The NBA dropped the hammer on the Clippers for hiding money under the salary cap, and every Wolves fan felt a cold flashback. Five first-round picks gone — the exact number Minnesota lost 26 years ago.
The Links
- Dunking With Wolves: Kawhi Leonard punishment puts Clippers in a brutal spot the Timberwolves know well — the Clippers forfeit five first-rounders (2029-33), a $30M fine and suspensions, echoing Minnesota’s Joe Smith reckoning.
- Scoop B: Joe Smith reacts to the NBA’s historic Clippers penalties — “I think that’s pretty fair” — the original cap-circumvention centerpiece weighs the Clippers’ fate against his own, and notes Kawhi’s reps actually got held accountable.
- TWolves Blog: Kawhi Kept His Money. Joe Smith Never Did. — our own look at how two decades changed who pays when a team games the cap.
- Sports Illustrated: WNBA Finals odds at the World Cup break — Lynx set as odds-on favorites — Minnesota (31-9) sits at -120 with the league’s best net rating heading into the resume.
- NBC: Team USA’s FIBA World Cup roster and schedule — Napheesa Collier headlines the Berlin squad, which opens Friday, Sep. 4 vs. China (7:15 a.m. CT, TNT).
- TWolves Blog: Olivia Miles’ MVP Case Is Real, Rookie and All — the rookie just claimed her fourth straight Rookie of the Month; our case for why the Team USA snub won’t age well.
Listen & Watch
- Locked On Wolves: Ben Beecken — Sep. 3, the daily pod on the Clippers ruling and what Minnesota’s own history says comes next.
Tweet of the Day
https://x.com/JonKrawczynski/status/2095246644350521583
The Slate
- No Wolves or Lynx games in the next seven days — the WNBA remains on its FIBA World Cup break.
- Lynx (31-9) return Thursday, Sep. 18 at home vs. New York; four games left with the No. 1 overall seed still in reach.
- Wolves next up: training camp opens later this month ahead of the Oct. 21 opener at Miami.
