- On the Podcast P podcast with Paul George, Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns said he was taken aback by last summer’s Rudy Gobert trade. “It was definitely something I wasn’t ready for,” Towns said, per Michael Rand of The Star Tribune. “I remember being in London and getting that call. I didn’t actually have no idea that was happening. I was told by social media like everybody else, so that was something.” Towns added that he had already been preparing as though he was going to be playing center, so moving to power forward was “definitely an adjustment.”
Superstar center Nikola Jokic had another huge game on Tuesday as the Nuggets took a 3-2 lead in their series with Phoenix, racking up 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists for his fourth triple-double of the playoffs. Jokic’s 10th career postseason triple-double moved him ahead of Wilt Chamberlain for the most triple-doubles by a center in NBA playoff history, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
Discussing Jokic’s historic performance after the game, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone made light of the in-season discourse surrounding his center’s triple-doubles, joking that he “must be stat-padding.” Malone also made sure to stress how much the franchise appreciates Jokic and his “incredible” performance.
“He makes everyone around him better,” Malone said. “Never gets rattled. ‘Cool Hand Luke.’ And we’re just so thankful that he’s a Denver Nugget.”
Between Games 4 and 5, Jokic was hit with a $25K fine for a brief sideline incident involving Suns owner Mat Ishbia, but Jokic and Ishbia had a friendly exchange prior to Game 5 and clearly don’t have any bad blood, notes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. During a TNT interview after Tuesday’s win, Jokic was asked about that pregame interaction with Ishbia and joked that he was trying to see if the Suns owner would pay his fine (Twitter link via Youngmisuk).
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- As great as Jokic has been against Phoenix, the contributions of the Nuggets‘ role players – starting with a pair of veterans acquired last summer – shouldn’t be overlooked, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required). Bruce Brown‘s 25 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s strong defense on Devin Booker helped Denver secure a Game 5 victory.
- While fans in Minnesota were upset about Jaden McDaniels‘ absence from this year’s All-Defensive teams, the bigger concern for the Timberwolves is that Rudy Gobert‘s play this past season didn’t earn the three-time Defensive Player of the Year a single vote, says Michael Rand of The Star Tribune. It remains to be seen whether Gobert was more affected by health issues than he let on his year or whether his decline has begun, Rand writes.
- Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman believes it’s unlikely that the Thunder dip into their stash of future draft picks to make a trade for a core player this offseason. In Mussatto’s view, head of basketball operations Sam Presti is more likely to use his draft assets to make sure he gets the player(s) he wants in this year’s draft, like he did when he traded three protected first-rounders for the No. 11 pick in the 2022 draft.
- Dealing Karl-Anthony Towns, if the Timberwolves choose to go that path, could be made easier if the Knicks get eliminated by the Heat, Michael Rand of The Star Tribune opines. New York seems like a logical landing spot and rumors are already flying about the Knicks having interest in the Timberwolves big man. Towns will make $36MM next season and the Knicks have a combination of starters with suitable salaries (such as Julius Randle and RJ Barrett) and extra draft picks that could entice the Minnesota front office.
The NBA has officially announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2022/23 season.
A total of 100 media members vote on the All-Defensive awards, with players receiving two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote. This year’s All-Defensive teams are as follows:
First Team
- Forward: Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies (195 total points)
- Forward: Evan Mobley, Cavaliers (132)
- Guard: Jrue Holiday, Bucks (192)
- Guard: Alex Caruso, Bulls (125)
- Center: Brook Lopez, Bucks (181)
Second Team
- Forward: Draymond Green, Warriors (89)
- Forward: OG Anunoby, Raptors (81)
- Guard: Derrick White, Celtics (99)
- Guard: Dillon Brooks, Grizzlies (54)
- Center: Bam Adebayo, Heat (53)
Unsurprisingly, Jackson – who was this season’s Defensive Player of the Year – received the most First Team votes (96) and showed up on the most overall ballots (99). Only one voter didn’t have Jackson on either All-Defensive team.
Milwaukee teammates Holiday (94) and Lopez (85) received the second- and third-most First Team votes. No other player earned more than 50.
While the Bucks have two players on the First Team, it’s a bit surprising to see former DPOY Giannis Antetokounmpo miss out altogether. Antetokounmpo earned 16 First Team votes and 28 Second Team votes for a total of 60 points, the most of any player who didn’t earn All-Defensive honors. Although he received more total points than Brooks or Adebayo, Giannis didn’t make the cut because there were four forwards with more points than him.
Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (40 points), Celtics guard Marcus Smart (35), Nets guard Mikal Bridges (33), and Nets center Nic Claxton (25) would have joined Antetokounmpo on a hypothetical All-Defensive Third Team as the highest vote-getters who fell just short.
A total of 38 players showed up on at least one ballot — the full voting results can be viewed here.
Being named to an All-Defensive team will benefit a pair of players financially, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). White earned a $250K bonus for his Second Team nod, while Holiday will receive $129,600 for making the First Team.
