Wolves Notes: Edwards, Offseason Changes, Reid, Dosunmu
The course for the Timberwolves‘ season was set by a strategic decision coach Chris Finch made shortly before opening night, Chris Hine of The Minnesota Star Tribune writes in a subscriber-only piece. Finch replaced veteran point guard Mike Conley in the starting lineup with Donte DiVincenzo, making Anthony Edwards the team’s primary ball-handler. Although he believed in the move at the time, Finch referred to it at Saturday’s end-of-season press conference as an “original sin” that the team could never overcome.
“Flipping Ant to the point guard spot just on the eve of the season, it certainly helped with Donte,” Finch said. “But it probably didn’t put everybody in the best position there, Ant included.”
Hine states that the adjustment wound up affecting the team on and off the court. Conley posted the worst season of his career before being traded in February and ultimately re-signed; Edwards’ pairing with Julius Randle never became as smooth as the organization had hoped; and Edwards’ increased play-making responsibilities seemed to impact his defense.
The lack of an experienced point guard to make sure everyone felt like they were contributing to the offense created a “moodiness” that several players referenced during their exit interviews. Hine cites a “detrimental impact” if certain players weren’t getting the shots they expected, even when the team was winning.
Sources told Hine that it didn’t take much for players to get into a “funk” and affect the team’s overall performance. Finch points to better “connectivity” as one of the themes for the offseason, and Naz Reid notes that the West’s top two teams, the Thunder and Spurs, seem to be on the same page more than the Wolves are.
“Being consistent, not moody, and having that competitive edge we had last year and the year before,” Reid told reporters. “… You can’t get anywhere if you’re fighting yourself, so I think that’ll help for sure.”
There’s more from Minnesota:
- The Wolves are expected to explore major changes this offseason, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. He notes that president of basketball operations Tim Connelly opted to keep the core of the team together after losing in the conference finals last year but is expected to aggressively seek trades this summer. Minnesota was among the teams that contacted the Bucks about Giannis Antetokounmpo before the deadline, and that pursuit will likely resume over the next few weeks. Krawczynski reports that talks with Milwaukee seemed to affect the locker room, particularly Randle, who was rumored to be headed out in a potential deal.
- Krawczynski expects changes to focus on the frontline, where Rudy Gobert ($36.5MM), Randle ($33MM) and Reid ($23.3MM) will combine to make nearly $95MM next season. Center Joan Beringer showed promise as a rookie, and the Wolves will want to give him more playing time in his second year.
- Reid was playing with a lingering shoulder injury he experienced around the All-Star break, Hine tweets. “There were times I couldn’t even shoot the ball, for real,” he said.
- Re-signing Ayo Dosunmu, who was acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline, should be an offseason priority, states Bobby Marks of ESPN. The Wolves hold Bird rights on Dosunmu, who will be eligible for to sign a three-year, $52.4MM extension until June 30. Marks points out that the team would have to unload at least $58.5MM in salary to be able to re-sign Dosunmu to a deal in that range without triggering a second apron hard cap.
- Edwards is also extension-eligible this summer, Marks adds, but only at $121.6MM over two seasons. He’s likely to wait a year and could be in line for $300MM over four seasons in 2027 if he earns a spot on the All-NBA team.
Wolves Notes: Edwards, Roster, Giannis, Randle, Hyland
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards made an unusual gesture during Friday’s Game 6, congratulating the Spurs during a timeout with Minnesota down 33 points at home with 8:01 remaining (YouTube link). Edwards said it was an acknowledgement that San Antonio was the better team, per Myron Medcalf of ESPN.
As Medcalf writes, the Timberwolves have now lost three consecutive playoff elimination games by an average of 27 points. They lost at home to Dallas in Game 5 of the 2024 Western Conference finals, at Oklahoma City in Game 5 of the 2025 Western finals, and at home to San Antonio on Friday in the conference semifinals.
When asked if there were any common themes during those three losses, Edwards replied, “Good question. No comment.”
According to Medcalf, Edwards said he was content with the current roster, but he also said the Wolves didn’t prepare like a championship contender.
“I feel like you’re supposed to build championship habits or playoff habits in a regular season,” Edwards said. “No, we didn’t build the habits during the regular season.”
