Don’t be surprised if head coach Ryan Saunders and General Manager Scott Layden are back with the Timberwolves next season.
Adrian Wojnarowski says Minnesota is “finalizing plans” to keep both key personnel going forward.
The Timberwolves plan to open up a search for a new President of Basketball Operations. That person will lead the basketball department and help decide on GM Scott Layden and coach Ryan Saunders, league sources tell @TheAthleticMIN. No decisions have been made.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) April 10, 2019
Saunders, at 32 years old, is the youngest head coach in the NBA. He’s 17-24 since taking over following Thibs’ ouster in January, with the final regular season game slated for Wednesday night in Denver. Signs have been pointing to Saunders keeping the job for awhile, including a report from Marc Stein in March. That was due in part to Saunders’
“impact on and the buy-in from Towns.”
Layden returning might be more of a surprise.
He was brought in by Thibodeau, with the two seemingly joined at the hip.
Stein suggested Wolves owner Glen Taylor might be interested in Chauncey Billups or Calvin Booth (formerly with Minnesota, now in Denver) as a Layden replacement.
Jon Krawczynski and The Athletic, however, says no decision has been made on either Layden’s or Saunders’ future with the organization.
The Timberwolves plan to open up a search for a new President of Basketball Operations. That person will lead the basketball department and help decide on GM Scott Layden and coach Ryan Saunders, league sources tell @TheAthleticMIN. No decisions have been made.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) April 10, 2019
According to The Athletic, Taylor will lead a search for a new president of basketball operations – and that person will have some say in whether Layden and Saunders return.
“The team plans to announce on Wednesday morning that it will begin the search for a new president of basketball operations, league sources told The Athletic. That person will be brought in to reshape the front office, help owner Glen Taylor make decisions on the long-term fates of GM Scott Layden and coach Ryan Saunders and unite an organization that has been fractured for years.”
With a loss in the season finale Wednesday night Minnesota would clinch the 10th-worst record in the NBA, giving them a 13.9% chance at landing a top-four pick in the May 14 NBA draft lottery.
