Category: Minnesota T-Wolves Blog

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Timberwolves sign Naz Reid to contract extension

The Minnesota Timberwolves yesterday signed center Naz Reid to a contract extension.

Reid, 23, wrapped up his fourth season in the NBA, all with the Timberwolves, seeing action in 68 games (11 starts), averaging a career-high 11.5 points on a career-best 53.7% shooting, a career-high 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 18.4 minutes per game.

Per the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, “Reid was viewed as a linchpin for this team by even the major stakeholders. Which is what made re-signing the free agent this offseason so pivotal for the franchise’s future. Minnesota got that done Sunday, as a source confirmed the Wolves and Reid agreed to a three-year, $42 million deal that features a player option in the third year.”

The Louisiana State product saw his best season of his NBA career during the 2022-23 season, which included tallying a career-high-tying four double-doubles, a career-best eight 20+ point games and a career-high-tying four 10+ rebound performances. In 20:46 minutes of action off the bench during Minnesota’s 99-96 win on Mar. 26 against the Warriors, Reid led the Wolves in scoring, finishing with 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including 3-of-5 from deep. On Feb. 26 at Golden State, Reid led the way for the Wolves, scoring a career-high 30 points on a career-best-tying 12-of-22 shooting, including 4-of-11 from deep and nine rebounds. He added a career-high five steals and two blocks, becoming the first player in Timberwolves history to finish a game with 30+ points/9+ rebounds/2+ blocks/5+ steals.

For his career, the 6-9 center has appeared in 245 regular season games (43 starts), averaging 10.1 points on 50.5% shooting, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Reid has seen action in five career playoff games and has averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

The Asbury Park, N.J. native was originally signed by the Wolves on July 17, 2019.

Timberwolves center Naz Reid injury update

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the following injury update on center Naz Reid, who suffered a left wrist injury at the 8:26 minute mark of the fourth quarter Wednesday at Phoenix:

An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) taken yesterday at Mayo Clinic Square by Dr. Kelechi Okoroha on Reid revealed a left scaphoid fracture. He will be out indefinitely and further updates to his progress will be provided when available.

In 68 games (11 starts) this season, Reid is averaging career highs with 11.5 points on 53.7% shooting and 4.9 rebounds, along with 1.1 assists per game.

Karl-Anthony Towns makes long-awaited return for Timberwolves

Karl-Anthony Towns is finally back in action. Via the Pioneer Press:

After missing the previous 52 games with a calf strain suffered in late November, Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns made his much-anticipated return to action Wednesday in front of a packed Target Center crowd eager to see its all-star big back in uniform.

He did not disappoint.

While appearing to be short of wind at various points, Towns’ production was strong throughout. He made his first two 3-point tries and showed few to no signs of rust. Towns finished with 22 points on 8-for-18 shooting, and Minnesota outscored Atlanta by 13 during his 26 minutes of action.

And with 3.6 seconds left and Minnesotan trailing by a point, Towns received the ball in the middle of the floor. At that point, the big said, “the game was over.”

The Timberwolves are 37-37 this season, which ties them with the Thunder for the 7th best record in the Western conference.

Karl-Anthony Towns appears close to return for Timberwolves

Is Karl-Anthony Towns set to return from injury for the Minnesota Timberwolves? Maybe. Via the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

Towns hasn’t played since suffering a calf strain Nov. 29. Edwards has missed the last two contests with an ankle sprain suffered Friday in Chicago.

But Towns has been ramping up his activity of late and Edwards’ injury was not as serious as initially feared, so a Wednesday return, while surprising, also seemed plausible.

But Timberwolves coach Chris Finch poured a little cold water on the idea during his radio interview Tuesday with WCCO host Chad Hartman. Hartman directly asked Finch if he expected both Towns and Edwards to play against the Hawks.

“I do not,” Finch said. “They’re both in evaluation periods and they’re definitely on separate timelines. Whether those timelines end up coming together at the same point, I’m not sure. They’re very different.”

Both players were listed as questionable for Wednesday’s contest on the injury report released Tuesday afternoon by the team.

Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns remains out

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the following injury update on forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been sidelined since Nov. 28 due to a right calf strain:

Towns is continuing to progress in his rehabilitation program and has been participating in basketball activities. He is expected to return in the coming weeks and further updates to his playing status will be provided when available.

In 21 games (all starts) this season, Towns is averaging 20.8 points on 50.5% shooting, 8.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.

Return date for Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns remains uncertain

Via the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

When or if Karl-Anthony Towns returns to the court this season, [Timberwolves coach Chris] Finch has said he and Towns are open to different avenues of what that return might look like. That could include Towns coming off the bench, especially if he is on a minutes restriction when he starts playing again.

“We feel KAT is able to help us regardless of what the situation is,” Finch said. “If it’s a minutes restriction, maybe you’re strategic and he comes off the bench to start with that, depending what the minutes are. I think he would be open to anything at that point in time.”

Finch said whenever Towns is ready to play, he would play. Even if there were only a few games left in the season, Towns would be back in the rotation if he was physically ready to play. There would be no point at which the Wolves would just shut Towns down for the season.

Three-team trade sends D’Angelo Russell to Lakers, Russell Westbrook to Jazz

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired via trade guard D’Angelo Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves and guard Malik Beasley and forward Jarred Vanderbilt from the Utah Jazz, it was announced today by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka.

In the trade, the Lakers sent guard Russell Westbrook, forward Juan Toscano-Anderson, center Damian Jones and a protected first-round pick to Utah and a future second-round pick to Minnesota.

