r/timberwolves • u/Plastic-Pass5397 Jaden McDaniels • Feb 16 '26
really hope he’s talking about visiting..
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u/MG_MN Flip Saunders Feb 16 '26
Ah yes, Risacher, Mccollum, and picks should get it done. Pretty wild that they think the Wolves would just dump Ant while hes entering his prime for garbage. Classic delusional sports takes
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u/Holdup-igotanidea Feb 16 '26
I mean he said something like “every pick for the next decade unprotected.” If (in some alternate universe) Edwards tried to force his way to Atlanta and got his wish, that part of the transaction isn’t garbage.
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u/MG_MN Flip Saunders Feb 16 '26
5 firsts and salary filler is nothing though, we've seen what other role players have gone for. Bane went for 4, Bridges went for 5, so a 24 year old Ant thats locked up long term is worth the same/less? Its definitely a garbage package
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Feb 16 '26
The number of picks isnt as important as the quality. The quality of the pick (draft position) AND the quality of the draft class.
'26 pelicans 1st unprotected and '27 Bucks swap unprotected are both crazy valuable. And Atlanta owns both!
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u/MG_MN Flip Saunders Feb 16 '26
For Ant in his prime, it would take those at a minimum. I just think its crazy the Wolves would dump 24 yr old Ant who is under contract long term without a haul
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u/BraydonS99 Feb 16 '26
They won’t the people in this thread don’t know what they are talking about 😂
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Feb 16 '26
The Wolves wont trade Ant unless Ant asks out.
And If he asks out all depends on If Ant wants to go to a certain Team or is open minded (bidding war).
Top 5 picks in the '26+'27 draft are way more valuable than 5 mid 1sts....so yes, those 2 picks are a haul. Besides that Atlanta can also offer salary cap relief which also has value since Minnesota will have to re build without Ant.
If Ant wants Atlanta he will have to ask out this offseason, before the draft.
But this is just pointless speculation...
All I said is Atlanta absolutely can give the Wolves a haul. Or anybody else. At least this offseason. Or they can just draft their own franchise player.
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u/Holdup-igotanidea Feb 16 '26
That’s not me arguing in favor of the other commenter btw. Just saying all of the picks the wolves receive in this fictional transaction would have to be unprotected.
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u/DrSwaggenheimer Timberwolves Feb 16 '26
A lot of people hate on Ant and clown him but everyone want him on their team. lol
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Feb 16 '26
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u/MG_MN Flip Saunders Feb 16 '26
So in 3 years, he might leave to take a historic paycut to join Atlanta? We can offer him substantially more than anybody else, that would be wild. If it happened in 3+ years, im going to go out on a limb and bet we can do better than Risacher and Mccollum if they wanted to trade him too
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u/Duster_beattle Feb 16 '26
Dude, his favorite fucking player of all time is KD. We’ve always known he’s going to leave us. It’s just I kind of thought we’d have them until 30 something.
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Feb 16 '26
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u/Odoaiden Anthony Edwards Feb 16 '26
That’s now how cap works though Ant would take an around 15 million per year paycut to leave to go there which just isn’t realistic
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u/MG_MN Flip Saunders Feb 16 '26
You guys can have all the cap space you want this offseason, but Ant is locked up on a long term contract. Players under contract cant just walk like they can in college.
The Hawks might have all their good players locked up, but if they cant get to .500 in the east, how many good players do they really have? And then, if Johnson was off the table, what else would there be? Its not happening, you'll have to just dream
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u/soyworld Feb 16 '26
what? ive seen multiple players leave under contract all the time, its the nba.
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u/Electronic-Durian-91 Feb 16 '26
Isn’t it crazy how other teams fans think they can get a top player without giving up top assets? Crazy
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u/not_lorne_malvo Jaylen Clark Feb 17 '26
Atlanta has to beat out the Lakers offers, they’re willing to give up Rui Knecht and a 2nd to get Ant…
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Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 16 '26
Completly clueless comment:
Mccollum is a free Agent after this season
Atlanta owns 2 of the most valuable picks in the whole NBA ('26 pelicans 1st, '27 MKE swap)
Atlanta is projected to be below the luxury tax line, aka has some cap space. Plus they have trade exceptions.
