Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pablo Prigioni To Remain With Timberwolves

July 26th, 2025 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran assistant coach Pablo Prigioni has decided to remain with the Timberwolves amid interest from the Knicks, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

According to Begley, Prigioni – who has been on the Wolves’ staff since 2019 – cited family reasons for his decision to stay in Minnesota. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link) noted earlier this week that Prigioni is “highly thought of” within the Wolves’ organization and has been working closely with 2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham.

A former NBA point guard who spent two-and-a-half seasons in New York as a player from 2012-15, Prigioni transitioned to coaching following his retirement in 2017. He spent one season on Brooklyn’s bench in 2018/19 before landing with the Wolves.

Prigioni, 48, was originally hired under Ryan Saunders, but carried over to Chris Finch‘s staff in 2021 and has now been with the Timberwolves for six seasons in total. The Knicks were recently granted permission to speak to Prigioni as they look to fill out their coaching staff under new head coach Mike Brown.

As the Knicks continue to consider their options on the coaching market, one candidate who is “squarely on their radar” is Clippers assistant Brendan O’Connor, according to Begley, who says O’Connor is known for his defensive acumen.

Even if the Knicks were to hire O’Connor away from L.A., they’d likely remain on the lookout for another assistant who could help with their offense, Begley adds.

NBA Insiders Talk 2025, 2026 Drafts

July 25th, 2025 at 6:04pm CST by Eli Cohen

Now that the 2025 Summer League has wrapped up, scouts and evaluators around the NBA are looking ahead to the 2026 draft and considering how this year’s draft class might perform as rookies.

Among league personnel, there’s a near-consensus that the Mavericks‘ Cooper Flagg will win Rookie of the Year, according to ESPN’s annual survey of NBA executives and scouts conducted this year by Jeremy Woo. Flagg was the overwhelming favorite, with 17 votes, followed by the Spurs‘ Dylan Harper, who picked up two votes. The Wizards’ Tre Johnson also received a vote.

Those polled speculated that while some rookies, like Johnson or Ace Bailey of the Jazz, may get a chance to shoot and score more points, Flagg’s overall contributions to a team that will likely be fighting for a play-in spot will push him over the edge.

While he didn’t receive a vote for Rookie of the Year, the Sixers‘ VJ Edgecombe was the top vote-getter for those asked who would end up the best non-Flagg pick in the draft.

“VJ might be Philly’s second-best player by the end of the season, factoring in [Joel] Embiid‘s uncertain health,” one general manager said.

When Woo’s poll respondents weighed in on the biggest draft steal, the Spurs’ Carter Bryant led the way, followed by Joan Beringer (Timberwolves) and Kasparas Jakucionis (Heat), though this question proved to be the most wide-ranging in terms of responses.

Executives also discussed the 2026 draft, which is widely anticipated to be a star-studded draft class. When asked about who the top pick would be, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson led the way with 12 votes, while BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa was a close second with eight.

Peterson is described in the article as “one of the best lead guard prospects in recent memory,” though Woo writes that given the high level of competition for the No. 1 spot, the race for the top spot is unlikely to be as open-and-shut as it was in 2025, when Flagg remained relatively unchallenged throughout the draft cycle.

“It’s a total toss-up right now — by no means is [there a] consensus yet,” one executive said.

While only Peterson and Dybantsa received votes as the probable No. 1 pick for 2026, Duke’s Cameron Boozer, Nate Ament (Tennessee), and Mikel Brown (Louisville) are also considered top prospects who could be in the mix for a top spot.

While it’s never easy to predict the future when it comes to the NBA draft, last year’s executive survey had Flagg as the top vote-getter for the number one pick, far ahead of Harper’s second-best vote tally, with Bailey and Edgecombe coming in third and fourth.

In that same poll last year, Reed Sheppard and Zach Edey were forecasted as the top candidates for Rookie of the Year, though eventual winner Stephon Castle came in a close third.

Fischer’s Latest: RFAs, Smart, Vucevic, Brogdon

July 25th, 2025 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

In addition to sharing the latest updates on Nets guard Cam Thomas, NBA insider Jake Fischer checked in on the other three most notable remaining restricted free agents during his Bleacher Report live stream on Thursday, discussing Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, and Sixers guard Quentin Grimes.

