the G League. There’s so many ways that we’re going to use all of our resources to help all these guys get better.”
The Timberwolves took over Thursday’s game at Chicago, but not before allowing 65 first-half points to a Bulls team that was missing Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball. Anthony Edwards told reporters, including Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, that the lack of early focus on defense is becoming a problem. “We ain’t taking no pride in stopping nobody right now early in the game,” Edwards said. “That’s troubling. That’s scary. We’ve got to figure that part out. We’re terrible until we get down. When we get down, that’s when everybody wants to play defense. But if we play from the beginning, we’ll be the best team.”
With 14 points and 11 assists Thursday, 37-year-old guard Mike Conley became the oldest player in Timberwolves history to post a double-double (Twitter video link from Dane Moore).

Wolves Notes: Lore, A-Rod, Randle, Finch, Conley, Edwards

October 23rd, 2024 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

With an arbitration hearing around the corner, prospective Timberwolves owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have put $942MM into an escrow account, according to reports from Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico and Shams Charania of ESPN.

As Novy-Williams explains, Lore’s and Rodriguez’s goal is to make it clear that there are no liquidity issues and that they have cash on hand to complete their purchase of the Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx if an arbitration panel rules in their favor. The group has also set aside about $300MM in working capital in the event that they’re given the go-ahead to assume control of the team, per Sportico.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst first reported last month on Lore’s and Rodriguez’s plan to put more than $900MM in escrow in advance of November’s arbitration hearing. The $942MM in escrow would be enough to fully buy out longtime Glen Taylor based on the terms of their agreement and would give the new owners 100% control of the two teams.

Lore and Rodriguez reached an agreement back in 2021 to buy the Timberwolves from Taylor for a valuation of $1.5 billion. The plan was for Lore and A-Rod to buy in gradually over three years, first purchasing a 20% stake in the team, then increasing that stake to 40% before assuming majority control earlier this year by bumping their stake to 80%. Taylor would have retained 20% of the franchise in that scenario.

However, Taylor announced in March that he’d be retaining his majority share of the Wolves due to the fact that the prospective owners missed their deadline for that third payment deadline (which would have taken them from 40% to 80%). Lore and Rodriguez disputed that claim, stating that they had submitted the necessary financial documentation and were awaiting league approval.

The arbitration hearing is set to begin on November 4. While Lore and Rodriguez are reportedly confident about their chances to prevail, it will likely take at least a few weeks for the panel to reach a decision.

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The bond between Julius Randle and Wolves head coach Chris Finch dating back to their time together with the Pelicans was one reason why Minnesota felt comfortable with the idea of acquiring Randle when they traded away Karl-Anthony Towns. Chris Hine of The Minneapolis Star Tribune and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic take a closer look at that bond, sharing some interesting tidbits of information and considering how the Randle/Finch dynamic will help determine the Wolves’ ceiling in 2024/25. As Krawczynski notes, Randle advocated for Finch back in 2020 when the Knicks were seeking a new head coach. “He just opened up my game and I became a really versatile player,” Randle said of his time with Finch in New Orleans, per Hine. “I always say, playing there and even still to this point, that was the easiest my game ever felt playing under Finch.”
At age 37, Mike Conley doesn’t feel as if his game is declining at all, but the Wolves will still take some extra precautions with the veteran point guard this season, Hine writes for The Star Tribune. The goal will be to reduce Conley’s playing time a little after he averaged about 29 minutes per game last season. “We feel like we could keep his minutes in the mid-20s,” Finch said. “So kind of save some miles there.”
Speaking to Jamal Collier as part of an ESPN feature story, rising Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards expressed a desire to spend his entire NBA career in Minnesota. “If I can, I’m trying to be here for my whole career,” Edwards said. “I ain’t trying to go nowhere.”
In case you missed it, the Wolves and Rudy Gobert agreed to terms on a contract extension that will keep the four-time Defensive Player of the Year under contract through at least 2027.