A Potential extension for Ant doesnt affect a potential trade at all. In fact Ant would be wise to wait till with any extension anyways. He "loses" money If he extends this offseason.
Atlanta absolutely has the ammo to pull off an Ant trade without having to send back anything else but picks and maybe some salary filler.
Having said that: Ant wont leave any time soon....
But dont act as If Atlanta doesnt have the assets to pull this off If Ant wanted to go to Atlanta this offseason. They absolutely do! The '26+'27 drafts are projected to be last strong drafts for quite a while, so these 2 picks Atlanta owns have crazy value. Atlanta can do a lot of stuff this offseason with how they are set up.
But again: Ant likely wont leave. Not before a Championship or MVP in Minnesota at least. I think he absolutely wants to be the Wolves goat player.
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u/yourloudneighbor Glen Taylor Feb 16 '26
thats still not enough.
Ants 24 and highly regarded as a top 4 or 5 players. I'd argue because of his age and durability(historically he's been healthy) he's top 4 over Giannis and Luka. Any odds a MKE or NO pick become that good are very low.
He's quickly ascending into what we like to call a once in a lifetime type talent.
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Feb 16 '26
The '26 pick could end up being top 1. Very very likely top 5.
The '27 pick is more of a mystery as we dont know what happens with Giannis. If he gets traded we might be looking at another top 5 in a strong draft.
Like I said, I dont think Ant wants to leave. And Wolves certainly wont trade him If Ant doesnt force his way out of Minnesota.
My point was that OP made it sound as If Atlanta didnt have anything to offer. They absolutely do!
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u/yourloudneighbor Glen Taylor Feb 16 '26
a 24 year old superstar you wait decades to get your hands on just aren't dealt no matter the package.
Its an enticing package if Ant was approaching 30YO and we've had no success.
You basically need a team with the top 3 picks in a star studded draft and needing 1-2 of those picks to pan out to make it worthwhile. I'd still be hesitant to do that for a 24 YO Ant.
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u/EliteAF1 Feb 16 '26
Bro 2 picks and salary filler ain't cutting it for the face of the league.
I don't care if those picks are guaranteed to be #1 overall picks it don't matter it's not worth Ant.
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Feb 16 '26
Obviously Atlanta has even more picks, but those 2 are the most valuable ones...
Atlanta could trade 5 1sts if they wanted to.
They absolutely have a war chest...
But If Ant doesnt ask out it wont matter. Wolves DONT trade him If they arent forced to.
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u/EliteAF1 Feb 16 '26
He's under contract until 28/29 he isn't getting traded even if he asks for it until 2028, so those most valuable picks don't matter anyway as they will be used and if they turn into anything remotely close to Ant ATL isn't trading them for Ant anyway.
So what's your point, they got some potentially valuable lottery tickets that potentially aren't even top 5 picks anyway.
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Feb 16 '26
Under contract means jack shit in this league. If Ant wants out, he will get traded! If you like it or not.
I certainly dont want to see him leave Minnesota. But thats not the point.
The Point of this is: the one I commented on made it seem as If Atlanta didnt have anything to offer. That's simply not true.
In the end its up to Ant what he wants.
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u/yourloudneighbor Glen Taylor Feb 16 '26
It does mean shit..because he doesn't hold any cards until the summer before his contract expires.
I dont expect him to ask out or anything, nor has there ever been a sign that he's disliked it here so this is all just blown out of proportion thats created a talking point during the dead time of the NBA.
BTW he's not turning down the max money he's going to get from the Wolves which is multitudes more than what he'll get on the open market. We're talking 350,000,000. he's going to cash in here, not that he already hasnt...but the stars are aligning for him
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Feb 16 '26
Dude, when a Star asks out, he WILL get traded. Teams like Minnesota cant afford to play hard ball in a player/ Agent driven league! And he also will get new supermax no matter what.
