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Chris Mannix: So something I've heard owners asking is how much did this cost them? So we'll see. Ballmer in this interview said largely what I expected him to say. Now it comes down to an NBA investigation. how rigorous that investigation is and just how much proof the NBA needs to believe this to be true. Like, they're never going to find a smoking gun. They're never going to find the kind of evidence that existed back in 2000 when the NBA dinged the Timberwolves for what at the time was five first-round draft picks. They voided Joe Smith's contract. They suspended Glen Taylor and uh Kevin McHale.
If the trade deadline is approaching and the PG situation isn’t getting better, what trade(s) would you pursue if you were Tim Connelly? — @nrcslim Jon Krawczynski: It is hard to put a name on that right now because we don’t know which teams will be playing well and which teams will be stumbling. What I do know is that if point guard is not solidified and the rest of the team looks primed for another deep playoff run, Connelly will not hesitate to pull the trigger on a big trade. That is the way he’s built these Wolves, and it won’t stop now. Maybe the Spurs would part with De’Aaron Fox if things aren’t going well there, though the money would give me pause. Maybe one of the Jones brothers could be had in Chicago or Orlando.
Could Joan Beringer start in the G League to get more minutes under his belt, or do they want him around the NBA staff and players? — @TripShakespear Jon Krawczynski: The Wolves love what they’ve seen from Beringer in his early days here. I think he will see some time in Iowa to get some run and ease into things since he doesn’t turn 19 until November. But Connelly and general manager Matt Lloyd made it clear after they drafted him that he was going to spend plenty of time with the big club this season. They think he can play on defense right now. Given the Wolves already have Gobert, Randle and Reid in the frontcourt, it is hard to see where the minutes would come unless there was an injury or foul trouble. Just ask Luka Garza. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sprinkled in here and there just because of that defense
NBA investigation will include interview with Kawhi Leonard
Shams Charabia: The NBA told me that their investigation is underway, and it will most certainly include interviews with key subjects, as part of both the Clipper side, Kawhi Leonard himself, this company and the league's investigation at the heart of it is going to be searching for concrete proof, a potential paper trail to show whether there was cap circumvention done. And just for context here, the previous case of cap circumvention in the NBA was about 25 years ago. It involved the Minnesota Timberwolves and Joe Smith in a paper trail of an illegitimate free agent contract.
Dan LeBatard: But this has the potential to be the biggest salary cap crime that we've seen. Pablo Torre: Yes. Yes. $28 million. And that, by the way, for the T-Wolves in that era in the '90s, five first-round picks, suspensions for the owner of the team for Glenn Taylor as well as other punishments down the line. But this this as tied into again an ongoing SEC DOJ investigation into fraud by this green bank, this climate change friendly company whose biggest investor or at least the most important, influential, notable investor was Steve Ballmer who put in $50 million of his own money. I mean, this is not merely a story about salary caps or circumvention. This is now a question that the seven sources I spoke to are asking. What else did Steve Balmer know about this?
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Irish guard CJ Fulton agrees to deal with Minnesota
CJ Fulton says he wants to "make the most" of the opportunity he has been afforded after agreeing to sign a contract with NBA side Minnesota Timberwolves. The 23-year-old will return to the United States in September to link up with the franchise for pre-season after debuting for the Timberwolves in the NBA Summer League.
NBA star Naz Reid returned to his home state of New Jersey to host an exclusive youth basketball camp. The two-day camp was created for standout youth athletes in grades 8 to 11.
“They're super young, super talented as well, so you want to do off the court stuff too, along with on the court stuff... These guys are tremendous young kids, trying to be at the highest level in the NBA or even overseas, whatever the case may be. Those tools go a long way," Reid said. Reid says he wants to inspire the next generation with lessons that go far beyond the game, using pivotal moments from his life.
Matthew Caldwell is stepping down as the business operations president of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and accepting a 10-year deal as CEO of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx. The teams announced the deal. Caldwell will begin overseeing “day-to-day business operations and high-level strategic initiatives for the Timberwolves, Lynx, and (the G League’s) Iowa Wolves” on Sept. 2.
Tim Connelly opts into his Timberwolves deal, remains for two more seasons
Tim Connelly’s contract had an opt-out clause for this summer, meaning he could have exercised the option and become a free agent, making himself perhaps the most sought-after lead executive on the market. Or he could have opted out and negotiated a new contract with the Timberwolves, getting a raise after helping build a team that has reached heights this franchise has never before seen. Instead, he is opting in on the original five-year deal he signed in 2022. That means he is under contract for two more seasons with the Wolves, team sources told The Athletic.
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It is a significant win for the Timberwolves. Connelly is widely considered one of the best front office leaders in the league. There were at least four teams that approached him over the last two summers to see if he would consider leaving the Wolves, team and league sources told The Athletic. But Connelly rebuffed every one of them. He also declined to use that interest as leverage for a new deal, a move many in his shoes likely would have made.
Jalen Williams: I was getting Joe Ingles comps coming into the league
Who were some of the NBA comparisons you were hearing coming in? Like, when you were hearing, “Okay, it’s time. I gotta leave now”? Jalen Williams: They weren’t really what made me leave, but I got guys like Joe Ingles. Joe, man — Joe’s my boy. It’s funny — me and my team were like, “Ain’t no way they thought he was no damn Joe, bro!” I gotta find the thing… yeah, yeah. Joe’s the homie though — salute to Kill. Yeah, he was a good chiller. Yeah, Joe... I got Joe Ingles. Me and my trainer — when I got drafted — he gave me Joe’s trading card, just as a joke. But I think my ceiling was like Harden, and then they were saying I played like Joe Ingles. So that was mine too, coming out of college.
Cavaliers, Pistons, Timberwolves, Knicks interested in Malik Beasley
League sources say that four primary teams have been in contact with the sharpshooter's representation in hopes that Malik Beasley can eventually be signed. They are Cleveland, New York, Minnesota and the incumbent Pistons.
I'm told Brogdon has also been on the radar for both the Knicks and the Timberwolves, which (as noted above) are two of the teams that have been monitoring Beasley's status. Word is that the Wolves are also actively trying to work through the financial details involved in re-signing Bones Hyland.
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