Fischer stated that he doesn’t expect there to be resolution on either Giddey or Grimes this month (YouTube link) and expressed a belief that Grimes, Kuminga, and Thomas will eventually agree to short-term deals with their respective teams rather than long-term contracts (YouTube link).

While that leaves Giddey as the most likely player of the quartet to work out a longer-term agreement, Fischer added that he thinks Giddey’s dynamic with the Bulls is the “most strained” of the bunch right now, due to how the negotiations have played out so far (YouTube link).

Here’s more from Fischer:

Before Marcus Smart agreed to a buyout with Washington and signed with the Lakers, the Wizards had “a ton” of trade discussions about the former Defensive Player of the Year, per Fischer (YouTube link). The Bucks, Hawks, and Heat were among the teams that spoke to the Wizards about possible deals involving Smart, according to Fischer, who says that Washington and Miami talked at one point about a trade that would’ve included Terry Rozier.
Responding to a question about the possibility of the Bulls trading Nikola Vucevic, Fischer stressed that there isn’t much of a market for the veteran center (YouTube link). “I think at this juncture, we’re probably more likely to see a Nikola Vucevic buyout mid-season than we are to see a trade,” Fischer said. “Depending on how the market unfolds, depending on how injuries develop. There just really hasn’t been much of a Nikola Vucevic trade market in a while.”
Fischer views the Timberwolves as perhaps the most logical landing spot for free agent guard Malcolm Brogdon (YouTube link). Fischer acknowledges that that Minnesota wants to give youngsters Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. more opportunities to establish themselves as rotation players, but notes that the team could use another veteran option to complement Mike Conley, who will turn 38 in October. “I think Minnesota still stands as a really good situation for Malcolm Brogdon and one that he’s been monitoring, one that the Wolves have checked in on,” Fischer said. “I’m not making a prediction, but I think that’s a good situation for Malcolm Brogdon.”

And-Ones: Biggest Mistakes, Summer League Standouts, More

July 24th, 2025 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

As effectively managed as some NBA teams have been in recent years, all 30 clubs have made at least a few moves they regret, according to Zach Kram of ESPN.com, who runs through some of the biggest missteps of the 2020s and names the most glaring mistake each team has made this decade.

Kram’s list begins with “small-scale problems,” like the Cavaliers not giving Isaiah Hartenstein a qualifying offer in 2021 and the Knicks signing Evan Fournier to a $73MM contract in 2021, before advancing to “draft disasters” – such as the Celtics trading the draft rights to No. 30 pick Desmond Bane – and miscellaneous midtier mistakes,” including the Pistons giving Monty Williams the largest head coaching contract in league history.

Kram’s final two categories are “too high a cost for too little reward” and “franchise-altering terrible trades.” The top two mistakes on his list are the Mavericks moving Luka Doncic and the Suns giving up the assets they did to land Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

John Hollinger of The Athletic shares his biggest takeaways from this month’s Summer League games, including identifying Tolu Smith of the Pistons, Nae’Qwan Tomlin of the Cavaliers, and Drew Timme of the Nets as players to watch going forward. Hollinger also mentions Jazz big man Kyle Filipowski, Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr., Pistons forward Ron Holland, Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, and Cavaliers wing Jaylon Tyson as the players who showed they were “too good for summer league.”
While Summer League success doesn’t always carry over to the subsequent regular season, scouts around the NBA find July’s games “extremely valuable” for evaluating players, as Tobias Bass of The Athletic writes. “Before the draft, no matter what your opinion is about a player or how analytics project him to be, it’s always interesting to see how competitive they are once they get to summer league,” one Western Conference scout told Bass. “How quickly they pick up terminology, are they culture fits and can they keep the main thing the main thing? Can they be attentive, on time and professional, especially with all the distractions in Vegas?”
Keith Smith of Spotrac empties out his notebook after traveling to Las Vegas for Summer League, sharing quotes from coaches, scouts, and executives about each of the NBA’s Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams.

