The Minnesota Timberwolves fired president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas on Wednesday and promoted Sachin Gupta to the role.
“Today, the Minnesota Timberwovles parted ways with President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas,” Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor said in a statement. “As an organization, we remain committed to building a winning team that our fans and city can be proud of.”
Later in the day, the Timberwolves announced that Gupta would replace Rosas while maintaining his current role with the organization.
“Given the leadership changes announced earlier today, Sachin Gupta will assume basketball operations oversight while remaining Timberwolves Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations,” Taylor said. “We are committed to staying aligned to achieve our short-term goals and reach our long-term vision.”
Gupta is the first person of Indian origin to run an NBA team.
Shortly after news of Rosas’ firing broke, All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns took to social media to presumably offer his thoughts on the news.
The Timberwolves, who posted a 23-49 record last season, are in the midst of change at the top. Former baseball star Alex Rodriguez and entrepreneur Marc Lore were named as the new part owners of the Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Lynx in July.
Rosas was hired as Minnesota’s president of basketball operations in May 2019 after a 16-year stint with the Houston Rockets, with whom he served his final five years as vice president of basketball operations. He also briefly served as the Dallas Mavericks’ general manager in 2013.
The Timberwolves reportedly are a top suitor for Ben Simmons, a three-time All-Star guard with the Philadelphia 76ers.
ESPN reported Tuesday that Simmons will not report for the start of training camp next week and intends to never play another game for the 76ers.
–Field Level Media