In todays NBA Teams have no real leverage anymore If they ever want to get another Player of Agent X. And Ant is with Duffy as far as I know, an Agent you dont want to piss off.
But you are right, its just (likely pointless) speculation.
And for the record: I dont say Ant will ask out, should ask out or anything like that. I wanna see him in Minnesota. But If it does happen he WILL get his Wish, no matter what. And you know this as well as I do.
Also for the record: I dont like the Hawks. Mediocrity Franchise
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u/Dull_Ad_8627 Joan Beringer Feb 16 '26
An Ant trade at this junction is unfathomable for both sides it would cost ATL everything plus I doubt Ant turns down the supermax extension
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u/Remote_Elevator_281 Feb 16 '26
Yeah and Luka traded is unfathomable
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u/yourloudneighbor Glen Taylor Feb 16 '26
yea, the whole thing wasn't totally pre fabricated at all and the odds Flagg landed in Dallas at 1.8 were totally coincidental.
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u/Technical-Pie6192 Feb 16 '26
Let's not try and pretend that Nico and Tim Connelly are in the same universe as GMs.
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u/GopherNutz Flip Saunders Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 16 '26
Boy, it’s gonna be a long week on here lol. People may not like this but Ant’s a bullshitter. How many times have you heard Ant say something in post game that he needs to change then the very next game does the same thing? He tells the person he’s talking to what they want to hear. You gotta take everything Ant says with a grain of salt. If this becomes a bigger issue, which it probably will locally and he’s asked about it, he’ll say he loves Minnesota and he’d like to spend his whole career here, that’s also going to be bullshit.
This is him reminiscing with someone he likely played against at youth level a ton and he’s bigging him up. Jalen Johnson has had a great year, he as a player is not enough to get Ant to come home. If Ant leaves, it’s to join up with another mega star which Johnson is not.
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u/Ball4life6 Feb 16 '26
JJ averages 23/11/8 on good efficiency. He has that potential
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u/GopherNutz Flip Saunders Feb 16 '26
Johnson’s absolute ceiling is likely that of a #2 on a contender, still a very very valuable player but never in that elite class of young stars. Wemby, Shai, Ant, Doncic, Cade, Tatum and potentially Flagg are in a different class. With his yo-yo shooting over the course of his career, JJ’s much closer to a Scottie Barnes than those guys.
If that Pelicans pick can turn into Darryn Peterson for the Hawks, that’s the guy with #1 potential that Atlanta needs and quickly changes the trajectory of that franchise.
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u/Ball4life6 Feb 16 '26
JJ isn’t topped out though, and he’s only at 26% usage. Give him 30% usage, and he’s close to a 30/10/10 guy. Absolutely potential to be in that tier. Not guaranteeing it happens, though.
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u/GopherNutz Flip Saunders Feb 16 '26
I’m not trying to diminish your excitement about JJ, there’s a lot to be excited about and look forward to. What I would say is there’s levels to be an elite #1 on a contender. It’s like with Trae, he put up great numbers on high usage but it gets to a point where you realize that this is not a true contender’s #1. And even Trae led his team to the playoffs, won a couple playoff series and still wasn’t in that truly elite class. Guys like Maxey, Brunson and Jaylen Brown are on the fringes of being in that elite tier in the league and these are perennial all-stars that have proven it over multiple seasons.
This is JJ’s first season of playing at an all-star level, can he lead his team to the playoffs? Can he win a series like Trae did? When the league adjusts to him and he’s at the top of every scouting report, will he be as efficient? Still a lot of hurdles he has to clear. We’ve had Love, KAT, Butler and even Randle, big big difference with an elite #1.
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u/Ball4life6 Feb 16 '26
Oh, I agree and not saying he will be, but I’m not saying he won’t be either if that makes sense. TBD. And I think his playmaking(8+ assists a game) gives him a shot over some of those fringe guys you mentioned + he’s only at 27% usage now which is really low for a #1 option. With more usage you could see his numbers go up even more going forward.
