Photo Evidence

Bleacher Report claims to have two pictures of the couple that night, along with more dirt on the entire situation. After the two were together at the soccer match, word of Gersson Rosas affair spread through NBA backchannels “like wildfire”.

Ownership was made aware of Rosas’ transgressions with the staffer when team officials were provided with photographic evidence of their connection, sources said. It seems few if any in Minnesota and around the league had general knowledge of Rosas’ relationship until Wednesday, when the news quickly spread throughout the organization, and to rival team personnel, like wildfire.

Rosas and the woman, each of whom is married, were seen kissing in a suite during a Minnesota United FC game last Saturday at Allianz Field​​, sources said. The soccer club was told to reserve luxury seating for several Timberwolves players and personnel, including assistant coach Pablo Prigioni. Two seats were filled by Rosas and the staffer. 

Those pictures have been obtained by Bleacher Report. One photograph is a close-up shot, clearly showing Rosas and the woman sitting beside one another in light blue cushioned seats, behind the suite’s protective plexiglass. A second photograph follows, where the two have leaned towards one another for a romantic embrace.

Jake Fischer – Bleacher Report

The photos mentioned haven’t hit public circles yet. In fact, it appears that Bleacher Report is the only site reporting access to them. Or, they’re the only outlet willing to write about it. Wolves assistant coach, Pablo Prigioni, is the only other person mentioned as present that night in the luxury suite. That, in itself, seems odd.

If anything else comes out, this blog will be updated or another one will be written.

Divisive Atmosphere

Bleacher Report is the latest outlet to make known that Rosas’ affair only rushed the inevitable. There was way too much friction in the top ranks for that regime to survive, especially through an ownership change. Other executives around the league started to ask question in July. The Timberwolves hosted a four-day pre-draft workout where Gersson stayed as far away from his staff as possible.

When the Timberwolves co-hosted a group predraft workout in July for 48 players over four days, it was open to attendance for all 30 teams, and rival team officials observed how Rosas never joined his own Minnesota staff during the event. While they all congregated in a section of the Target Center, sources said, Rosas instead spent the majority of the time on the opposite sideline with then-Jazz executive vice president Dennis Lindsey, a mentor dating back to their shared days in Houston and whose Jazz co-hosted the event. 

Jake Fischer – Bleacher Report

Just your latest reminder that not everything is how it appears. Nice words don’t make nice people.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Rosas Affair?

Multiple reports are being filed tonight, saying that Gersson Rosas was having an affair with someone inside the organization. Here is one paragraph of a scathing piece written by The Athletic tonight. Other outlets, including WCCO and the Star Tribune have reported the same things.

With a handful of days before the start of training camp, people across the NBA were stunned by the Timberwolves parting ways with Rosas. It was clear the heap of issues, from office morale to the lack of success, had decayed the Timberwolves’ front office and sources say those were the driving force behind the move. But why now? In recent days, the organization discovered that Rosas, who is married, had a consensual  intimate relationship with a member of the organization, The Athletic has learned from multiple sources. It made several people within the organization uncomfortable, sources said. While this was not the reason for Rosas’ dismissal, it certainly impacted the timing.

The Athletic

WCCO’s Mike Max says based on conversations, Rosas is out for two reasons: a culture he created that allegedly was toxic, and for an “inappropriate relationship” inside the organization.

WCCO (CBS)

More details needed

Unconfirmed internet rumors name Rosas’ executive assistant as his affair partner. Who knows how long Rosas would have lasted, had his affair not reached Glen Taylor in recent days. There’s little doubt, however, that this was “the final straw” and why the hammer came down today.

We’ll wait for even more details to come out on this situation because there’s a lot to unpack. Even if it’s frowned upon by most, an extra-marital affair isn’t usually your employer’s business. Unless the other person involved is a direct subordinate, which appears to be the rumor here.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The story was broken by The Athletic and has been corroborated from every other outlet since. Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, Sachin Gupta, will take over as interim PoBO.

