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Jazz trade Rudy Gobert to Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves yesterday acquired center Rudy Gobert in a trade with the Utah Jazz for guards Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley and forward Jarred Vanderbilt, along with guard Leandro Bolmaro, the draft rights to center Walker Kessler and Minnesota’s 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029 first round picks and a 2026 first round pick swap.

Gobert, 30, has appeared in 611 regular season games (519 starts) in nine NBA seasons with the Jazz, averaging 12.4 points on 65.3% shooting, 11.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. The 7-1 center played in 66 games (all starts) last season, averaging 15.6 points on a career-high 71.3% shooting, a career-best 14.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. His 71.3% (362-of-508) from the field led the NBA during the 2021-22 season and per the Elias Sports Bureau, he joined Wilt Chamberlain (1972-73) and DeAndre Jordan (3x, MR: 2016-17) as the only players in NBA history to shoot 70% or better from the field on 500+ shots. In addition to leading the NBA last season in rebounding and shooting percentage, Gobert ranked second in double-doubles (53) and third in blocks (2.1). He’s seen action in 49 career playoff games (all starts) with averages of 13.4 points on 66.2% shooting, 11.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.

The Saint-Quentin, France native is a three-time All-NBA selection (Second Team in 2017, Third Team in 2019 and 2021), a three-time Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2018, 2019, 2021), a three-time NBA All-Star (2020, 2021, 2022) and a six-time All-Defensive First Team selection (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022). Gobert has played in the last two Olympics for France, leading the French National Team to a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. During the 2020 Olympics, he averaged 12.2 points on 63.6% shooting and 9.3 rebounds, earning him a spot on the Men’s Basketball All-Star Five.

Gobert was originally drafted by the Denver Nuggets with the 27th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Acquired via trade from the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 25, 2021, Beverley appeared in 58 games (54 starts) for the Wolves last season, averaging 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. He holds career averages of 8.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 10 NBA seasons.

Acquired by the Timberwolves via a trade with the Nuggets on Feb. 5, 2020, Beasley appeared in 130 games (68 starts) for Minnesota over three seasons, averaging 15.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He holds career averages of 10.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in seven NBA seasons.

Acquired by the Timberwolves via a trade with the Nuggets on Feb. 5, 2020, Vanderbilt appeared in 140 games (97 starts) for Minnesota over three seasons, averaging 6.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He holds career averages of 5.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in five NBA seasons.

Bolmaro appeared in 35 games last season for Minnesota, averaging 1.4 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. He was originally acquired by the Timberwolves via a trade with the New York Knicks on Nov. 20, 2020.

Kessler averaged 11.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per game as a sophomore at Auburn University. His draft rights were originally acquired via trade during the 2022 NBA Draft from the Grizzlies.

Jazz will reportedly trade Rudy Gobert to Timberwolves

The Utah Jazz look like they’re taking a step forwards rebuilding, while the Minnesota Timberwolves are about to enjoy an incredibly talented combination at the power forward and center spots. Via ESPN.com:

The Utah Jazz agreed to trade center Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster deal that will pair him with fellow All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Timberwolves will send Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, No. 22 overall pick Walker Kessler and four first-round picks to the Jazz, sources said. Utah will acquire unprotected picks in 2023, 2025 and 2027 and a top-five-protected pick in 2029, sources said, in Danny Ainge’s first franchise-altering deal since taking over as the Jazz’s CEO midseason.

A combo of Gobert and star Karl-Anthony Towns up front makes the Timberwolves a must-watch team going into next season.

Karl-Anthony Towns to sign huge Timberwolves contract extension

Via ESPN.com:

Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has agreed on a four-year, $224 million supermax extension, his agent, Jessica Holtz of CAA Basketball told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The deal begins with the 2024-25 season and delivers Towns’ total contract value to six years and $295 million.

Towns, 26, the No. 1 overall pick by Minnesota in 2015, has become one of the league’s most dominant offensive big men during his eight years in Minnesota. He averaged 24.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game this past season while shooting over 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point range and 80% from the foul line.

Timberwolves sign Taurean Prince to contract extension

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed forward Taurean Prince to a contract extension.

Prince, 28, wrapped up his sixth season in the NBA, first with the Timberwolves, seeing action in 69 games (eight starts), averaging 7.3 points on a career-high 45.4% shooting, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 17.1 minutes per game.

The Baylor product saw one of his best games of the 2021-22 season in Minnesota’s 130-115 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 1 when in 24:01 of action off the bench, Prince scored a season-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including a season-high 6-of-9 from three, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals. The game marked his eighth career game with 6+ threes and became the ninth player in Wolves history to connect on 6+ triples off the bench.