Here’s more on the Wolves:
- Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic views Edwards’ gesture as a sign that the 24-year-old guard recognizes the Timberwolves have been passed in the West’s hierarchy and believes it was a message to the front office to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo. As Thompson observes, while Edwards publicly said the roster wasn’t an issue, he also suggested his teammates didn’t take advantage of the double teams he faced. “It was no struggle,” Edwards said of handling the defense’s extra attention. “Just trusting in my teammates, trusting in the next action we’re going to make something happen. And I feel like we did, man. We just couldn’t make enough shots to win the game. I think that’s just what it came down to.” That’s not exactly a bold statement, considering Julius Randle (three points on 1-of-8 shooting), Rudy Gobert (zero points on 0-of-4 shooting) and Jaden McDaniels (13 points on 4-of-13 shooting, five fouls in 23 minutes) combined to score 16 points on 5-of-25 shooting in Game 6.
- According to Medcalf, Edwards said the following when asked how the Wolves can catch up to the Thunder and Spurs, with other teams lurking in the West: “I don’t know, man. I don’t think that’s a question for me.“
- Randle, who was a game-worst minus-34 in 23 minutes, looks “miscast” as a No. 2 option when playing against title contenders, according to Thompson, who points out that Game 6 was so lopsided because San Antonio’s secondary stars — including Stephon Castle, who had a game-high 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists — dominated. Randle had no answers for trying to score on Victor Wembanyama throughout the series, Thompson writes.
- Backup guard Bones Hyland hopes to re-sign with Minnesota as an unrestricted free agent, tweets Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “It feels like where I belong so I definitely want to come back,” Hyland said.
Timberwolves Notes: Edwards, McDaniels, Lineup, Dillon
Star guard Anthony Edwards didn’t sound concerned after the Timberwolves were blown out in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal matchup against the Spurs, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN.com. Minnesota briefly tied the game in the third quarter before San Antonio reeled off a massive run in the third quarter.
“I don’t see nobody in our locker room that’s too worried,” Edwards said. “There’s another basketball game. Come out, put your boots on and get ready to go to war.”
Here’s more on the Timberwolves, who are on the brink of elimination heading into Friday’s Game 6:
- Foul trouble has plagued Jaden McDaniels throughout the series, Slater notes, and Edwards acknowledged that needs to change for the Wolves to be successful. The 2023/24 All-Defensive second-teamer picked up five fouls and played just under 30 minutes in Tuesday’s lopsided loss. “Everything starts with Jaden McDaniels, trying to keep him out of foul trouble,” Edwards said. “He’s so important to the team. It hurts everybody when he gets in foul trouble. Some tough calls being made out there against him. Not too much we can say.”
- Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert have struggled in the second-round series, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who wonders if head coach Chris Finch might insert Naz Reid into the starting lineup in place of one of those veterans for the do-or-die Game 6. While a lineup change is a possibility, Minnesota’s primary issue has been committing too many game-plan mistakes against a sharp San Antonio team that has taken full advantage of those miscues, Krawczynski writes. “It’s a little bit everything — not knowing the game plan, executing on offense,” Edwards said. “We know they’re gonna come out to be physical defensively. We know how to go against that. And then us defensively, we know our coverage, what we’re supposed to be doing when they’re in pick-and-roll, and I think we’re just not doing it enough.”
- The Timberwolves have hired Michael Dillon to be their new chief financial officer and chief operating officer, per a team press release. Dillon, who was most recently CFO of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, also spend eight years with MLB’s Houston Astros.
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Harper, K. Johnson, M. Johnson
Victor Wembanyama realized that he lost his composure when he was ejected from Game 4 for knocking down Naz Reid with an elbow, so he didn’t let anything bother him when the series resumed Tuesday night, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Wembanyama had interactions with Jaden McDaniels, Ayo Dosunmu and Anthony Edwards early in the game, but he just smiled and played through them as the Spurs rolled to a 29-point victory.
“I feel like the rage baiting would have been maybe one of their strategies,” Wembanyama said. “I just feel like we need to stay composed as a team.”
Instead of getting upset, Wembanyama responded by torching the Timberwolves for 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two three-pointers, a combined stat line that no one else has ever reached in the playoffs. Prior to the game, Devin Vassell said he was looking for “Angry Vic,” but coach Mitch Johnson was relieved that “Mature Vic” showed up instead. Wembanyama believes he brought a little bit of both, and the combination was too much for Minnesota.