Just in: The Minnesota Timberwolves are parting ways with president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, sources tell me and @JonKrawczynski.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 22, 2021

Minnesota Timberwolves EVP of Basketball Operations Sachin Gupta is expected to be promoted to the franchise’s interim head of basketball operations, sources tell ESPN. The Timberwolves are planning to conduct a broader search to find a permanent replacement for Gersson Rosas.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 22, 2021

What happened?

We aren’t yet sure what straw broke the camel’s back or what exactly sent Rosas packing. But local insiders on Twitter are unsurprised, apparently. They say the palpable dysfunction within the Minnesota Timberwolves front office was pretty well-known.

Outside of Darren Wolfson (KSTP) reporting on his “The Scoop” podcast that “things aren’t Kumbaya” at Mayo Clinic Square, there was little reported about a dangerous level of friction between Glen Taylor and Gersson Rosas. KAT’s obviously shocked like we are.

Both of us tried to tell folks it wasn’t the Kumbaya family feel so many wanted to believe. Wonder if Gers will even get the $$ left on his deal?!? Oh, so much to unpack!!

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) September 22, 2021

Whoa, telling us that things aren’t “Kumbaya” isn’t the same as “things are so bad that top heads could be chopped right before training camp, including the POBO”.

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 22, 2021

There’s dysfunction everywhere. Hard to report some of the specifics in this case without on-the-record. But, and I know you listen, you’ve heard me mention some of the dysfunction.

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) September 22, 2021

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for Ricky Rubio during the November 2020 NBA Draft, everyone celebrated. The prodigal son was returning.

Then, the season started and reality dropped on this franchise like an anvil in a cheap 1990’s Saturday morning cartoon.

Now, we are 35 games deep and you couldn’t have dreamed up a bigger disaster. Karl-Anthony Towns was hurt for a good chunk of the early games and then D’Angelo Russell went down right before KAT returned. DLo has now been a Wolf for over one year but he and his best-KAT-friend have only played five games together.

Better with Karl but not good enough

No matter the excuses, the Wolves 7-28 record sits last in the NBA. Poor play led to the poorly-timed firing of Ryan Saunders, which has rubbed many the wrong way. Throw in a bunch of legal trouble for Malik Beasley, who is now suspended for 12 games, and you really couldn’t make up a worse start to this season.

The Wolves have been better since Karl-Anthony Towns returned to the lineup but it hasn’t led to wins. The losses have, in fact, gotten worse since Chris Finch took over but that shouldn’t be a surprise (more on that shortly).

But fans are done with the excuses… and they aren’t the only ones. Ricky Rubio had a few licks of the success popsicle when he left town for a few years and he didn’t return so he could lose another heap of games in a Wolves uniform.

Just ask him…

Ricky Rubio, thank you for the brutal honesty. #Timberwolves #RaisedByWolves pic.twitter.com/krdm5acWZy

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) March 1, 2021

I can’t blame Rubio for how he feels and I appreciate his honesty. There isn’t a Minnesota Timberwolves fan out there, who’s been around since the KG era, that still follows this team like they did 15 years ago. You can’t. There isn’t a hole dark enough to handle that depression.

Trust the P-Rosas?

If Ricky is this concerned about the culture Gersson Rosas is building… then I am concerned too. I really think these comments are damning and I’m not sure how the Minnesota Timberwolves front office will take them.

But when the dust settles on 2021, Rosas isn’t going anywhere. And because of that, even if he wasn’t trying to, I think Ricky Rubio asked to be traded last night.

I’m not saying Rubio is wrong. But if Rosas believes in the culture he is building, which I hope he does, then how can he keep someone like Rubio around? He pretty much just threw Rosas’ entire “process” under the bus.

Others on the team have noted the upbeat nature that most are keeping even through all the turmoil. Even the most critical fans/experts understand the heartbreak KAT has dealt with this offseason and the aftershock that seems obvious from afar.