For his career, the 6-7 forward has appeared in 370 regular season games (218 starts) with the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Timberwolves, averaging 10.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Prince has seen action in 11 career playoff games (six starts) and has averaged 8.8 points on 49.4% shooting, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

The San Marcos, Texas native was originally drafted by the Utah Jazz in the first round (12th overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft. He was acquired by the Wolves in a trade with the Cavaliers on Aug. 3, 2021.

Timberwolves exercise contract options on Jaylen Nowell and Naz Reid

The Minnesota Timberwolves have exercised team options on guard Jaylen Nowell and center Naz Reid.

Nowell, 22, enters his fourth season in the NBA after appearing in a career-high 62 games (one start) in 2021-22, averaging 8.5 points on a career-best 47.5% shooting from the field, 2.0 rebounds and a career-high 2.1 assists per game. In the Dec. 27 victory over the Boston Celtics, Nowell played a career-high 34:41 minutes off the bench, scoring a career-high 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including a career-high-tying 6-of-9 from three and grabbed a career-high-tying six rebounds. The Seattle native has appeared in 119 career games with the Timberwolves (one start), holding averages of 8.1 points on 44.6% shooting, 1.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

Reid, 22, wrapped up his third season in the NBA last year, appearing in a career-high 77 games (six starts) with averages of 8.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game. During the 2021-22 season, Reid recorded four double-doubles, including tallying his first career 20+ point/10+ rebound game on Jan. 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers, leading the way for the Wolves, scoring a season-high 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting while grabbing a season-high 11 rebounds, including a career-high-tying five offensive boards. The Asbury Park, N,J. native saw action in his first career playoff games last season, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in five contests against the Memphis Grizzlies. Reid has played in 177 career games (32 starts), while averaging 9.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game.

Rockets and Timberwolves complete trade of late 2022 draft first round selections

The Minnesota Timberwolves have acquired the draft rights to the 26th pick forward Wendell Moore Jr. from the Houston Rockets in exchange for the draft rights to the 29th pick guard TyTy Washington Jr. and future second round picks in 2025 and 2027.

Moore Jr., 6-5, averaged 13.4 points (ranking second on Duke), 5.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists (fourth in the ACC) and 1.3 assists per game in his junior season at Duke. In his career, Moore Jr. averaged 45.9% from the field and 35.8% from beyond the arc. He recorded the fifth triple-double in Duke history with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Army on Nov. 12, 2021. Moore Jr. nearly tallied a second triple-double on Nov. 22, 2021 where he registered 22 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in 34 minutes of action against The Citadel and was named ACC Player of the Week following the performance.
In 2020-21, Moore Jr. was named to the All-ACC Academic Team for the second straight season, playing all 24 games for the Blue Devils. Over the final 19 games, Moore Jr. started in 15 and averaged 11.2 points per game to close out the season. He notched his first double-double of the season on Feb. 9, 2021 against Notre Dame, where he finished with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting and added 10 boards.
Prior to the 2020-21 season, Moore Jr. was named one of 11 players nationally to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Player Development Coalition, a diverse collection of Division I men’s basketball student-athletes that provide valuable prospective and feedback on college basketball issues.
As a freshman, Moore Jr. played in 25 games (11 starts) and averaged 7.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Moore Jr. erupted for a career-high 25 points on Feb. 25, 2020 at Wake Forest, connecting on 15-of-16 from the line, a Duke freshman single-game record and becoming the first freshman to reach the feat since Grayson Allen on March 17, 2016. In the same game, he set a Duke record for fewest field goal attempts (eight) in a 20+ point scoring game.
Washington Jr. averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game in his one season at the University of Kentucky. The 21-year-old freshman led the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.35-to-1) and ranked ninth in the SEC in assists. On Jan. 8, 2022, Washington Jr. dished out a league-high 17 assists against the University of Georgia, breaking John Wall’s single-game assist record at Kentucky. The five-time SEC Player of the Week was named to the 2021-2022 All-SEC Second Team and All-Freshman Team.

Timberwolves reportedly adding Matt Lloyd to front office

Via the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

Tim Connelly has his first major hire since taking over the Timberwolves’ basketball operations department in place.

Minnesota is set to hire Matt Lloyd as senior vice president of basketball operations, a move first reported by ESPN.

Lloyd has worked for the Orlando Magic since 2012.

Prior to last season, Lloyd was promoted to vice president of basketball operations in Orlando.

The Timberwolves finished last season with a 46-36 record, good for 7th best in the Western conference. They qualified for the playoffs via the league’s play-in tournament, and fell in six games to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.

