Reporter Shuts Down Chatter About Anthony Edwards' Future: 'No Truth'

It's been less than 24 hours since the Timberwolves salary dumped Julius Randle to the Nets on Monday night, and already, the most predictable of national media talking points has begun: Is Anthony Edwards going to want out of Minnesota? ESPN's Stephen A. Smith and Tim MacMahon brought up that idea on Tuesday, along with countless people on social media.

Frankly, it's rather absurd. There has never been any sort of indication that Edwards is unhappy with his situation in Minnesota. He has done far more winning than most young NBA superstars experience before turning 25. It's well known that his best friends on the Wolves are Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid, so the idea that Edwards would be upset about the Randle trade — which will empower those two in greater offensive roles — doesn't make much sense.

This just feels like the national media doing what it always does with superstars in smaller markets. It happened for years with Damian Lillard. It happened for years with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was finally dealt by Milwaukee on Monday night after 13 seasons. Now Edwards is the next target of the easiest, laziest talking point in sports.

Fortunately, we have people like Chris Hine, the Timberwolves reporter for the Minnesota Star Tribune, to provide a dose of reality. Hine, the author of a book about Edwards, wrote an article on Tuesday afternoon that should (but probably won't) shut down the noise.

"Multiple sources close to Edwards dismissed the chatter as just that," Hine wrote. "One said there was no truth to any of it. Another reiterated Edwards and his team love Minnesota, and they think being here, in this location with this franchise, is the 'ideal' situation. Yes, Edwards wants to remain part of a highly competitive team capable of winning playoff series and contending for championships. But there is faith in the team and in President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly to do what’s necessary to ensure that vision now and into the future."

Want another source? How about ESPN's own Kendrick Perkins, not usually a reporter, who heard the same thing as Hine when he made some calls on Tuesday.

"I'm coming on here as a reporter and I'm telling you that Anthony Edwards is happy," Perkins said on First Take. "I'm telling you right now, he has the belief in Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid and Ayo (Dosunmu). This is how he wants to rock. They have a certain type of brotherhood over there, and he believes that those guys are going to get better. I'm not saying it's not going to change come trade deadline, but I'm telling you, I had to make calls this morning ... that Ant-Man is cool and happy rolling with the guys he has in the locker room."

Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels, and Anthony Edwards in 2024 | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

To be clear, there is absolutely pressure on Connelly, moving forward, to make the right decisions and build a championship contender around Edwards. The optics of trading Karl-Anthony Towns for financial reasons, watching Towns win a title with the Knicks, and then salary dumping the main piece they got back in that trade are not great. Connelly also whiffed on the Rob Dillingham draft pick and let Nickeil Alexander-Walker leave, although Dosunmu was a solid NAW replacement.

Furthermore, it's fair to point out that if the Wolves' new ownership ends up not wanting to spend money and consistently ducks the luxury tax, that could become a problem for Edwards. But even after the Randle salary dump, it's far too early to jump to that conclusion. There's still a lot of offseason that has to play out for both Connelly and Timberwolves ownership.

Could Edwards, at some point, become frustrated if he doesn't feel like he can win a championship with the Timberwolves? For sure. But the idea that we're already approaching that point doesn't seem to be based in reality. Edwards loves his teammates, has played in ten playoff series in the last five seasons, and is under contract for three more years. When the 2029 offseason rolls around, no one will be able to offer him a bigger contract than the Timberwolves, with the way the CBA works.

There's no reason to panic about Edwards' future and his happiness in Minnesota, no matter what you might hear on ESPN or see on Twitter. The only thing worth paying attention to is the truth of the situation from people close to Edwards, which is that he has no plans to go anywhere anytime soon.

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