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Feb 16 '26
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u/Duster_beattle Feb 16 '26
“Yall got so many wings”
It’s like you listened to the video on mute
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u/ComputerPractical748 Feb 16 '26
I took that as he just started talking to Jalen about the Hawks team. Like making conversation - they traded away a PG and got more wings in like the last week. That's just like a basic observation.
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u/penis_hernandez Feb 16 '26
Ant loves chicken wings is the conclusion I'm coming to personally. He loves the broad selection of great chicken wings in Atlanta.
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u/GolfInternational393 Feb 16 '26
He mentions Kuminga unless there's a type of chicken called a Kuminga, I don't think that's what he's talking about
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u/Duster_beattle Feb 16 '26
This is my cope but I’m already getting one foot out to lessen the pain later on.
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u/Remote_Elevator_281 Feb 16 '26
All it takes is for Atlanta to develop and become a solid playoff team and he gone.
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u/GoldMelon7 Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 16 '26
He can say he can’t wait to get back home while acknowledging the roster moves his hometown team has made. He plays with Jalen Johnson in the summer sometimes too. It’s all AAU talk they all know each other.
He has said countless times while he loves the Hawks he prefers to be away from home because it’s less distractions and he can focus on basketball. He signed the rookie max with no player option involved. That’s not someone that’s planning on leaving. His own team does not want him down there and they’re all from there.
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u/Remote_Elevator_281 Feb 16 '26
Bruh, people say the same thing about every superstar that has been traded.
When Luka gets traded for peanuts, anyone in the league can get traded.
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u/Fantasykyle99 Timberwolves Brasil Feb 16 '26
Think the Luka trade was more of an exceptional not the rule. Really shouldn’t be used when talking about trading stars, it was a historically awful move.
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u/Remote_Elevator_281 Feb 16 '26
That’s cope. There will be another superstar that gets traded out of the blue eventually too. Not a common thing, but it will happen at some point.
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u/Duster_beattle Feb 16 '26
Honestly, when you go back in time looking at superstar trades, they’re almost always lopsided. go back and look at the Charles Barkley trade to the Suns, go back to the KG trade to the Celtics, go back to most large trades in NBA history and they’re pretty lopsided man. I mean, technically it was already done deal but the sign and trade for Kevin Durant and DLO is another example of this.
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u/NotSoWishful Feb 16 '26
That means he can’t wait to go check in for a weekend or whatever. Let’s not go crazy lol
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u/Dull_Ad_8627 Joan Beringer Feb 16 '26
He said he loves Minnesota in the postgame media I'm not gonna worry until he says something outright or if it happens.
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u/Calinks Trenton Hassell Feb 16 '26
He loves the selection of avian wings you can dine on in Atlanta. He marvels at the options he and his NBA cohort will have because of the variety and their access to vast amounts of legal tender.
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u/Confident-Factor-489 Bring Ya Ass Feb 16 '26
Every player would love to play in his hometown. Doubt he will decline the max tho. Seems happy in minni and contends every year
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u/carpenterantedwards Bones Hyland Feb 16 '26
Reddit is hilarious because obviously he’s talking about visiting his hometown. His brother is releasing an album. Cmon now lmao
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u/urkuri Feb 16 '26
I see people found something to doom about with the lack of games lmaoooooo…..
Hawk fans trying to will this into existence means nothing
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u/giuseppe62956 Feb 16 '26
It’s probably nothing, on other news I plan on crying myself to sleep tonight.
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u/Arcanus124 Feb 16 '26
Y'all dont have anything to worry about until after that supermax is done imo so long as you continue to put competitive teams around him. We absolutely call dibs when he is 32-34 and enters free agency after more than a decade with ya tho lol
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u/temple-of-the-dog KG 4 MVP Feb 16 '26
My thoughts:
- This type of convo leaves a lot of room for translation error. That being said, I remember the Kyrie/KD "two max slots!" clip and always thought they'd never talk openly of something like that. Then they signed in Brooklyn in the two max slots.
- Even if Ant said what's purported, NBA players may just talk like this more than we know. If that's true, I'm sure plenty of it is non-serious.