That’s before you even get into the shit-storm a blind Chris Finch was walking into when he was hired in unprecedented fashion just last week…

Rosas is going to get one more season after 2021, no matter how sideways things get. We’ll know a lot more about where things are heading this time next year. It just doesn’t sound like Rubio is willing to wait that long.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota Timberwolves are perhaps the worst sports organization in America. That’s barely an exaggeration. Their incompetence over the years is laughable, so it only makes sense that this midseason coaching change would be a disaster too.

But, that doesn’t mean it was.

When Ryan Saunders was fired and replaced by a 51 year old white man, criticism should’ve been forecast. The NFL has the “Rooney Rule” just to avoid situations like this, where there might be a less than diverse hiring process.

On the surface

Why not give David Vanterpool a chance? He’s certainly earned it and the standard mid-season firing/hiring process would normally elevate a qualified assistant, to interim head coach for the remainder of this season. Nobody’s been promoted to head coach off another team’s bench since 2009 and that was a much different situation.

So yes, on the surface it’s easy to see why people were upset with how the Chris Finch hiring process went down.

How the hell do you not hire David Vanterpool and he’s right there on the bench… and has been in front office SUCCESSFULLY and on the front of a bench of a winning team SUCCESSFULLY (7 years) … and also has played a major role in the development of a dominant backcourt smdh!

— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) February 22, 2021

Someone should tell him that might not be the best move.

Last night the Timberwolves played a game, fired their head coach, and then hired a new coach all in one evening, without giving their lead assistant @DavidVanterpool even a shot at the job. Here's why players like @Dame_Lillard & @CJMcCollum are so upset about that: pic.twitter.com/TnfPpIIGbB

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) February 22, 2021

But, the Timberwolves did nothing wrong when they hired Chris Finch, beyond forcing an awkward “The Bachelor” style private flight home from New York, for Ryan Saunders.

Finch was probably Rosas’ guy the first time around.

Chris Finch isn’t just the next random white assistant who Gerrson Rosas pulled out of his hat of prejudice. This has been in motion since Rosas was forced decided to hire Ryan Saunders as “permanent” head coach in 2019.

Finch was interviewed back then and finished runner-up to Saunders. Gersson Rosas can sell us whatever he wants about the previous hiring process but his quick trigger on Finch gives away Taylor’s involvement in the Saunders hiring back then. Ryan wasn’t Gerss’ guy, he was Glen’s guy. Gerss’ guy is Chris Finch and that’s clearly who he wanted all along.

Let’s talk David Vanterpool

David Vanterpool was brought in when Ryan Saunders was hired, to be the main coach on defense. I understand much of the Wolves defensive flaws are on the individual players. They’re bad at defense and there might not be a coach out there who can help.

But with that said, it’s tough to call Vanterpool a defensive mastermind given the numbers the Wolves have put up in his time here. In 2019-20 the Wolves had the 10th worst defensive rating and this year, with a new roster, the Wolves are the 9th worst. It’s entirely possible that Rosas has lost faith in Vanterpool, as a head coach. Maybe he never had it. We’ll never know.

At the end of the day, Saunders needed to be fired and if Rosas was going to hire Finch eventually, why waste half a season with Vanterpool as HC? The Wolves are a disaster and Rosas’ seat is getting warm. If he’s going to go down with this ship, he should get to hand pick his captain.

I get it, but Rosas has wanted Finch to be his coach for quite a long time. He finally got permission from Glen to do it, so he did.

Sure, Vanterpool is right there, but why waste another half season if Rosas knows who he truly wants? https://t.co/Q25BRbi6Uz

— Cooper (@CoopCarlson) February 24, 2021

Finch and Rosas go way back

The main reason Rosas was able to bring Finch in midseason was because of their lengthy history. The two of them started together way back in 2010, coaching the D-League Rio Grande Valley Vipers to a title. They then worked together in Houston and are now reunited in Minnesota. It’s likely that Rosas has always seen Finch as his future coach, should he ever run a team.