Northwest Notes: Porter, Edwards, Wolves, Jazz

October 21st, 2024 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets ranked last in the NBA a year ago with 31.2 three-point attempts per game and lost one of their most reliable outside marksmen this offseason when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope departed for Orlando in free agency. While head coach Michael Malone has downplayed Denver’s need to fire away from beyond the arc, forward Michael Porter Jr. knows the team will be relying on him more than ever this season to help spread the floor, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.

“I think we’ve got a lot of players that, they like to get to the mid-range, they like to get to the rim,” Porter said. “So we know in this day in age, teams score a lot of points when they get some three up. So I don’t have my partner in crime, KCP. He was kind of a volume shooter last year. So we don’t have any really volume three-point shooters.

“I think Jamal (Murray), he’ll shoot some threes, but he likes to get to the middy. Joker (Nikola Jokic) should probably take a couple more per game. But I know it’s gonna be up to me and Julian (Strawther) to really be the volume 3-point shooters.”

Porter attempted 6.8 three-pointers per game last season and knocked down 39.7% of those tries. His career high is 7.3 attempts per night and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he exceeds that figure in 2024/25.

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In an interview for an ESPN Cover Story feature (Twitter video link), Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards expressed a belief that he could make the jump from the NBA to the NFL. “I told my buddies, if I win a ring in the next three to four years, I’m going to play football,” he said. While Edwards’ confidence is admirable, this claim definitely falls into the category of “we’ll believe it when we see it.”
Within his deep dive into the Timberwolves‘ roster, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic says the trade for Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle helped ease any concerns the team had about its point guard depth behind Mike Conley. “(DiVincenzo)’s been outstanding with the ball in his hands as a play-maker,” head coach Chris Finch said. “We know Julius can also create, we know Nickeil (Alexander-Walker). We’ve seen even a little more increased play-making from Jaden (McDaniels), not in a classic point guard role, but I feel like we are very comfortable with what we will do going forward at the point guard spot.”
Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune poses four questions that will help determine how the Jazz‘s season plays out, including what the front office plans to do with its non-core veterans and how good the team’s young players can be. As Larsen notes, Utah intends to prioritize the development of youngsters like Cody Williams, Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, Walker Kessler, Brice Sensabaugh, Isaiah Collier, and Kyle Filipowski in 2024/25 — their performances will go a long way toward determining whether they have a place in the club’s long-term plans.

Timberwolves Notes: Garza, Minott, Edwards, Lloyd

October 19th, 2024 at 8:27am CST by Tristan Tucker

Timberwolves center Luka Garza had a dominant college career, but he’s had to take a more patient approach to his NBA tenure. After averaging 24.1 points and 8.7 rebounds during his AP Player of the Year senior season, Garza has only appeared in 85 NBA games, with modest averages of 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest.

After impressing in the G League and during limited NBA minutes, Garza signed a multiyear standard contract in July. According to The Athletic’s Jon Krawzynski, Garza is battling several players for the 11th spot in the Timberwolves’ rotation this fall. He got the chance to prove his worth against Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic in a recent preseason game and recorded 29 points and nine rebounds.

“I know how rare these kinds of opportunities come, especially like this. And a chance to play against the best player in the world and start against him,” Garza said. “It’s an awesome opportunity. So I wanted to go out there and do whatever I could do, stay present, stay in the moment and not let it pass by without taking advantage of it.”

Rudy Gobert, Anthony Edwards, Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker appear to be the top rotation options in Minnesota. That leaves Garza, third-year forward Josh Minott, veteran Joe Ingles and rookies Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon competing for minutes this year.

“Luka’s crazy because you watch Luka work every day and he comes in and he works the same,” Dillingham said. “He might not get a chance every game, but he always is ready. It just shows from the weight room to the gym to everybody. Just watching him makes you want to play with him because you know he’s been working.”

