Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his ailing right knee Thursday that will sideline him for up to two months, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Edwards had been listed as questionable on the Wolves’ injury report before Monday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the second night of a back-to-back, but he played a season-high 41 minutes and scored 47 points in a 127-125 overtime loss.
Edwards began grabbing his right knee during Minnesota’s win in its home opener Sunday against the Toronto Raptors. Even though it landed him on the injury report, Wolves coach Chris Finch called it a “daily situation” before Monday’s game and said at the time he wasn’t worried about it being a long-term concern.
Edwards was cleared to play after pregame warmups in Cleveland and put up his second 45-point game of the season, making him the fourth player in NBA history with multiple 45-point games in his team’s first four games.
Edwards dealt with runner’s knee in the same leg last season. He missed nine of the Timberwolves’ final 22 regular-season games managing the injury, then suffered a hyperextended left knee during the team’s first-round playoff series.
Edwards missed 21 games total last season, the most in his career, but the Wolves were able to stay afloat without him, going 12-9.
During the preseason, Edwards said he took time off during the summer to let his knees heal and had not reported any knee issues during training camp.
Edwards was off to the best start of his career, averaging 33.3 points (second in the league behind Luka Doncic’s 34.3), 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 48% shooting through his first four games.
Missing two months would prevent Edwards from reaching the 65-game threshold for MVP and All-NBA honors, either of which would have made him eligible to sign a four-year, $304 million supermax extension next summer, with the first year of the deal beginning in 2029-30.
“It’s not about individual accolades, All-NBAs, or anything like that,” Edwards’ manager, Justin Holland, told ESPN. “It’s a single focus — winning a championship. We’ve seen in a short time what the team is capable of, and know big things are ahead when all are 100%.”
Culled from ESPN