I appreciate that Gersson Rosas knows what he wants. Why give an interim false hope or allow time for your guy to get away? Timberwolves fans have waited a long time for this organization to be relevant again and this duo gives them a good chance.

NBA fishing for team to “make example of”

Overall it just seems like the NBA, and those around it, were looking for something like this to happen so they could bring attention to the lack of minority coaches in their league. The Timberwolves aren’t against bringing in a minority coach. Rosas is Latino and preaches diversity as much as anyone. Many members of the staff are minority, including his right hand man Sachin Gupta and the aforementioned Vanterpool.

The NBA certainly needs more minority coaches, but attacking the Minnesota Timberwolves front office of all teams, just doesn’t make sense and holds no weight.

Cooper Carlson | Minnesota Sports Fan

If you peruse around the sports world, you will recognize a narrative being pushed when hiring head coaches. The world wants us to believe that teams are best off finding a young and progressive mind that will better relate to younger players.

When the Minnesota Timberwolves fired Tom Thibodeau, the organization envisioned a revised culture and a youthful identity. They certainly accomplished that when they hired of Ryan Saunders, the youngest head coach in NBA history.

Gersson Rosas and the new-age Timberwolves front office was trying to lead the progressive movement. But anytime this franchise tries to be a leader, it usually ends in a nightmare instead.

Many felt Ryan Saunders wasn’t ready yet for the big time, which I’d agree with. Others felt Saunders was dealt a bad hand, only able to coach KAT and DLo a total of five games during his tenure. I’d agree with that as well.

But more importantly, Glen Taylor and Gersson Rosas failed to recognize what this team truly needed at the head coach position, which was experience and style.

The Timberwolves went 43-94 under Ryan Saunders (since Jan. 8, 2019). That is the 3rd-worst record in the NBA over that span, ahead of only the Knicks and Cavaliers.

Saunders only got 5 games with Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell playing together. pic.twitter.com/j1iJNlgiiV

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 22, 2021

Go younger they said…

Executives have become married to the idea that the closer in age the coach is to their players, the more relatable the environment. But reality fights back at that narrative. The Thunder and Grizzlies are currently the only two NBA teams with head coaches under the age of 40, in Mark Daigneault and Taylor Jenkins. In fact, less than half of the league’s coaches (12) are under the age of 50.

Going “young” is subjective. I agree, you don’t want to bring in a basketball dinosaur who hates the modern NBA game. But you also don’t want a 33-year-old who doesn’t have the experience and isn’t ready to raise a young talented team into its prime.

In hindsight, finding someone in the middle would’ve been ideal. Instead, Rosas and Taylor went with Saunders, which was asking too much of the young homegrown kid. He wasn’t ready and it showed.

Nuggets Story vs Wolves Story

A team I constantly think about, when tracking the trajectory of this Minnesota Timberwolves team, are the Denver Nuggets, who were in a similar position a few years back. In 2018, Minnesota eliminated Denver to clinch its first playoff berth in 17 years.

Think about how the Nuggets have transcended since that point and how the Wolves have digressed. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have solidified themselves as one of the best duos in basketball. Karl Towns and D’Angelo Russell have solidified themselves as injury prone. Above it all though, Mike Malone has brought experience and configured the right style to Denver.

Nikola joins Alex English and David Thompson as the only players in franchise history to be selected to three straight #NBAAllStar games! #MileHighBasketball https://t.co/LyjuhcjVXP

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) February 19, 2021

Take a look at the rosters around the association and you’ll find the Wolves have more talent on their roster than the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic. Yet, all five teams have a better record. Why?

Next up…

After the firing of Ryan Saunders I came away with two things. Saunders was in over his head at his age and certainly wasn’t given the most ideal situation to win in. The Wolves wanted to be progressive and flopped.

Now, the Minnesota Timberwolves turn to 51-year-old Chris Finch. A coach who won an NBA D-League Championship, a D-League Coach of the Year winner and an assistant in the NBA for 10 years.