Thunder big man Chet Holmgren continues to rehabilitate from two surgeries related to the Lisfranc right foot injury he suffered last year, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman.
As Mussatto notes, Oklahoma City has indicated Holmgren may play for the Thunder’s 2023 Summer League team, and anticipates he will be able to suit up in time for the 2023/24 season. Mussatto collected a variety of quotes from Holmgren’s Thunder colleagues about their teammate, who missed his entire rookie season after being drafted second overall.
“Chet is a great competitor,” rookie Jaylin Williams raved. “We played against each other in college and then we played against each other when we first got here, and we always talk about the college game, smack talking to each other.”
“Off the court, he’s a really good kid,” All-Star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Then on the court, competitor. The kid wants to be good. I think that’s the biggest thing. Like he wants to be really good and he wants to prove himself to the world. That fire in him is impressive. It’s impressive. I think because of that he’s going to be a heck of a basketball player.”
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- Following a very active 2022 offseason, Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune believes that the Timberwolves should operate more patiently this summer. Souhan notes that Minnesota has been plagued by wild swings from management in recent years and says the team needs to avoid repeating that behavior in the 2023 offseason.
- Nuggets head coach Michael Malone wants to make sure that Suns All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker has a harder time scoring, writes Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. Booker poured in 47 points on 20-of-25 shooting from the floor in Phoenix’s 121-114 Game 3 victory over Denver. “He’s going to score,” Malone acknowledged. “The sheer volume of shots he’s going to take, he’s going to score… But we can’t allow him to go 80% from the field when he goes 20 of 25. Being into him, being more physical, more aggressive, showing him more of a crowd, hopefully that doesn’t allow him to start off with 18 points and shooting into a big basket the rest of the night.”
- After winning the first two games of their second round series vs. Phoenix at home, the Nuggets regressed to cough up a Game 3 loss on the road, writes Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. “I think we were just a little bit slow,” All-NBA center Nikola Jokic said. “I don’t want to say, sleepy, but they were making the first move and we were reacting.”
D’Angelo Russell isn’t sure where he’ll be next season, but for now he’s enjoying his role in the Lakers‘ playoff run. He was one of several players brought in by general manager Rob Pelinka at the trade deadline, turning L.A. from a sub-.500 team to a possible title contender. Those moves will lead to some difficult offseason decisions as the Lakers have nine potential free agents on their roster, seven of whom see regular playing time.
One of them is Russell, who was acquired from the Timberwolves in a three-team deal in February. The 27-year-old guard talked about his future in an interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic.
“I would love to stay here, but I would have loved to be in Minnesota too,” Russell said after scoring 21 points in Saturday’s win over Golden State. “So wherever my feet are, that’s where I’m gonna be.”
Asked whether he believes the Lakers are willing to make him a long-term part of their core group, Russell responded, “They’ve got a decision to make, don’t they? So we’ll see.”
Russell is earning $31.4MM in the final season of a four-year contract he signed when he was with Brooklyn. After being drafted by the Lakers in 2015, he spent time with the Nets, Warriors and Timberwolves before Pelinka brought him back to L.A.
Russell immediately stepped into a starting role and brought stability to the Lakers’ backcourt. He averaged 17.4 points and 6.1 assists per game following the trade and has posted similar numbers in the playoffs.
Even though Russell said he would have re-signed with Minnesota, he told Amick that he was expecting the Wolves to trade him rather than negotiate with him in free agency. He adds that he didn’t ask for a deal, but he had a feeling that it was going to happen.
“I felt they couldn’t pay me, so I kind of expected it,” Russell said. “I felt like I was gonna outplay my (Timberwolves) offer, whatever they wanted to offer me, and then I’d be in a position where I’d have to make a decision. And I just kind of held my cards tight and let the basketball gods take over.”
Russell also indicated that he wasn’t fully happy with how he was being used in Minnesota, where he had to take a back seat to Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns in the offense. Even though he’s still playing with two stars in L.A., Russell says he has more freedom to create.
“I felt like I was held back there, honestly,” he said of his time with the Wolves. “I just kind of had to be the third option. Some nights, I was a little more aggressive and was kind of being held back. So to be in a position now where I can kind of thrive and be aggressive and it gets guys going, and where the team reflects off of anybody with that type of energy, it’s fun.”
The Jazz control their own first-rounder, currently projected to be No. 9 overall, though that draft slot could change when the lottery is conducted on May 16. They also control the Wolves’ (No. 16) and Sixers’ (No. 28) first-round picks from trades last summer. According to Walden, the team plans to bring in a horde of prospects to Utah for workouts, but it won’t be publicly disclosing those players “for competitive reasons.”
- The Timberwolves‘ G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, received a couple of NBAGL awards, per a press release. The franchise received the President’s Choice Award for demonstrating “excellence in business performance across key areas of focus.” The team set a franchise record for attendance in ’22/23. Iowa Wolves president Ryan Grant was also named G League Executive of the Year, as voted by his peers.
