Minnesota T-Wolves Blog – Page 6 – NBA Blog

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

Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert set for return to Utah

Tomorrow, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert will face his former team, the Jazz, as a visitor in Utah for the first time. Via the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Gobert said he has never been in the visitor’s locker room of the arena, and Friday is going to feel at least a little “weird.” The Wolves already faced the Jazz in Minnesota, and that was different for Gobert, but Friday he’ll a crowd that used to cheer him on for nearly a decade.

“I just want to enjoy the moment,” Gobert said. “There’s a lot of people that I have a lot of love for over there. There’s a lot of great memories. … I just want to enjoy the moment and, of course, get a win.”

Gobert helped the Wolves do that Wednesday against Indiana when he hit the go-ahead free throws and came up with a game-saving block on Buddy Hield to seal the win. Those plays were a part of Gobert’s 16-point, 21-rebound night.

It was one of Gobert’s best games in Minnesota, a game in which he might have been able to win over some of his teammates’ trust. Also on his side were the fans, who serenaded him with chants of “Rudy, Rudy,” in the final moments.

The Jazz are 15-12 this season, while the Timberwolves are 12-12.

FULL ARTICLE

Timberwolves sign Matt Ryan, waive A.J. Lawson

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed forward Matt Ryan to a two-way contract.

And in a preceding move, the Wolves waived guard A.J. Lawson.

Ryan, 25, most recently played 12 games this season for the Los Angeles Lakers where he averaged 3.9 points and 1.2 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per game. His best game of the season came on Nov. 2 at New Orleans after finishing with a career-high 11 points, including connecting on three three-pointers and two rebounds. Ryan played one game for the Boston Celtics in 2021-22 and totaled three points and one steal. The 6-6 forward played in 30 career G League games (20 starts) and averaged 19.4 points on 46.9% shooting, including 41.3% from deep, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

The White Plains, N.Y. native spent time at Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and ultimately finished his collegiate career at Chattanooga. In 134 college games (62 starts), Ryan totaled 1,058 points, 333 rebounds and 121 assists.

Ryan will wear #37 for the Timberwolves, becoming the first player in franchise history to sport #37.

Injury update on Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the following injury update on forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns who suffered a lower leg injury at the 5:25 minute mark of the third quarter yesterday at Washington:

An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) taken today at Mayo Clinic Square by Dr. Kelechi Okoroha on Towns confirmed a right calf strain. He will be sidelined indefinitely and reassessed in several weeks. Further updates to his progress will be issued 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.

Timberwolves sign A.J. Lawson to a two-way contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed guard A.J. Lawson to a two-way contract.

In four games (all starts) this season for the College Park Skyhawks, the Atlanta Hawks G League affiliate, Lawson, 22, averaged a team-best 22.3 points on 62.3% shooting, including 52.9% from three, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 36.9 minutes per game.

Lawson played on the Dallas Mavericks entry in the 2022 NBA Summer League where he averaged a team-high 15.6 points on 51.9% from the field including 50.0% from three and 6.0 rebounds per game. Additionally, the 6-6 guard played 10 games (all starts) this past summer for the Guelph Nighthawks of the Canadian Basketball League (CBL) and averaged 16.5 points on 44.3% shooting and 5.4 rebounds in 30.5 minutes per game.

The Toronto native saw action in 33 games (26 starts) for the Skyhawks last season where he averaged 11.8 points on 48.1% shooting and 6.3 rebounds. Lawson played three seasons at the University of South Carolina where he totaled 1,153 points, 325 rebounds and 167 assists in 81 games (80 starts).

Lawson was originally signed to a two-way deal with the Wolves on July 27, 2022 before being waived on Oct. 15, 2022.

He will wear #00 for the Timberwolves.

Timberwolves off to a 5-6 start

The Timberwolves are 5-6 this season, and perhaps had a bit of a wakeup call Monday that could help set a tone for things to come. Via the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

In some good news for the Timberwolves, and they could use some after the Knicks blew them out of Target Center on Monday night, center Rudy Gobert cleared COVID-19 protocols, practiced Tuesday and is available to play Wednesday against Phoenix.

That could help their defense, which is No. 9 in terms of defensive efficiency, but looked disinterested in making the Knicks work Monday.

That prompted guard Anthony Edwards to say the team was “soft” after the game, and they were likely developing that reputation around the league.

For Gobert, who spent the last two games watching from home, the Wolves need to concentrate on doing the “little things” right — like communication and playing with urgency on a consistent basis.

FULL ARTICLE

Timberwolves set to face the 7-0 Bucks tonight

The 4-4 Timberwolves face the 7-0 Bucks tonight. Via the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

With two days off between their games against Phoenix and Milwaukee, the Timberwolves were able to get in a practice Thursday, and coach Chris Finch said the Wolves’ primary focus was in one area.

“Ball movement,” Finch said. “… Pretty much all we did was ball movement stuff.”

Anyone who has watched the Wolves over the last week can see this is one of the biggest issues they have. There is plenty of standing around, dribbling and isolation offense.

Their hope to improve on offense won’t get any easier on Friday night when unbeaten Milwaukee visits Minnesota and brings to town the No. 1 most-efficient defense in the league. The Bucks are allowing 101.3 points per 100 possessions, three points better than the next best team — the Lakers — entering Thursday.

The Wolves have the 23rd-rated offense (109.9).

FULL ARTICLE