Knicks Granted Permission To Speak To Wolves’ Prigioni

July 23rd, 2025 at 1:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have requested and been granted permission to speak to Timberwolves assistant Pablo Prigioni about the possibility of him joining Mike Brown‘s coaching staff, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

A former NBA point guard who spent two-and-a-half seasons in New York as a player from 2012-15, Prigioni transitioned to coaching following his retirement in 2017. He spent one season on Brooklyn’s bench in 2018/19 before landing with the Wolves.

Prigioni, 48, was originally hired under Ryan Saunders, but carried over to Chris Finch‘s staff in 2021 and has now been with the Timberwolves for six seasons in total. He’s “highly regarded in coaching circles,” Begley writes.

Before they eventually hired Brown, the Knicks attempted to speak to five current NBA head coaches and were turned down by each of those coaches’ respective teams. They’ve found themselves in a somewhat similar position as they look to hire a lead assistant under Brown.

New York was reportedly denied permission to speak to Pelicans assistant James Borrego and Mavericks assistant Jay Triano. The club was also thought to have interest in Darvin Ham, but the Bucks weren’t willing to let him go either. Additionally, Begley reported this week (via Twitter) that Warriors assistant Terry Stotts wouldn’t be leaving Golden State, though it’s unclear whether the Knicks had any real interest in him or if that was just speculation.

Begley doesn’t confirm that Prigioni is being considered specifically for the Knicks’ lead assistant role, but the Timberwolves likely wouldn’t have given a rival team permission to meet with him for what would be a lateral move.

Northwest Notes: Shannon, A-Rod, Avdija, Hansen

July 22nd, 2025 at 9:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Terrence Shannon Jr. was named to the All-Summer First Team on Tuesday. The Timberwolves guard stood out in Las Vegas and he’ll look to parlay that success in his second NBA season, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes.

Shannon could be as the main candidate to fill the void left by Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who averaged 25.3 minutes per game last season and signed with the Hawks as a free agent. Shannon will battle Jaylen Clark and Rob Dillingham for those minutes. A late first-round pick in 2024, the 24-year-old appeared in 32 regular season games as a rookie.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

A conversation with Magic Johnson early in his pro baseball career inspired Alex Rodriguez to become an NBA owner after his retirement. Rodriguez and Marc Lore were unanimously approved as majority owners of the Timberwolves last month. “When I was 21 years old, Magic sat with me. I was supposed to have 30 minutes,” Rodriguez told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears. “And that 30 minutes went to about three and a half hours and nine pages of notes. I asked him a few years later, ‘Magic why did you give me three-plus hours?’ And he said, ‘Because you came in, you were focused, you were making eye contact and you were engaged. I saw your passion. I saw you writing all those notes.’ The main thing he said is, ‘When you do your thing, your obligation is to pass it down to the next generation of us.’”
Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is focused on playing for Israel in the upcoming EuroBasket tournament this summer, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net. “I am not currently thinking about the NBA. Playing for the national team of Israel is the most important honor for any player,” he said in a press conference, “Joining players I grew up with from the junior national teams is exciting. We have an amazing squad here, capable of great things. I will do everything possible to make this team successful.” Israel will face Iceland, Poland, France, Belgium, and Slovenia between Aug. 28-Sept. 4 in the preliminary round. “I am aiming for the top. I have always aimed for the top,” Avdija said.
Suns draft pick Rasheer Fleming found out during a pre-draft workout with the Trail Blazers how skilled Yang Hansen was. Portland wound up using the No. 16 pick on the Chinese big man. “They’ve been saying he’s the next Jokic,” Fleming told Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (Substack link). “He’s so skilled. We got to see all of that in the workout. He was on my team. He threw me some dimes. He can really pass.”

NBA Names Kyle Filipowski Summer League MVP, Announces All-SL Teams

July 22nd, 2025 at 3:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz forward/center Kyle Filipowski has officially been named the Summer League Most Valuable Player for 2025, the NBA announced today (via Twitter). Filipowski is also one of five players who earned a spot on the All-Summer League first team.

Here are the full All-Summer League teams, per the league (Twitter links):

First Team

Kyle Filipowski (Jazz)
Nique Clifford (Kings)
David Jones-Garcia (Spurs)
Jordan Miller (Clippers)
Terrence Shannon Jr. (Timberwolves)

Second Team

Ron Holland (Pistons)
Isaac Jones (Kings)
Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
Ajay Mitchell (Thunder)
KJ Simpson (Hornets)

Filipowski, who is entering his second NBA season after playing 72 games as a rookie, appeared in a total of six Summer League contests (Salt Lake City and Las Vegas). He averaged 23.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game. He especially excelled in Las Vegas, averaging 29.3 PPG and 7.7 RPG in three outings.