“We are thrilled to add D’Angelo, Malik and Jarred to our organization and are confident their talents will boost our ability to finish the season strongly,” said Pelinka. “In this trade, we’ve added switchable wing defending, perimeter shooting and rebounding depth. We welcome D’Angelo back to the Lakers family and look forward to him donning the purple and gold in front of our passionate fan base once again. We certainly want to thank Russell, Juan and Damian for their time here in Los Angeles and wish them and their families nothing but success moving forward.”

Russell (6’4”, 200) has appeared in 54 games (all starts) for Minnesota this season, averaging 17.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 32.9 minutes per game, shooting a career-best 39.1 percent from 3-point range. In 478 career NBA games (414 starts) across eight seasons with the Timberwolves (2019-23), Warriors (2019-20), Nets (2017-19) and Lakers (2015-17), the 2019 NBA All-Star has averaged 17.7 points (.360 3P%), 3.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 29.8 minutes. The 26-year-old has played in 11 career playoff games (all starts) with the Timberwolves (2021-22) and Nets (2018-19), averaging 15.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 31.3 minutes per game. Russell was drafted by the Lakers with the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Ohio State and returns to Los Angeles after averaging 14.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 143 games (108 starts) from 2015-17.

Beasley (6’4”, 187) has played 55 games (13 starts) for Utah this season, averaging 13.4 points (.359 3P%), 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 26.8 minutes per game. In 391 career games (100 starts) across seven seasons with the Jazz (2022-23), Timberwolves (2019-22) and Nuggets (2016-20), Beasley has averaged 10.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 21.7 minutes, shooting 38.0 percent from beyond the arc. In 20 career playoff games for the Timberwolves (2021-22) and Nuggets (2018-19), the 26-year-old has averaged 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game. The Florida State alum leads all bench players with 129 3-pointers made this season, and his 169 total triples ranks seventh among all players.

Vanderbilt (6’8”, 214) has appeared in 52 games (41 starts) for Utah this season, averaging 8.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 24.1 minutes per game. In 218 career games (138 starts) across five seasons with the Jazz (2022-23), Timberwolves (2019-22) and Nuggets (2018-20), Vanderbilt has averaged 6.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 20.1 minutes, while shooting 58.0 percent from the field. The 23-year-old has played nine playoff games (six starts) with the Timberwolves (2021-22) and Nuggets (2018-19), averaging 3.7 points and 4.9 rebounds in 14.9 minutes.

In 52 games (three starts) for the Lakers this season, Westbrook averaged 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.7 minutes. Toscano-Anderson averaged 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game in 30 contests (seven starts) for the Lakers this season. Jones suited up in 22 games (one start) for the purple and gold in 2022-23, averaging 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 8.0 minutes per contest.

Mo Bamba, Austin Rivers and Jalen Suggs suspended for roles in Magic-Timberwolves altercation

Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba has been suspended four games without pay and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Austin Rivers has been suspended three games without pay for their roles in an on-court altercation, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.

In addition, Magic guard Jalen Suggs has been suspended one game without pay for escalating the altercation by aggressively grabbing Rivers around the neck and pulling him to the floor.

Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels has been fined $20,000 for his role in the altercation which included running into the scrum and pushing Bamba in the back.

The incident, for which all four players received technical fouls and were ejected, occurred with 1:32 remaining in the third quarter of the Magic’s 127-120 win over the Timberwolves on Feb. 3 at Target Center.

Bamba and Rivers engaged in an altercation in front of the Magic bench, with both players throwing punches. Suggs and McDaniels then entered the altercation as non-peacemakers, which resulted in a continued escalation of the situation.

Following the incident, Bamba attempted to continue to engage with Rivers in a hostile manner in the corridor outside the locker rooms where he also aggressively shoved a security representative. Both Bamba and Rivers continued the escalation on social media following the game.

Bamba will begin serving his four-game suspension and Suggs will serve his one-game suspension on Sunday, Feb. 5 when the Magic visit the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Rivers will begin serving his three-game suspension on Sunday, Feb. 5 when the Timberwolves host the Denver Nuggets at Target Center.

A look at the Timberwolves (16-17)

Via the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

Currently at one game below .500, Minnesota (16-17) resides in the final play-in spot in the West. A 2-5 or 1-6 stretch would only lengthen the gap between the Timberwolves and a top-six, non play-in spot the team seemed destined to obtain at the season’s outset. There aren’t any clear indications that the Wolves are capable of ripping off a large stretch of winning basketball to dig themselves out of any significant hole in the standings.

Armed with the likes of Rudy Gobert, Anthony Edwards, D’Angelo Russell and Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota certainly has enough firepower to continue to compete. The challenge now is to find a way to do so at a high enough level for 48 minutes.

While the gift awaiting Minnesota on the other side of this stretch is a pair of road games against downtrodden Houston and Detroit, those are immediately followed by home games against three more competitive clubs — Phoenix, Cleveland and Utah. It never lets up.

The latest on Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves

Via the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

The Timberwolves being without both of their two point guards, D’Angelo Russell and Jordan McLaughlin, on Wednesday in Los Angeles was certainly detrimental for the team’s chances of victories. The Timberwolves have a tough enough time running a fluid offense that doesn’t give the ball away even with one of them on the court.

So it wasn’t surprising to see them struggle offensively in the loss to the Clippers.

But the short-term pain may come with long-term growth, particularly in regards to 21-year-old guard Anthony Edwards. A pure shooting guard, Edwards is now thrust into being the team’s primary ball-handler. That’s a lot of responsibility for any young player as is. But Edwards faced another challenge Wednesday, when the Clippers started trapping the guard out at the top of the arc.

To Edwards’ credit, he handled the look beautifully.

FULL ARTICLE