Milt Newton's tenure as general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves was short due to the passing of Flip Saunders and the franchise's subsequent decision to give total control to Tom Thibodeau.

Newton said it’s “a little disheartening” to lose the job that he’s confident he would still have if Saunders were alive.

Since his dismissal from the Timberwolves, Newton hasn’t been approached by an NBA team for any executive positions. He said he is not opposed to being an assistant general manager and is open-minded in search for a comfort level and good fit with his next job.

The NBA has only one African-American general manager in Dell Demps of the Pelicans while Masai Ujiri was born in Nigeria.

“Joe Dumars won when he was in management,” Newton said. “Billy Knight won when he was in management. You want to believe that when you do a good job and you’re successful that it’s all that really matters. But it may not necessarily be like that 100 percent. I don’t know what they’re doing to try to get back in.

“It might sound funny when people hear this, but I believe my fate rests in God. And if it’s to be, then I’m going to be back in management. I am going to get back in management. Maybe my fate is to move into another avenue in sports to have an impact on people I’m supposed to have an impact on. Until that happens, I’m going to continue to work on people that I can continue to have an impact on, to keep my faith in the person who has the world in [his] hands.”