We’ll see how hindsight plays out for him.

Stephen Strom | Minnesota Sports Fan

A couple hours after the Minnesota Timberwolves and Ryan Saunders lost to Tom Thibodeau and the New York Knicks, Saunders was fired by Gersson Rosas and immediately replaced by Chris Finch, an assistant out of Toronto.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have dismissed coach Ryan Saunders, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 22, 2021

The Timberwolves and Finch expect to have a multi-year deal finalized on Monday, sources tell ESPN. Minnesota plays Milwaukee on Tuesday.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 22, 2021

Hiring a coach off another staff during the season is uncommon, but Toronto wouldn't stand in the way of Finch's chance to become a head coach now. Finch had success as a G-League head coach, and has interviewed for several head coaching jobs in recent years.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 22, 2021

This has been a long time coming, and it appears Ryan has been on his way out the door for awhile now. Players have been talking about and defending Saunders’ job for weeks and now we know why.

The surprise came when Rosas immediately called Finch and hired him away from Toronto, something that is completely out of the norm for NBA teams. Normally, Gersson would have named an interim head coach already on the Wolves bench to finish the season, before conducting a full search in the offseason.

Instead, Finch was given a full-time, multiyear contract. It all happened so fast…

Who the hell is Chris Finch?

Buy all your Anthony Edwards, Malik Beasley, D'Angelo Russell, Jaden McDaniels, and Karl-Anthony Towns stock right now. https://t.co/gh0oWIwH4F

— Jack Borman (@jrborman13) February 22, 2021

Chris Finch was D-League Coach of the Year in 2010 for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Gersson Rosas was the Vipers GM.

Rosas also interviewed Finch for the Timberwolves job last year.

Finch had always been my presumed next-coach-in-Minnesota if Rosas were ever to make a move. https://t.co/D0o1GFwsAn

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) October 13, 2020

Chris Finch and Gersson Rosas have a bunch of history together. They spent time together in Houston, while Rosas was in the front office and Finch was an assistant coach. Finch even coached their G-League team (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) in 2010, with Rosas as his GM.

Since then, he has been a coach for the Nuggets (2016-17), the Pelicans (2017-20) and the Raptors this year, before being hired in Minnesota last night. It’s well-known around Timberwolves insiders that Finch was atop the shortlist of future coaching candidates Gersson would consider. As it turns out, he was the only one on the list. Read more about Finch HERE.

Nick Nurse, the head coach of the Raptors, was quoted saying this about Finch, who is known as one of the best offensive minds in all of the NBA. If you like offense (you do) then you’re going to like what Finch does with KAT and the rest of this talented Minnesota Timberwolves team.

“He got the most out of his talent. His teams played super hard. His teams played super hard. And he won. He won.”

Nick Nurse

The backlash

A lot of people seem to really like the Chris Finch hire. Others really don’t (most notably, Damian Lillard). But there are plenty of people just dealing with the shock of the abnormal. Again, hiring a coach off another team midseason is completely “outside the box” in the NBA.

How the hell do you not hire David Vanterpool and he’s right there on the bench… and has been in front office SUCCESSFULLY and on the front of a bench of a winning team SUCCESSFULLY (7 years) … and also has played a major role in the development of a dominant backcourt smdh!

— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) February 22, 2021

Vanterpool, a current Wolves assistant, was the obvious choice as an instant replacement. But Rosas obviously knew who he wanted to hire and wasn’t willing to wait. If you’ve placed your trust in Gersson Rosas then you let him make this hire. If he knew who he wanted, then the sooner the better. It does make you wonder who hired Ryan Saunders in the first place, however…

Honestly, it can’t hurt to bring a fresh face into the mix. And I stand by that, no matter what Dame Lillard thinks about me.