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Minott had an impressive offseason and preseason and is among the players pushing for a rotation role, according to Chris Hine of StarTribune. “I’d probably say three-fourths into last year I switched my mental. I used to fear a lot,” Minott said. “Coming into the league, I was scared of messing up, scared of making mistakes. I wanted to be the perfect player. I wanted to impress the coach and all this other stuff. And now it’s just like not only was that not healthy mentally but it wasn’t helping me to stress like that.” Head coach Chris Finch continues to refer to Minott, who averaged 13.0 points in his five preseason games, as an X-factor.
Edwards helped Team USA win the gold medal in this summer’s Olympics and his teammates feel that experience will have a major impact on his 2024/25 season. “I’m not trying to put him as a little bro, but it felt like that,” USA teammate Kevin Durant said, per Hine. “When you wake up in the morning and your little bro got the most energy. That was Ant. It was a joy to be around him.”
An insatiable thirst for knowledge contributed to Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd‘s rise up the ranks of NBA front offices, which helped him land his current position, Krawczynski writes. “He’s one of the most well-respected guys in our profession,” Wolves president of basketball operation Tim Connelly said. “He’s got the acumen and the work ethic and he’s got a wonderful emotional IQ. Someone really smart is going to hire him as their president.“

Wolves Notes: Gobert, Randle, Edwards, Minott, Finch

October 5th, 2024 at 5:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

After spending the past two seasons trying to adapt his game to fit with Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert suddenly has a new frontcourt partner after this week’s trade with the Knicks. In an interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Gobert said he should be just as effective playing alongside Julius Randle.

“He’s a very smart player. He’s very versatile,” Gobert said. “I think that I’m going to be able to help him with my screening, with my spacing and my gravity and make his life even easier. I’ll try to get him as many easy baskets as he can get. He’s a guy that I know will make the right play. When the defense collapses, I know he’s good at kicking out. When the big helps, he’s good at finding his bigs. He’s a very smart player. We got a lot of games to get used to making mistakes and learn how to maximize him for us as a team.”

Gobert called Towns “a great friend” and credited him for being supportive after Gobert was acquired from Utah. They were able to take Minnesota to the conference finals for the first time in 20 years, even though Gobert admitted there were a lot of doubters along the way. He’s looking forward to competing for a title with the new-look Wolves, saying that Randle and Donte DiVincenzo are battle-tested veterans.

“To be able to win a championship, we have to be able to overcome adversity as a group,” Gobert said. “If the closeness is not there, when there’s adversity, then you’re going to break apart. We’ve been through a lot of adversity in the last two years as a group. I know Julius and Donte have been through adversity. They know what it is. They both have this type of maturity. They both are also guys that want to win. They understand that winning is not always pretty. So I’m excited about that.”

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The Towns trade provides the Wolves with more financial flexibility and reduces the danger that Anthony Edwards might seek a trade in a few years due to a stagnant roster, observes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Hine believes the deal gives Minnesota a longer window to contend for a title, which is what Edwards will expect when he’s in the prime of his career.
Third-year forward Josh Minott was one of the stars of Friday’s preseason opener with 22 points and eight rebounds in a win over the Lakers. Minott tells Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic that following a disappointing Summer League performance, he has become more relaxed by not focusing on results, which has given him a better outlook. “In my 21 years on this planet — about to be 22 — this is probably the most confident I’ve ever felt in my jump shot,” Minott said. “I feel like anytime the ball leaves my hands from beyond the arc, it’s going in.” Wolves staff members have been raving about Minott’s shooting since last season’s playoffs, tweets John Hollinger of The Athletic.
Patrick Reusse of The Star Tribune is concerned that the Wolves might have too much talent on their revamped roster to keep everyone happy. Coach Chris Finch traditionally uses a nine-man rotation, and he has nine veterans who were rotation members on their respective teams last season. That’s in addition to Minott, Luka Garza, Leonard Miller and first-round picks Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon.

Timberwolves Notes: Edwards, CBA, Towns, Minott

September 30th, 2024 at 8:29pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Timberwolves shook things up in a massive way just before training camp by trading away fan favorite and four-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns. Anthony Edwards has evolved into one of the league’s premier players since his league debut in 2020, and the trade signals the organization’s faith in him. Still, Edwards was surprised by the trade of one of his close friends, as detailed in a story by ESPN’s Myron Medcalf.