“I feel like we got the Vic that you’ve seen all year. I think his maturity level was off the charts,” Stephon Castle said. “When he’s playing like that, playing aggressive with everything he brings for us defensively, I feel like we’re pretty hard to beat.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- Dylan Harper‘s highlight dunk in the fourth quarter provided an exclamation point for his high-level performance throughout the postseason, observes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. Harper was a plus-13 on Tuesday, and the Spurs have outscored opponents by 73 combined points in the playoffs when he’s been on the court. “If he played for any other team in the league,” Carter Bryant said, “he’d be starting and probably be winning the Rookie of the Year right now. And to see how he’s sacrificed and bought into his role, it’s amazing.”
- Keldon Johnson has mostly been held in check during the postseason, but he displayed his Sixth Man of the Year credentials in Game 5, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News notes in a subscriber-only story. Johnson, who was limited to 31 total points in the five games against Portland and 35 in the first four games of this series, went 8-of-11 from the field on his way to a 21-point night.
- Prior to Game 4, Mitch Johnson talked about the team’s chances to be a title contender for years to come with a youthful core of Wembanyama (22), Castle (21), Harper (20) and Bryant (20), relays Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). “We have a lot of young players I don’t think are anywhere near reaching their ceiling or optimal level of playing,” Johnson said. “And we’re still learning about each other and ourselves. The coach has room to grow and get better. So, yeah, I just don’t think we’re anywhere near being a finished product by any means. There’s a lot of room to improve.”
Timberwolves Notes: Edwards, Reid, Wembanyama, Gobert
Anthony Edwards left his teammates in awe by scoring 36 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, during Game 4 of the Timberwolves’ second-round series against the Spurs, according to The Associated Press’ Dave Campbell.
Edwards missed the clinching Game 5 against Denver in the first round due to a hyperextended left knee and bone bruise. He’s gutted through all four games against San Antonio, playing 40 and 41 minutes in the past two games entering Tuesday’s Game 5.
“Honestly, I think he would just now be coming back if he was like a normal human being, but he’s not,” guard Mike Conley said. “We’re thankful for what he’s sacrificing for us and putting us on his back,” Conley added. “We expect it from him. He expects it. So we just try to keep him healthy, keep him going forward.”
“We’re lucky to have him. He’s special, no doubt, especially given what he’s been fighting through over the last month and a half,” coach Chris Finch added.
Here’s more on the Timberwolves:
- Edwards drew some extra motivation on Sunday. His thoughts centered around his mother, Yvette Edwards, who died from cancer on Jan. 5, 2015. It was his first career win on Mother’s Day. “I just wanted to win for my mom,” he said, per Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “It was that simple.”
- Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama was ejected in the first half of Game 4 after elbowing Naz Reid. It was a powerful blow but Reid wound up playing 31 minutes and contributing 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists. “If only y’all knew who my mom and my grandmother are,” he told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I get a lot of my toughness from them. My mom used to walk damn near an hour and 45 minutes to work. That’s what my mom taught me. You get knocked down, get right back up.”
- Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert have a deep bond. Gobert first met the Spurs star when the latter was 13 years old. The Frenchmen have had to put their friendship aside in this series, Anthony Slater of ESPN writes. “[We talk] in regular times. We say ‘hi’ [on the court]. Our families see each other. But we are focused,” Gobert said.
Spurs Notes: Wemby, Edwards, Bryant, Two-Way Players
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson made the “ultimate gamble” on Friday when he decided to leave Victor Wembanyama in the game after the star center picked up his fifth personal foul with six-plus minutes remaining, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Instead of backfiring, the decision paid dividends, as San Antonio defeated Minnesota by seven points to regain home-court advantage in the Western Conference semifinals.
Wembanyama put up incredible numbers in the victory, recording 39 points (on 13-of-18 shooting), 15 rebounds and five blocks in 37 minutes. The Spurs were plus-16 when he was on the court and minus-nine in the 11 minutes he didn’t play.
“It’s the feeling I get before games, I dunno, this excitement, this heat in my heart,” Wembanyama told “NBA on Prime Video” after the Spurs’ win. “It just gets stronger and stronger as the game goes on. I’m built for this. I love this more than anything else.”
According to Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com, Wembanyama became the fourth player since blocks became an official statistic in 1973/74 to record a 35-15-5 stat line in the playoffs, joining Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The French big man also limited his opponents to 4-of-21 shooting on field goals he contested, Wright adds.
“He really imposed himself on the game,” Johnson said. “He established himself dominating the paint and rim on both ends. When he does that, it kind of feels like everything opens up for himself and his teammates. Then he gets some shots on the perimeter. He gets some closeouts. He gets the gravity in terms of teams trying to be physical with him. He did a good job of playing though contact and not expecting calls. [He] just met the physicality with the proper execution.”