He barely been apart of the organization https://t.co/ocToza9rI9

— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) February 22, 2021

Cooper Carlson | Minnesota Sports Fan

Gersson Rosas and the Minnesota Timberwolves shocked the local basketball world when they brought Ricky Rubio back to Minneapolis via trade, during the 2020 NBA Draft.

Both Ed Davis, who was also traded to Minnesota on draft night, and Ricky got on a Zoom conference with Gersson Rosas, Ryan Saunders and media this morning. During the call, both Rubio and Rosas talked about prior interest in each other that dates back to last offseason when Rosas took the job and Rubio was a free agent.

Ricky Rubio back to the #Timberwolves was clearly just a matter of time. pic.twitter.com/PFEp1XrQKG

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 1, 2020

Clearly, Gersson likes what the friendly Spaniard brings to a Timberwolves table full of (hopefully) rabid scorers, but low on defense, leadership and distribution. I can’t blame him. Rubio is elite at two out of those three categories, even if his defense is a bit overrated.

An overrated (but still good) defender will upgrade a Minnesota club that may have to score 150 points to win. They need any and all help they can get on that end of the floor.

Seriously, the fairy-tale nature of this trade makes you overlook how much real sense it makes.

The perfect fit

Minnesota badly needed a gel-piece to help feed all of the (hopefully) rabid scorers in the lineup. Rubio fits that mold better than just about any puzzle piece in the league. But, that doesn’t mean Rosas and Co are getting a watered-down version of a younger Ricky Rubio. In fact, they’re getting quite the opposite. After leaving the Wolves, Ricky improved as a player, specifically his shooting.

Whether he starts or not, Rubio vowed to help this team in any way possible. As of right now, leadership is at the top of this team’s priority list. This is a Timberwolves franchise desperately craving the type of front-line leader that Ricky is.

His constant positive energy and never-give-up attitude is a meatball right into the wheelhouse of what Gersson Rosas is trying to build, after Tom Thibodeau and Jimmy Butler blew the entire organization to smythorines before being traded and fired.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Minnesota Timberwolves POBO, Gersson Rosas, has done a lot of interviews, since winning the #1 overall pick for the upcoming NBA draft a couple weeks ago. He’s clearly been chatting with basketball heads over at The Athletic, while making his media rounds.

Earlier this week, The Athletic’s national draft guy, Sam Vecenie, slid LaMelo Ball up his draft board all the way to #1. Sam admitted in the article, that Ball’s rise was one of the biggest reasons for updating his board. That must mean Vaceni has some hot info linking the Wolves to Ball, right?

Wrong.

The Wolves are going to think of this pick as an asset that could be moved in the future, even if they have to use the pick and if the player doesn’t quite fit with this core.

So who do they rate as the top player? No one is particularly sure at this juncture. But my guess is Ball makes a lot of sense as the guy they think has the highest upside.

Sam Vecenie – The Athletic

In Other Words…

If Gersson Rosas is forced to pull the trigger on someone come draft night, Vecenie is leaning toward Ball because he has the highest upside, as far as future trade value. In other words, we’d be looking to “Andrew Wiggins” LaMelo out of town.

Even before he talks about Ball at #1, Vecenie starts by qualifying his move. In summary, he doesn’t think there’s much of a chance the Minnesota Timberwolves actually make this pick. Sure, whoever is drafted might wear a Wolves hat for some pictures we can make fun of later. That will be the extent of his Minnesota career, however.

First, there is a feeling around the league that Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas will explore every conceivable option with this pick, including a multitude of trade options. Not only has Rosas already proven himself to be one of the more aggressive heads of basketball ops in the NBA, but also the executive team in charge is also one of the more creative ones in executing deals. Remember: the team’s vice president of basketball ops, Sachin Gupta, created the damn trade machine on ESPN. I would not be so sure that the Wolves end up making this pick at No. 1. At the very least, they’re going to see if anyone is willing to meet whatever they set as their asking price.

Sam Vecenie – The Athletic

New Era

It’s going to take a little while before I get used to how aggressive Gersson Rosas is. Whenever reminded of the front office Rosas has put together and what he’s accomplished in his short time here, hope creeps in. Could the Wolves really swing a blockbuster for someone like Devin Booker…?