- The Timberwolves‘ G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, received a couple of NBAGL awards, per a press release. The franchise received the President’s Choice Award for demonstrating “excellence in business performance across key areas of focus.” The team set a franchise record for attendance in ’22/23. Iowa Wolves president Ryan Grant was also named G League Executive of the Year, as voted by his peers.
- Tim Connelly is a Baltimore native and got his start with the Wizards, which is why speculation about him possibly re-joining the organization won’t go away. Still, Minnesota’s president of basketball operations plans to remain with the Timberwolves next season, he said in a radio interview with Chad Hartman of WCCO. “That’s certainly the plan,” Connelly said, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “That’s why we came here, moved here. We had a lot of unfinished business. It’s been a really fun year, on and off the court, and we’re fully committed to being a Timberwolf.”
After trading away several first-round picks (including center Walker Kessler, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting) to acquire Rudy Gobert last summer , the Timberwolves don’t have many ways to improve the roster going forward. They only have one draft pick in 2023, at No. 53 overall.
With huge contracts committed to Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, the only realistic pathway to drastically reshape the roster would seemingly be to trade Towns. The problem is he was limited to 29 regular season games after a severe calf strain, and he struggled in the playoffs for the second straight year, posting 10 assists against 18 turnovers while shooting 25% on threes in Minnesota’s first-round loss to Denver.
The Wolves still seem intent on keeping the two big men together, with head coach Chris Finch expressing optimism about the pairing after Game 5. Let’s say they retain both players and build out the roster with their limited available resources. There are plenty of other important decisions to be made this summer.
For starters, Naz Reid, Jaylen Nowell, Nickeil Alexander-Walker (RFA), Austin Rivers, Nathan Knight ($1,997,238 team option), Luka Garza (two-way) and Matt Ryan (two-way) are all possible free agents, while Mike Conley, Taurean Prince and Jordan McLaughlin have either partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed contracts for 2023/24.
Of that large group, Conley and Prince are likely to return, as both were important contributors. But Conley will be 36 years old when next season starts and is on an expiring contract, so finding a long-term solution at point guard will be a priority.
The Wolves have talked about wanting to re-sign or extend Reid, but he may be looking for a bigger opportunity in his first free agency foray. Alexander-Walker has expressed a desire to be back after providing impressive defense down the stretch.
The future of everyone else mentioned is very much up in the air. And with lucrative rookie scale extensions for Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels likely to be signed this offseason, the cap sheet for ’24/25 and beyond is looking pretty messy.
We want to know what you think. What should the Timberwolves do this offseason to build around Edwards? Which of their free agents should they re-sign, and which should they let go? Head to the comments section to share your thoughts.
- Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reexamines the Rudy Gobert trade that transformed the Timberwolves last summer. He acknowledges that Minnesota overpaid for Gobert, but adds that president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and coach Chris Finch still believe Gobert and Towns can be effective together. “I thought it was a great learning experience and I’m excited to see (with) some real time together where we can get,” Gobert said. “And we saw some glimpses of that this year and we saw that we can give teams a lot of trouble.”
The Timberwolves have decided their path to success involves building the best possible team around Anthony Edwards, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The top pick in the 2020 draft took another step forward this year, averaging 24.6 points per game during the regular season and 31.6 PPG in the first-round loss to Denver. In a news conference last week, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said Edwards will be “paramount” in all the team’s future personnel moves.
“We’re tasked with developing, I think, the best 21-year-old in the world who’s a … great, great kid who wants it, who’s so competitive, whose work ethic is off the charts,” Connelly said. “As he grows, we want him to see winning and we want him to be around winners.”
The Wolves were criticized for giving up a large collection of assets to acquire Rudy Gobert from Utah, but Connelly said that trade and the signing of Kyle Anderson were part of a strategy to ensure that Minnesota would remain a playoff contender. The front office wants Edwards to get as much postseason experience as possible early in his career.
“I think too often in our league the development coincides with losing, and we feel pretty strongly that the best way to learn to win is to win early and to win often,” Connelly said. “But certainly it’s a challenge to ensure that we’re doing anything and everything to make sure that he’s developing, not just individually but the team’s developing at a level that we think that we can get to. That’ll be the challenge this offseason.”
There’s more from Minnesota:
- It doesn’t appear the team will undergo major changes this summer, Krawczynski adds. Connelly told reporters that the Wolves “really like” their current starting five and that Edwards has good chemistry with Karl-Anthony Towns and the rest of the rotation. As Krawczynski points out, injuries limited the starters to seven games together after Mike Conley joined the team in February.
- The Timberwolves hold Bird rights on Naz Reid, which means they can offer him more money than anyone else in free agency, but they’re not able to give him a starting spot with Towns and Gobert on the roster, notes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, who believes that will factor into whether Reid decides to re-sign this summer. Hine also examines potential extension offers for Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, along with the need to find a reliable backup point guard.
- In another Star Tribune article, Hine looks at which members of the current roster are likely to return next season.