Here’s more on the Spurs, who are now up 2-1 in the second-round series:
- After Anthony Edwards scored 27 points through three quarters, Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle helped limit the Timberwolves star to five points in the final frame, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “We know he likes to get to that left-hand step back for sure, so we just tried to pressure him and make him go right,” Vassell said. “And then sending doubles, and doing stuff like that. But ultimately it was to wear him down all through the game, so at the end of the game, he wasn’t feeling comfortable.”
- Rookie forward Carter Bryant only played eight minutes in Game 3, but he made the most of his opportunity, knocking down both of his three-point attempts in the second quarter, Orsborn notes in another story. “I think the biggest thing is just coming in and just doing my job,” Bryant told the San Antonio Express-News. “Sometimes it calls for me to hit those two shots. Sometimes I miss those two shots, but I’m playing spectacular defense on the other end. So it’s just understanding you can’t allow yourself to get out of the game. Just something as simple as that.”
- Two-way players aren’t eligible to compete in the postseason, but Emanuel Miller, Harrison Ingram and David Jones Garcia are viewing this playoff run as an opportunity to learn and improve their games, according to Orsborn. “It’s something you can’t really put into words, seeing what we’re doing (to prepare),” said Miller. “It’s been a blessing, a learning experience for sure, learning from the best coaches, learning from (president Gregg Popovich), learning from the players, learning how to attack each game, how to attack each series and how they attack, really, each day.”
Timberwolves’ Dosunmu, Edwards Available For Game 3
Timberwolves guards Ayo Dosunmu and Anthony Edwards have been upgraded to available for Friday’s Game 3 vs. the Spurs, the team announced (Twitter links).
Dosunmu, who is battling right heel soreness, and Edwards, who has a left knee bone bruise, were previously listed as questionable for tonight’s game.
Dosunmu sustained the right heel injury during Wednesday’s Game 2 loss in San Antonio. He was limited to 10 minutes played after missing the previous two contests (Game 6 vs. Denver and Game 1 vs. San Antonio) due to right calf soreness.
Edwards, meanwhile, suited up for the first two games of the second-round series after suffering the left knee injury in the Game 4 win vs. Denver on April 25. The four-time All-Star provided a major spark of the bench in the upset victory in Game 1 against the Spurs, but he and the rest of the team struggled during the lopsided loss on Wednesday.
The Wolves and Spurs are currently tied at one game apiece as they vie to make the Western Conference finals. Minnesota has reached that round each of the last two years, an unprecedented feat for the organization.
Wolves Notes: Dosunmu, Edwards, Game 2, McDaniels, Clark
Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu returned to action on Wednesday at San Antonio after missing the previous two contests (Game 6 vs. Denver and Game 1 vs. the Spurs) due to right calf soreness. However, the former second-round pick exited the lopsided loss in the second quarter due to right heel pain and did not return (Twitter link via the Wolves).
Dosunmu is considered questionable to suit up for Friday’s Game 3 due to the heel injury, according to the team (Twitter link), as is star guard Anthony Edwards, who continues to battle a left knee bone bruise he sustained on April 25. Edwards has been on a minutes restriction and has come off the bench in the first two games of the second-round series vs. the Spurs.
Here’s more on the Timberwolves:
- After upsetting the Spurs on the road in Game 1, the Wolves “got punked” by a desperate San Antonio team in Game 2, head coach Chris Finch told reporters, including Anthony Slater of ESPN. Finch was critical of Minnesota’s offensive execution, and didn’t like how Edwards and the rest of the team responded to the Spurs’ ball pressure and selective double-teams on the former No. 1 overall pick. “Got to get off of it,” Finch said. “Got to use it as a catalyst for ball movement, what it should be. I thought we dribbled to tough spots. I thought we were late getting off it. I thought our spacing around it wasn’t really good.”
- Foul trouble limited Jaden McDaniels to under 20 minutes of playing time on Wednesday, and the Wolves know they need the versatile forward to stay on the court to have a chance in the series, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. The Spurs went on a huge run when McDaniels picked up his third foul in the second quarter and the game was out of reach by the time he returned in the third, Hine notes. “Him being off the court is going to hurt us every time,” Edwards said. “He knows it, we know it. The whole gym knows it. Their team knows it. When he gets in foul trouble, they get happy. We need him on the floor. He gonna be better next game. He know he can’t really foul. We’re not gonna win if he’s not on the floor.”
