NBA Rumors: Rosas, Timberwolves, Gupta, Russell, Simmons, Noel

The primary reason for the dismissal of Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas was due to “performance reasons,” one high-ranking Timberwolves source told Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

However, Rosas also had a “consensual intimate relationship” with another member of the organization, which made others within the organization uncomfortable, as that ultimately factored into the timing of Minnesota’s decision.

Despite some of the long hours he had some of his staffers put in, Rosas didn’t give them much input into the decision-making process. Additionally, some members of the front office took issue with the light protections (top three) on draft picks sent the Warriors’ way in the D’Angelo Russell trade.

It’s worth noting that Rosas had backers within the organization, as some of them believed that the pandemic and stress that came with ownership change had more to do with the issues surrounding the organization than Rosas’ leadership style.

It’s also worth noting that Karl-Anthony Towns, their franchise star, missed 51 of a possible 136 games these past couple of seasons, Russell missed about two months after getting arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in February, and Malik Beasley missed significant time last season due to a suspension related to a police charge and a hamstring injury.

With that being said, Rosas never got to see the three best players on his roster play together for an extended period of time.

Still, many people around the team believed his reign was best described as dysfunctional, so ownership decided it was time to make a move.

“It’s hard,” one member of the organization who followed Rosas to Minnesota after he was hired said. “He’s not who I thought he was.”

More NBA Rumors

• New interim president of basketball operations Sachin Gupta is well-regarded by the team and has a real shot of earning the permanent job. Gupta sought a move to the Rockets for a similar job with higher pay, but Rosas blocked him, which led the two to “butt heads.” Rosas later defended the move, saying it wouldn’t have been a promotion, and the draft and free agency was too close to let a top executive with so much knowledge of Minnesota’s plans join another team. Rosas eventually banished Gupta from entering the team’s offices in August, which ultimately allowed him to seek employment elsewhere, but Gupta decided to stay after ownership intervened.

• Some player agents took issue with Rosas’ negotiating tactics, with Jordan McLaughlin being the prime example. Rosas reneged on promises made to McLaughlin about his role following the acquisition of Patrick Beverley. “Rosas was the cause of mishaps and pulled his promises,” the source said regarding the situation.

• Rosas’ decision to hire Chris Finch from the Raptors after firing Ryan Saunders midseason didn’t sit well with many people within the organization. Many within the organization didn’t like how internal or minority candidates weren’t considered. Many were also upset about the decision to let Zarko Durisic go, as he’d been a scout with the organization for over two decades.

• Rosas “worked feverishly” to get Ben Simmons to Minnesota, as many believe internally that he’d be the missing piece on this roster. It’s unclear how much interest Gupta has in Simmons at this time.

• Nerlens Noel has filed an amended complaint vs. Rich Paul, Sports, Entertainment, & IP Lawyer Darren Heitner relays. It includes an October 2017 letter from his prior agent’s (Happy Walter) counsel, stating that the decision to reject the Mavs $70m offer “placed Noel at serious professional and financial risk.”