Minnesota Timberwolves name Tim Connelly as President of Basketball Operations

The Minnesota Timberwolves today named Tim Connelly as the team’s President of Basketball Operations.

Connelly will oversee and assume responsibility for all decisions made within the Timberwolves basketball operations department.

“We are thrilled to announce Tim Connelly as the next leader of our basketball operations department and welcome his family to the Twin Cities,” said Timberwolves Ownership. “He brings a wealth of NBA front office experience with various franchises. We look forward to building upon our most recent playoff run and bringing more success to Timberwolves fans for years to come.”

Connelly, 45, comes to Minnesota after spending nine years with the Denver Nuggets, the last five as President of Basketball Operations where he led all facets of basketball operations for the franchise, guiding the Nuggets to one of the most successful runs in team history. He came to Denver in July of 2013, serving as General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations before being named President of Basketball Operations.

“My family and I couldn’t be more excited to join the Timberwolves organization,” said Connelly. “I appreciate Glen, Becky, Marc and Alex’s confidence in me to lead this organization and I can’t wait to get to work to build an elite franchise that our fans can continue to be proud of.”

“We are excited to welcome Tim and his wife, Negah, along with their children to our Timberwolves family,” said Timberwolves and Lynx Chief Executive Officer Ethan Casson. “This is such an important hire for the organization and our fans, we are confident that Tim’s leadership will be a major part of our continued growth and future success.”

During his tenure with the Nuggets, the team captured two Northwest Division titles (2018-19 and 2019-20), marking the first time since 2008-09 and 2009-10 that the franchise repeated as division champions and just the fifth time in Northwest Division history there was a repeat winner. Denver would advance to the Western Conference Finals in 2020 for the first time since 2009. Over the past nine years, Connelly built up the team’s roster through numerous successful draft selections that would help transform Denver into one of the premier teams in the Western Conference. Those included the selection of the 2021-22 and 2020-21 NBA MVP Nikola Jokic with the 41st pick of the second round in 2014 as well as Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Monte Morris.

Connelly will work closely with Timberwolves Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Sachin Gupta, as well as Head Coach Chris Finch, whom Connelly worked with in Denver during the 2016-17 season. In addition, Connelly worked with Wolves Assistant Coach Micah Nori in Denver from 2015-18 and was responsible for drafting current Wolves guard Malik Beasley and forward Jarred Vanderbilt while in Denver.

Connelly’s past experiences include working as Assistant General Manager for three seasons with the New Orleans Hornets franchise, as well as spending 10 years with the Washington Wizards organization where he rose from an intern in 1996 to eventually being named Director of Player Personnel. With the Wizards, his role included overseeing scouting, salary cap and database management, player evaluation responsibilities, as well as assisting the vice president of player personnel with all front office duties.

Connelly has served as a coach on numerous occasions as part of the NBA’s “Basketball Without Borders” program. He has also served on the board of GEN Basketball Academy, a Sarajevo-based academy funded by NATO, and has assisted with their youth camps.

A native of Baltimore, Connelly graduated from Catholic University in 1999.

On D’Angelo Russell and the Timberwolves

Here’s the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Minnesota Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell:

D’Angelo Russell, the man known for having “ice in his veins” — an ode to his clutch shot making — spent the most important minutes of the Timberwolves’ season on the bench.

Russell sat in favor of Jordan McLaughlin for the final five minutes of Minnesota’s Game 6 loss on Saturday at Target Center. That certainly wasn’t Russell’s preference. He noted Saturday that everyone wants to be in a position to do their job.

“Of course I want to be out there,” he said.

But he didn’t earn that opportunity. Not with his play Saturday, not with his play throughout the first-round series, and frankly not with his play over the past couple of months. Over his final 14 appearances of the regular season, Russell averaged just 13.4 points a game, shooting 37 percent from the floor and 29 percent from deep. Over the back portion of the season, Russell had the Timberwolves’ worst defensive rating and net rating.

Then came a dynamic play-in performance against the Los Angeles Clippers that helped Minnesota punch its playoff ticket. But that turned out to be a blip on the radar and not a precursor to playoff success. Russell averaged 12 points and nearly three turnovers per game in the first-round loss, shooting 33 percent from the field.

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Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley fined by NBA

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley has been fined $30,000 for, per the NBA, “inappropriate statements during a media interview and on social media, including the egregious use of profanity,” it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations.

Beverley made his comments to the media during a postgame press conference and on a social media post following the Timberwolves’ 109-104 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on April 12 at Target Center.