- Second-year guard Jaylen Clark has received rotation minutes against the Spurs after only appearing in two of the six games against Denver. The 24-year-old talked about his role in the offense on Wednesday, per Dane Moore (Twitter video link). “Nobody is guarding me right now, so hitting the open shot. Those two, three buckets is enough to keep me out there right now,” Clark said.
Injury Notes: Edwards, Bryant, Doncic
The Timberwolves will have their top player for Wednesday’s Game 2 against the Spurs, as Anthony Edwards is officially playing. He was originally listed as questionable as a precautionary measure due to his ongoing recovery from a knee hyperextension in the first round, but has been upgraded to available.
Edwards’ return in Game 1 came as something of a surprise, but he managed to score 18 points in his 25 minutes while helping lead the Wolves to an upset victory over the Spurs with some timely shot-making.
Head coach Chris Finch said that the team will hopefully be able to increase his minutes restriction tonight, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (via Twitter). Edwards will come off the bench for the second straight game, per the Timberwolves (Twitter link).
We have more injury notes from around the league:
- Carter Bryant has been cleared to play for the Spurs in Game 2, per The Athletic’s Jared Weiss (Twitter link). Bryant missed Game 1 due to a right foot sprain and came into Wednesday with an uncertain outlook. His status was determined after going through warmups, Tom Orsborn reports for the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). Bryant played just 46 total minutes in the first round, but he is one of the few players on the Spurs’ roster with the size to match up with Wolves forward Julius Randle.
- Lakers fans are impatient for the return of their superstar, Luka Doncic, but it’s not worth it for him to rush back and risk a more severe injury, Melissa Rohlin writes for the California Post. Doncic knows this, as he has dealt with similar conundrums in the past. “It’s a tough one for me because I came back from injuries before too soon, and it wasn’t the best result,” he said. “But like I say, this is the first time I have the hamstring injury. It’s not the same like other injuries. You have to be very careful.”
- In case you missed it, we rounded up several other injury updates earlier today.
Wolves Notes: Edwards, Dosunmu, Finch, Randle
According to Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, “nobody” expected Anthony Edwards to be available for Game 1 of the second round on Monday after he suffered a left knee injury just nine days earlier that was projected to sideline him for multiple weeks.
However, as Anthony Slater of ESPN writes, Edwards made significant progress in his recovery over the weekend and was upgraded to questionable before being listed as available. The star guard was limited to 25 minutes off the bench, but scored 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting as Minnesota became the only one of four road teams to win Game 1.
“I know for a fact that me being out there calms everybody down,” Edwards said after the victory.
While Edwards presumably isn’t feeling 100%, he came through Game 1 with no setbacks, head coach Chris Finch said on Tuesday. According to Slater (Twitter link), it remains to be seen whether Edwards will be able to increase his minutes limit beyond that range of 25 in Game 2, but the plan was for him to do some light work and receive treatment on Tuesday in preparation for Wednesday’s contest.
Here’s more on the Wolves:
- Both Edwards and guard Ayo Dosunmu (right calf) are listed as questionable to play in Game 3, the Wolves announced (via Twitter). Dosunmu missed Game 6 of the first round vs. Denver as well as Game 1 vs. San Antonio due to that calf issue.
- Although the Wolves won Monday’s game, head coach Chris Finch is doing what he can to make sure the officials keep a closer eye on Spurs star Victor Wembanyama after the Defensive Player of the Year registered a playoff-record 12 blocked shots in Game 1. Speaking on Tuesday to reporters, including Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Finch said he thought at least four of those 12 blocks should have been goaltends. “Maybe even a fifth,” he said. “To me, it’s a little alarming that none of them were called. Here’s a generational shot blocker who is 7-6, who goes after everything, and there’s no heightened awareness that these blocks could be goaltends?”
- With Edwards leading the offense, Rudy Gobert anchoring the defense, and Jaden McDaniels emerging as a two-way star, Julius Randle has flown somewhat under the radar in Minnesota this spring. However, the three-time All-Star forward is a crucial part of the Wolves’ game plan against San Antonio due to his ability to be physical with Wembanyama and the Spurs’ front line, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “He’s the strongest player on the floor,” teammate Terrence Shannon Jr. said of Randle. “You know he can use his physicality against anybody. Any of them.”