RealGM Basketball Wiretap

04 June 2023

• Anthony Edwards Expected To Leave Klutch For WME

  Anthony Edwards is expected to sign with WME for representation, sources told Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.

  Edwards was previously a client of Klutch.

  Edwards is eligible for a max contract extension this offseason.

• D'Angelo Russell Sought Four-Year, $100M Extension With Wolves

  D'Angelo Russell was reportedly looking for a four-year extension worth around $100 million when he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources told Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports.

  Russell was acquired by the Lakers in February. He struggled in the playoffs and scored just 25 points total in the Lakers series against the Nuggets.

  Despite the struggles, sources added that Russell was viewed as a positive presence around the team.

• D'Angelo Russell: I Would Love To Stay With Lakers, I Would Have Loved To Stay With Wolves

  D'Angelo Russell returned to the Los Angeles Lakers at the deadline ahead of his free agency. Russell wasn't surprised the Minnesota Timberwolves decided to trade him after giving up Andrew Wiggins and a first round pick to acquire him in 2020.

  "I felt they couldn't pay me, so I kind of expected it," said Russell. "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."

  Sam Amick of The Athletic asked whether Russell asked for a trade from the Wolves.

  "No, I never asked out," said Russell. "Never. I just felt that (I wanted out) in my gut. I never spoke on it. I never showed that; I just felt it. That's all."

  Russell was asked whether he wants to re-sign with the Lakers.

  "I would love to stay here, but I would have loved to be in Minnesota too," said Russell. "So wherever my feet are, that's where I'm gonna be."

• Mavericks, Timberwolves To Play In 2023 Abu Dhabi Games

  The NBA announced that the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves will play in the 2023 Abu Dhabi Games. The Mavs and Wolves will meet in preseason matchups on October 5 and October 7 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

  The Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks played a pair of preseason games in the Arabian Gulf ahead of this past regular season. The NBA and Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi have entered a multiyear collaboration to increase the NBA's visibility in the United Arab Emirates.

• Anthony Edwards Cited For 3rd Degree Assault For Chair Incident

  Anthony Edwards was cited for third degree assault after he allegedly swung a chair that struck two employees following the Minnesota Timberwolves' Game 5 loss at the Denver Nuggets.

  Third-degree assault is a class one misdemeanor in the state of Colorado and is defined as "knowingly or recklessly" causing bodily injury. If convicted, Edwards faces possible jail time and a fine of up to $1,000.

  The incident occurred as Edwards headed toward the Wolves' locker room after the loss and swung a folding chair.

  The injuries were not serious.

  "We are aware of the alleged incident regarding Anthony Edwards following Game 5 in Denver and are in the process of gathering more information," the Wolves said in a statement released Wednesday night. "We have no further comment at this moment."

• Kyle Anderson Out Game 5 With Eye Injury

  Kyle Anderson will miss Game 5 against the Denver Nuggets with an eye injury.

  Anderson suffered the left eye and facial contusion in Game 4 after getting hit by Anthony Edwards.

  Anderson is averaging 8.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 26 minutes for the series.

• Play-In Tournament Averages 2.64M Viewers Across ESPN, TNT

  The Play-In Tournament averaged 2.64 million viewers across ESPN and TNT, the NBA announced on Monday.

  The viewership represents a 5% increase from last year.

  The league also reported 441 million social media views across all platforms, up 63% from last year.

  Friday night's game between the Timberwolves and Thunder averaged 2.5 million viewers on ESPN. The earlier game between the Heat and Bulls averaged 2.2 million viewers on TNT.

• Timberwolves-Lakers Play-In Game Averages 3.47M Viewers On TNT

  Tuesday night's play-in game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers averaged 3.47 million viewers on TNT.

  The viewership stands as the second largest in play-in game history, only trailing the Lakers game against the Warriors from two years ago. It was also the second most-watched game of the season on cable, trailing the Lakers-Warriors game from opening night.

  Wednesday night's Thunder-Pelicans game averaged 2.86 million viewers.

  In the Eastern Conference, the Hawks-Heat matchup averaged 2.25 million viewers on TNT. The Bulls-Raptors game averaged 2.18 million viewers for ESPN.

• Rudy Gobert Suggests He Probably Wasn't Healthy Enough To Play At Lakers, Status For Friday Uncertain

  Rudy Gobert was suspended by the Minnesota Timberwolves for their 7/8 Play-In game at the Los Angeles Lakers, which they lost after blowing a 15-point lead.

  Gobert said he probably wouldn't have been healthy enough to play the Lakers anyway.

  "Still pretty sore, still not moving like I would like to be able to move, but small progress every day," said Gobert.

  The Wolves said the air had long been cleared before Gobert rejoined them on the floor Thursday.

  "We both apologized to each other and you move on. That's life," Gobert said. "It's different when you have millions of people all watching videos and have an opinion on things that happened, but that we can't control. What we can control is the respect that we have for each other and our relationship."

  Gobert's back trouble had him listed as questionable for that game against New Orleans on Sunday

  The Wolves aren't sure if Gobert will play on Friday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

  "I hope so. I really can't say," Chris Finch said. "But we haven't ruled him out."

• Jaden McDaniels Out Indefinitely With Two Broken Bones In Hands, Will Be Placed In Cast

  Jaden McDaniels has been diagnosed with fractures of his third and fourth metacarpals. McDaniels suffered the injury punching a wall in the first half of Sunday's game.

  He has been placed in a cast and will be out indefinitely.

  In 79 games (all starts) this season, McDaniels averaged career highs with 12.1 points on 59.1% shooting and 1.9 assists, along with 3.9 rebounds per game.