Clifford, a rookie drafted with the No. 24 pick last month, posted averages of 15.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals in six contests. Jones-Garcia, who is seeking a contract, finished an eight-game summer campaign with averages of 22 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He posted averages of 21.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in a handful of games in Vegas.

Miller (22.0, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists) racked up impressive number in five summer games after being waived earlier this month by the Clippers. Entering his second season with Minnesota, Shannon (22.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists) excelled in three contests.

After competing in the Summer League championship game on Sunday, both the Hornets (Knueppel and Simpson) and Kings (Clifford and Jones) had multiple players recognized for their play in Las Vegas. Knueppel was named the MVP of the championship game.

Fischer’s Latest: Simmons, Brogdon, Kuminga, Celtics

July 20th, 2025 at 10:32am CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings and Knicks appear to be the most likely destinations for Ben Simmons in free agency, Jake Fischer said in a recent Bleacher Report stream (hat tip to BasketNews). Simmons, who played 51 combined games with the Nets and Clippers last season, is one of several prominent veterans who remain unsigned.

“We are still anticipating the Kings to be bringing in another veteran guard, and Ben Simmons is on that list of potential targets, in addition to Russell Westbrook, to Malcolm Brogdon, and I think he’d make an interesting addition there,” Fischer said. “I personally think Ben Simmons would be interesting in Minnesota, but I haven’t heard that they have interest in him.”

Sacramento currently has 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, along with non-guaranteed deals for Keon Ellis ($2.3MM) and Terence Davis ($2.5MM), so there’s flexibility to add an established guard. The Kings are nearly $9.9MM below the first apron.

Simmons, 29, was a rotation player with Brooklyn before being waived in early February, averaging 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 33 games. His role was reduced once he joined the Clippers, but he still offers versatility and defensive upside.

Fischer shared a few more rumors in his stream:

The Bucks likely won’t pursue Brogdon after landing Cole Anthony, but Fischer said there’s still plenty of interest around the league in the veteran guard. Along with the Kings, he names the Pelicans, Timberwolves and Warriors as potential landings spots for Brogdon, who appeared in 24 games with Washington last season.
Fischer doesn’t believe the Warriors have enough interest in Bulls center Nikola Vucevic to make him the main piece in a potential Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade. Vucevic has an expiring contract, and Golden State is expected to fill its need for a stretch five by signing Al Horford. Chicago is among several teams that have expressed interest in Kuminga, but Fischer says the most likely scenario has him remaining with the Warriors on “a short-term agreement.”
The Celtics remain active on the trade market as they try to get their roster younger and cheaper, Fischer adds. He states that Boston had discussions with the Grizzlies recently, but doesn’t provide any other details. He states that rival teams believe the Celtics are trying to unload both Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang.

Celtics Notes: Norris, Gonzalez, Lillard, Scheierman

July 19th, 2025 at 6:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Miles Norris only appeared in three games after signing a two-way contract with the Celtics in early March, so he has tried to make a strong impression during Summer League, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The 25-year-old power forward had 11 points, including four dunks, in Thursday’s win over the Lakers. He said everything has been positive since he came to Boston, and he’s hoping to eventually move into a larger role

“The whole organization, you know, it’s been good to me,” Norris said. “Basketball has been enjoyable since I’ve been here, the environment has been great. So, you know, everyone’s having fun. I’m having a lot of fun. It’s good, I’m just trying to go out there and compete. I’m the two-way now, you know, trying to get work my way. Yeah, I’ve been enjoying it so far.”

Norris spent time with Atlanta and Memphis after going undrafted out of California Santa Barbara in 2023, but the Celtics gave him his first on-court experience. The organizati0n hopes he can develop into an effective three-and-D player, and he’s been instructed to study Michael Porter Jr. and Obi Toppin. He said he benefited from being part of a playoff atmosphere during the spring as the Celtics advanced to the second round.