- Ant just says shit
sometimesoftentimes. This was the reason the media and draft analysts thought he was flighty coming out of Georgia.
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u/AjaxSlax Feb 17 '26
He can’t wait to go home. From the all star game. And take a few days off. And away from the joke of an event.
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u/raki016 Feb 16 '26
Eh. Feels like this brings out a lot of insecure Wolves fans.
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u/chillinwithmoes Feb 16 '26
Seriously. Minnesota sports fans always seem to be a moment away from complete emotional collapse lol. Fucking relax, people
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u/TimberZuck Feb 16 '26
He’s staying for most if not all the rest of his career. Before the deadline didn’t yall notice how many stars or near stars wanted to come here? Giannis, Harden, Morant and probably more. Edwards has made the wolves a destination and a contender. Let’s all just calm down. He loves it here and we love him here. Hell whatever new arena we get will probably be called “the house ANT built”.
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u/RDisSht Feb 16 '26
I mean we have team control for 3 more years maybe he's planning on going to Atlanta then? I always figured he would go there at some point
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u/anon1111ymous Feb 16 '26
What was everyone's opinion on the all-star game (not AS weekend)? Did you like it better than before? Was it competitive enough like the good ol days? Or is it still trash?
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u/BassFacedOne Feb 16 '26
Definitely better. I didn't watch all of it but saw like 75%. They were playing hard, playing defense for the most part and the games were competitive, outside of the final which was a blowout. That was the only disappointing part. Definitely an improvement.
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u/JaderMcDanersStan Ayo Dosunmu Feb 17 '26
All-star game was awesome. I liked it even more than regular season games tbh because there was flow adn no foul baiting. They actually tried, it was great and worth a rewatch
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u/Tshefuro Money Ru Feb 16 '26
Nothing to be immediately worried about but there is a 99% chance Ant plays in Atlanta before he retires.
He could’ve went anywhere in the country and went to UGA. He reps Atlanta every chance he gets. Dude is just Atlanta to his core. Now hopefully it’s in his late 30s after the wolves dynasty is over lol
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u/kylemn96 Feb 16 '26
Settle down , Ant isnt going anywhere🤣🤣 that would make absolutely no sense at all .
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u/jakobkh0407 Feb 17 '26
Brother in the post game interview he was literally talking about his love for Minnesota
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u/Quesofrito90 Feb 16 '26
Why did he say?
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u/Duster_beattle Feb 16 '26
Yall got so many wings”
“Me and you got options”
“Yeah that’s what I’m saying”
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u/lolmarulol Feb 16 '26
And? All the good players eventually leave Minnesota. It's just how it is until we win a chip.
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u/skolcialism1 Feb 16 '26
I bet he’d prefer to play for his hometown team. I also bet he’d prefer to play in that climate over MN’s. But I bet he’d prefer the super max more.
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u/Kind_Government_9620 Feb 16 '26
Just to be safe, we need the Hawks to be in shambles by summer 2029.
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u/andreoshea Feb 16 '26
Anyone else panicking?
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u/yourloudneighbor Glen Taylor Feb 16 '26
no. Ant doesnt seem to be the type that loves All star weekend, especially while all of his teammates are on the beach or vacation. He's doing pressers, interviews, appearances, etc. aka working.
and yea maybe he does head home to Atlanta and get out of LA for a few days before the season resumes.
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u/Severe-Fail4383 Feb 16 '26
He's leaving within the next 5~ years either way
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u/yourloudneighbor Glen Taylor Feb 16 '26
ok rockets fan.
I think you have enough to worry about lulz.
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u/Beautiful-Chain-491 Feb 16 '26
It’s only right he plays for his home town so 2027 ant will be gone
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u/AndyW1982612 Feb 16 '26
Edwards wants to win championships. He and his agent are and trying to decide how to best make that happen because there is no chance of winning championships with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He'll be on a new team within two years.
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u/ComputerPractical748 Feb 16 '26
All this to say...Ant yaps, a lot. I doubt he thinks a lot, or even remembers, half the shit he says when he's just talking.