“I think everybody knows [Towns] is my brother,” Edwards said Monday. “So that definitely hurts, but you know, it’s a business, so I just have to roll with it.”

Top Wolves decision-makers couldn’t speak on the yet-to-be-finalized blockbuster, but expressed optimism in Edwards’ ability to continue bringing the franchise to glory. The Timberwolves finished with their second-best record in team history last season.

“We continue to challenge [Edwards] because we think he can be one of the best players ever and we don’t say that lightly,” team president Tim Connelly said. “And with that expectation comes tremendous responsibility.”

Edwards said he thinks Connelly is right.

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While Connelly couldn’t speak specifically on the Towns trade, he was candid about the significant impact of the CBA’s second tax apron, Medcalf writes. Both Towns’ $220MM+ deal and Edwards’ $244MM+ contract started this season. “I mean the new rules are … some of the consequences are unintended, quite frankly,” Connelly said. “I don’t know if anyone intended to make it this challenging to make moves, to make trades when you’re above certain aprons. But you gotta be smart, you gotta be lucky, you gotta hit on some of your draft picks and then I think you have to, as much as possible, build teams that can stay together for multiple years.“
By trading Towns, the Wolves are also betting that Naz Reid will continue to evolve after winning Sixth Man of the Year this past season, Chris Hine of The Star Tribune writes. Reid became the longest-tenured Wolves player once the move is official. Hine also lists other ways the move will impact Minnesota, taking a dive into how the team’s starters, flexibility, and depth will all be impacted.
Wolves head coach Chris Finch gave third-year forward Josh Minott high praise on Monday, according to Jace Frederick of Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Finch said Minott has been one of the best players in the building for the Timberwolves over the past six weeks and that he’s had an incredible summer. Minott hasn’t played much since entering the league in 2022, averaging just 4.0 minutes and making 47 appearances. However, he averaged 19.5 PPG and 6.7 RPG last season in the G League. Finch’s praise of Minott is significant because after acquiring three players in exchange for Towns, the Timberwolves will have 15 players on guaranteed salaries, with PJ Dozier on a partial guarantee. Minott could have been on the roster bubble for the Wolves, but Finch’s seal of approval suggests his spot isn’t in any immediate danger.

Northwest Notes: Hartenstein, Edwards, Gobert, Nuggets

September 7th, 2024 at 5:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The debate over whether or not Isaiah Hartenstein should start for the Thunder remains a hot topic among fans in Oklahoma City as training camp nears, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman.

Lorenzi expects Hartenstein to toggle back and forth between the starting five and the second unit depending on matchups, writing that whether or not he starts matters less than the lineups he’ll play with.

Lorenzi wouldn’t be surprised if the Thunder’s top free agent addition plays alongside Chet Holmgren frequently at the start of the season, as head coach Mark Daigneault gathers information on how the duo performs together, but Hartenstein will also be a crucial piece in non-Holmgren lineups, which badly needed a rim protector last season, Lorenzi notes.

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The ongoing development of Anthony Edwards is the key to the Timberwolves continuing to raise their ceiling, according to John Schuhmann of NBA.com, who breaks down some numbers and film in considering how the All-NBA guard could keep getting better.
Referring to the four-time Defensive Player of the Year as the league’s “favorite pin cushion,” Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic defends Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert from some of the criticism he’s taking this offseason after being on the wrong end of a Luka Doncic highlight in the Western Conference Finals and playing limited minutes for France during their run to a silver medal at the Paris Olympics. Gobert was a huge part of Minnesota’s success last season and will be even more critical in 2024/25, Krawczynski contends.
In a subscriber-only mailbag for The Denver Post, Bennett Durando explores several Nuggets-related topics, including what Michael Porter Jr.‘s next contract might look like and where Zeke Nnaji stands as he enters a four-year, $32MM extension. General manager Calvin Booth has made it clear he still believes in Nnaji, Durando writes, but the big man’s deal “obviously looks terrible” after a poor 2023/24 showing.