“The thing I noticed was the preparation, before the court, off the court, you know, guys taking care of their body,” Norris said. “The real professionalism. That’s the biggest thing I’ve seen from the veterans you know. JT (Jayson Tatum), JB (Jaylen Brown), Al (Horford), I (saw) Al every day (last season) working on his body. It’s good to see guys you know, have that longevity, yeah, see how important it is. So I try to take some things from them every day, watch them every day. You know, try to follow them.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

First-round pick Hugo Gonzalez has been his own toughest critic during Summer League, Washburn adds in a separate story. The 19-year-old Real Madrid star could be seen talking to himself in Spanish after a few early errors in Las Vegas. “I’m just trying to have a positive message to my mind after a turnover or missed shot,” he said. “I’m trying to have the mindset of I’ve got to make the best decision on the next play. I try to live with the mistakes. That’s what basketball means.”
Appearing this week on NBA Today, ESPN’s Shams Charania said Damian Lillard gave strong consideration to Boston before returning to the Trail Blazers, per Brian Robb of MassLive. “Over a dozen teams made minimum and mid-level exception offers to Dame,” Charania said. “Two teams in particular, I’m told, that Damian Lillard really considered: Celtics and the Timberwolves. He held calls with both teams at different points, but to be in Portland, back home with his three young kids, was by far the most important factor in his return to the Trail Blazers.” Robb points out that Boston’s offer was limited to the $5.9MM taxpayer MLE and that signing Lillard would have required other moves to get below the second apron.
Baylor Scheierman is trying not to get discouraged by his poor shooting in Summer League, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive. Last year’s first-round pick is connecting at 27.4% from the field and 20.5% from three-point range. “Just keep shooting,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’ve practiced a lot in my career to get here, shooting-wise. I’ve shot a lot of shots in a game — made a lot of shots in a game. It’s just a slump that I’m in right now. At the end of the day, the only way I’m going to get out of it is to keep shooting.”

Damian Lillard Returns To Trail Blazers On Three-Year Deal

July 19th, 2025 at 5:40pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 19: Lillard’s new contract is official, the Trail Blazers announced in a press release.

JULY 17: Star point guard Damian Lillard is finalizing a three-year, $42MM contract to return to the Trail Blazers, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports that the deal is expected to feature a player option for the 2027/28 season and a no-trade clause.

Zach Lowe of The Ringer first stated (Twitter link) that the Blazers and Lillard had mutual interest in a reunion, with Bill Oram of The Oregonian reporting shortly thereafter that the two sides were in “deep discussions” about a contract and that Lillard was “strongly considering” a return to Portland.

Lillard is expected to miss the entire 2025/26 campaign after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in late April during Milwaukee’s first-round playoff series vs. Indiana. The Bucks waived the 35-year-old guard earlier this month and used the stretch provision on his previous contract in order to create the cap space necessary to sign Myles Turner.

It’s a stunning turn of events considering the contentious way in which Portland’s all-time leading scorer exited the franchise after he requested a trade two years ago.

According to Charania, Lillard met with general manager Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups multiple times in recent weeks to “bond” and hash out a new deal. Lillard’s family and children live in Portland and he considered it to be of the utmost importance to reunite with the organization and city, says Charania.

Lillard drew interest from several teams on the open market and had multiple offers for both the mid-level exception and the veteran’s minimum, sources tell Charania. The Timberwolves were among the teams that checked in on Lillard, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, though it’s unclear how serious those talks were.

NBA insider Chris Haynes hears (Twitter link) that Cronin and Lillard “made amends” at the nine-time All-Star’s house “weeks ago.” The goal is for Lillard to retire as a Trail Blazer, Haynes adds.

As Marc Stein of The Stein Line observes (via Twitter), despite not playing for the Trail Blazers for the past two seasons, Lillard is eligible for a full no-trade clause because he has at least eight years of NBA service time and spent at least four years with Portland. He spent his first 11 NBA seasons as a Blazer after being selected No. 6 overall back in 2012.

Lillard remained highly productive last season when healthy, averaging 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 58 regular season contests (36.1 minutes per game). Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right calf in March, and suffered the major Achilles injury in his third game back after a remarkably fast recovery from the deep vein thrombosis.