According to a piece by Zach Harper at The Athletic, it was early in Jimmy Butler's first season with the Minnesota Timberwolves that he realized Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins weren't good fits for him.

“Nobody gives a [expletive] what you did in college once you get to the NBA,” a source close to the Timberwolves told The Athletic. “Karl failed to recognize that everybody is good in college. Look at (Carmelo Anthony). Bro won a (national championship) at Syracuse. He’s scrutinized at the NBA level as some sort of loser by some folks. KAT didn’t even do that at Kentucky.”

Some sources around the team posit the moment being in line with a Dec. 12 game against the Philadelphia 76ers in which Towns was thoroughly outplayed by “rival” big Joel Embiid. 

Butler was entering the final season of his contract and wanted an assurance he would get a max contract in free agency. With that seeming unlikely after the Wolves had already committed approximately $300 million to Towns and Wiggins, he began angling for a trade.

Butler infamously led a third string unit to a victory over the starters. Butler defended Towns and maybe took one shot attempt.

“Jimmy didn’t need to lead by scoring that day,” a team source said about that practice. “He wanted to lead by being the toughest MFer in the room. He put on a show and it was uncomfortable for a lot of people.”

Malik Beasley was arrested in Minnesota for marijuana possession and receiving and concealing stolen weapons, reported Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

The 23-year-old, who was arrested on Saturday night, was released from jail on Sunday with no official charges.

“At the time of the incident, multiple individuals were present at the residence. The allegations against Malik will be defended vigorously," Beasley's attorney Steve Haney released in a statement to The Athletic. 

Police have reportedly received multiple trespassing complaints to Beasley's home in the past, according to sources.

“We are aware of the situation involving Malik Beasley and are in the process of gathering information at this time,” said the Timberwolves in a statement.

Beasley will be a restricted free agent after the end of this season. 

Beasley averaged 20.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in 14 games since getting traded to Minnesota. 

Juancho Hernangomez will miss the next two weeks of the Minnesota Timberwolves' voluntary workouts due to filming Adam Sandler's latest movie.

“He’s chomping at the bit to be here. He didn't realize when he signed up for the movie that we were going to have the bubble," said Gersson Rosas.

Hustle, the Netflix-produced film, revolves around an overseas scout searching for talent. 

Hernangomez, who was traded to the Wolves during the season, is currently a restricted free agent. 

Josh Gershon, a scout and analyst for 247, is joining the Minnesota Timberwolves organization.

Gershon will take on a draft preparation and player personnel consultant role, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The Timberwolves have the #1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. 

Facundo Campazzo could leave Real Madrid for the NBA this season with the Minnesota Timberwolves considered the most likely team, per Marca.

Campazzo is a 5'11 point guard from Argentina. Pablo Prigioni is an assistant coach with the Wolves.

The Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs are also referenced as possibilities. 

Glen Taylor has long sought local buyers for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he hasn't had any success on that front. Taylor is hoping the next ownership group of the Wolves will keep the team in Minnesota.

Taylor's explored putting language into any agreement that would include steep financial penalties for moving the franchise. But it remains unclear how effective that type of language would actually be in tying the Wolves to Minnesota. 

Taylor, at 79, views the Wolves and Lynx as part of the legacy he will leave behind long after he is gone.

The Wolves' lease at Target Center runs through 2035, but it contains a buyout that costs just $50 million and would be considered affordable for a group motivated to relocate. 

Arron Afflalo is leading an investment group in talks to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx.

Afflalo is partnering with entrepreneur Jay Bloom and several other investors to purchase a purchase the teams from Glen Taylor. Affllalo's playing experience and relationships across the league would aid the transition into the NBA for a group of prospective owners that do not have sports ties, and Bloom helped recruit the financial backing to make a serious bid.

Afflalo's group first expressed interest in July, but Taylor entered a 30-day exclusive negotiating agreement with Daniel Straus. The exclusivity has since expired without an agreement with Straus, opening the door for Afflalo’s group to make a push. 

The Straus Group remains interested in completing a deal, but talks have stalled.

Taylor has sought assurances from prospective owners that they won't relocate the franchise from Minnesota.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are expected to listen to offers for the first overall pick, sources tell Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.

Without a clear consensus top pick in this draft, the first selection could be worth more to another team than it it is to Gersson Rosas. 

"The consensus around the league is that this will simply be a value play for Rosas, not necessarily one based upon a specific timeline they want to adhere to," writes Vecenie. "Remember: Rosas and executive vice president Sachin Gupta come from the Houston school of thought under Daryl Morey, where they think of most assets in regard to trade value. If they decide an offer is good enough, the thought is he’ll take whatever he thinks is the most valuable for the organization long-term, versus the one that will help them win this year. Maybe it’s player capital, maybe it’s additional draft capital in a trade down."