It almost seems like one of those — “anything they put their minds to” — kind of things. That’s a blog for another day, though.

What Does Jon Krawczynski think?

Vecenie isn’t the only writer at The Athletic, who is being led down the trade path by Rosas and the Minnesota Timberwolves front office. “One of us”, Jon Krawczynski seems convinced that’s the route Gersson is heading too.

The conventional wisdom won’t stop Rosas, Gupta and the Wolves front office from exploring the market. With three picks in the top 33, they have plenty of ammunition to try to move around. Whether he was in Houston or Minnesota, Rosas is used to being the one burning up the phone lines trying to trade up in the draft. You can’t get any higher than No. 1. Now that he is sitting on top of that mountain, he is liking the view.

Jon Krawczynski – The Athletic

Earlier this week, Gersson Rosas talked to Christopher Hine of the Star Tribune. During the interview, he couldn’t stop talking about how worthless this #1 pick was, when compared to what the Wolves already have in Towns and Russell. Now, every NBA writer at The Athletic is convinced the pick will be traded.

So, fuck it. Let’s see some fireworks and see where the dust settles.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota Timberwolves won the draft lottery, securing the number one overall pick in this upcoming draft. It appears likely that Gersson Rosas will be doing everything he can to land a superstar for that pick, but it’s not that simple.

As we have all heard many times this offseason, the upcoming draft doesn’t have that “number one” guy, like Zion Williamson. Of course, that makes the pick less valuable because the top three or four picks are all similar talents. It’s unlikely anyone gives up a guy like Booker or Simmons, for a package centered around the Wolves’ #1 pick, so Rosas will have to get creative. Luckily, he has shown he can do that.

Last trade deadline, Rosas made a ton of moves that were overshadowed by the D’Angelo Russell acquisition. Here is a list of everyone that went in and out of the Minnesota Timberwolves roster.

Somehow, Rosas managed to get rid of the robust franchise anchors that were Andrew Wiggins’ ($29.5 million through 2023) and Gorgui Dieng’s ($16.5 million through 2021) salaries. Both seemed impossible to move out, for the longest time. 

Here is an example of just one realistic “outside the box” idea, that Rosas could use to complete his quest for a third superstar. Here is a look at the current draft order for 2020.

First: Trade down and acquire assets

The #NBADraftLottery order is complete ?

The @Timberwolves have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft! pic.twitter.com/J3B5tpekRS

— NBA TV (@NBATV) August 21, 2020

Example: Timberwolves trade the #1 pick to the Knicks for the #8 pick and their 2021 first.

Now the Timberwolves take someone at 8 and they have an excellent first round pick next year. Here’s where it gets a bit complicated. The Wolves now own the #8 pick, an almost guaranteed top 5 pick in 2021 along with their current assets. 

Perhaps now you can start looking for that third guy to pair with Towns and Russel. Do the Suns accept this trade?

Devin Booker for the #8 pick in 2020, the Knicks 2021 pick (likely top-5), Jarrett Culver, James Johnson, and Omari Spellman. 

Of course someone like Ben Simmons or Bradley Beal could be involved in the same type of package. 

I don’t think the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to acquire their third superstar with the assets they currently hold. Rosas might have to orchestrate one or two trades before going all in on Booker/Simmons/Beal/(whoever you keep getting mad at me for forgetting about). It can be done, but it won’t be easy.

Maybe I’m wrong and Booker pulls a Jimmy Butler act to get out of Phoenix immediately, but that seems unlikely right now. 

Towns and Russell will need that third guy if the Wolves really want to make some noise in the west. Maybe it doesn’t happen as soon as we’d like, but you can bet Rosas will do everything he can to seal a deal.

——————————————————————– Let me know what you think either via email or on Twitter. Thanks!

Cooper Carlson | Minnesota Sports Fan