Western Notes: Williamson, Edwards, Durant, Timberwolves

August 18th, 2024 at 4:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Zion Williamson is apparently keeping his weight down this offseason, a good sign for the Pelicans, Darryn Albert of LarryBrownSports.com relays.

Photos that surfaced online over the weekend show Williamson looking fit and trim at his basketball camp in Spartanburg, S.C. The Pelicans star appeared in a career-high 70 regular-season game last season, averaging 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists. However, a left hamstring strain kept him out of the first-round playoff series against Oklahoma City, which the Thunder swept.

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Anthony Edwards had a little fun with his gold-medal winning Olympic teammate, Kevin Durant, during a ‘Fanatics Fest’ on Saturday. The Timberwolves knocked the Suns out of the postseason and Edwards, who played the starring role in that series, joked that he felt “bad” about it. “I am not going to lie. I felt bad a little bit, only because he is my favorite player of all-time,” he said, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net, “I did not want to send him home like that. It happened, man. I felt bad.” Rest assured, Edwards didn’t feel that bad about sending KD home this past spring.
There’s no doubt the league considers the Timberwolves one of the league’s most exciting and watchable teams, Chip Scoggins of the Minneapolis Star Tribune opines. In the NBA schedule released on Thursday, the Timberwolves had the biggest increase in national TV appearances. They are set to make 18 appearances on ABC, TNT or ESPN and seven more on NBA TV. Among those appearances, they are playing on opening night, Christmas Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The Mavericks have made a front office addition. Get the details here.

Western Notes: Kennard, Edwards, Wembanyama, KD, Blazers

August 15th, 2024 at 9:03pm CST by Luke Adams

After the Grizzlies turned down Luke Kennard‘s 2024/25 team option on June 29, the expectation was that he’d sign a new contract with the club. It took over a month, but the two sides eventually agreed to a one-year, $11MM deal, and Kennard said this week that returning to Memphis was always the plan, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

“There are a lot of different conversations that go on throughout that process,” Kennard said. “I told (Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman) I want to be in Memphis. This is where I want to be. I’m excited with what they have built here over the last few years. I just wanted to be a small part of that.”

Family considerations factored into Kennard’s desire to remain with the Grizzlies, according to Cole, who notes that the 28-year-old is an Ohio native whose family isn’t too far from Memphis. Kennard and his wife also had a child in March, so he wasn’t eager to uproot them to move across the country.

“The fact that (family) can come see me anytime is such a big thing,” Kennard said. “Being closer to home plays a big factor. With the new baby and a wife at home, they love where we’re at and the city where we are. It’s been a great time so far. We’ve enjoyed Memphis a lot. We’re just glad we have at least another year.”

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Anthony Edwards‘ Team USA experience at the 2023 World Cup ended without a medal, but the Timberwolves couldn’t have asked for a better set of circumstances for their young star this summer, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who details how Edwards played an important role for a gold-medal U.S. roster at the Olympics and got the chance to spend several weeks learning from three of the best NBA players of all-time in LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry.
Rising Spurs star Victor Wembanyama didn’t get to spend as much time with Durant in Paris as Edwards did, but the reigning Rookie of the Year appreciated getting the opportunity to speak to the Suns forward following France’s loss to Team USA in the gold medal game. “Clearly, this is my personal childhood favorite,” Wembanyama said in an appearance on M6 (YouTube link; hat tip to Eurohoops). “He became my favorite player… I made it clear to him that I wanted to learn from him and perhaps steal one or two of his secret techniques.”
The Trail Blazers are parting ways with ROOT Sports and will be moving their games to an over-the-air network, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report, who says the details of the team’s TV broadcast plans for the 2024/25 season will be announced soon. It has become a bit of a trend for NBA teams to leave local regional sports networks in favor of over-the-air channels, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, with the Blazers joining Phoenix, Utah, and New Orleans as teams who have recently made that move.