Edwards Back at Shooting Guard for Timberwolves After LaMelo Ball Trade

The summer trade that brought LaMelo Ball from Charlotte returns Anthony Edwards to his natural spot as Minnesota opens camp, a year after injuries limited him to 61 games.

MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards met reporters at Target Center on Monday with a lighter job description for the coming season. The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired LaMelo Ball from Charlotte over the summer, giving coach Chris Finch a point guard and clearing the way for Edwards to return to his natural spot at shooting guard. Training camp opens Tuesday.

Last season took a toll on the Wolves' centerpiece. A hamstring injury slowed him early and problems with both knees bothered him late, holding him to 61 games, the fewest of his career. Minnesota advanced in the NBA postseason for a third year running, yet nothing about the team, Edwards included, felt quite right all season.

Finch pointed the finger at himself once it was over. Installing Edwards at point guard shortly before last year's camp, he conceded, was a rushed decision that dragged down the play of several players.

Edwards never saw himself in the role anyway. "I never thought I could develop any point guard skills," he said Monday. "Finchy harps on me passing the ball, but now we've got LaMelo so I'm happy."

The upgrade carried a cost. To complete the deal for Ball, Minnesota parted with fan favorite Naz Reid, the one player on the roster whose tenure predated that of Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, his classmates in the 2020 draft. "I'm going to miss Naz, for sure. That's my brother, but I'm super happy about the changes in the locker room," Edwards said. "Just a bunch of different mentalities, personalities. I think it's going to mesh well together."

Cohesion has been the theme of the offseason. The Wolves judged their biggest weakness a year ago to be a persistently sour mood, and they have responded by prioritizing enjoyment and togetherness. A team trip to France last month, arranged by France native Rudy Gobert, gave the reshaped locker room a chance to bond — "speed dating for all the new guys," as president of basketball operations Tim Connelly put it.

Edwards, heading into his seventh season, has been at the center of the push. The team's group chat, he noted, has "been going crazy" as camp approached. "In the past years we didn't really spend time with each other in the summer," Edwards said. "It was like everybody was going and doing their own thing. If we want to win, we've got to start early. We've got to actually get to know each other. We've got to like each other and we've got to want to help each other."

McDaniels, as familiar with Edwards as anyone in the room, sees a leader coming into his own. "He's going to always keep it real with you, even if you're having a bad night or even if he don't want to hear it," McDaniels said. "He's going to let you know, so that's something I respect about his leadership, and he always leads by example, too."

On the court, the implications are straightforward. Freed from primary ball-handling duties, Edwards should face fewer of the traps and blitzes aimed at lead guards, get more chances to work off the ball — one of his strengths — and stay fresher for the shutdown perimeter defense Minnesota has long believed he can supply. "Now I've got LaMelo," Edwards said. "I've got a point guard, so I don't got to really bring the ball up at all. I can go to the corner for three, four plays in a row and just guard the best player."