After being named the Minnesota Timberwolves’ interim head coach halfway through the 2018-19 season, it appears that the Wolves are ready to commit to Ryan Saunders for the long-term.
Saunders and Minnesota finalized a deal on Monday that will lead to him being named the team’s permanent head coach. The deal is pending official announcement but is all but finalized according to multiple NBA sources.
The 33-year-old is the youngest coach in the NBA and led the rebuilding Wolves to a 17-25 record in the second half of the season after taking over the job.
That isn’t to say that Saunders is inexperienced, however. The son of legendary NBA coach Flip Saunders, the Minnesota native joined the T’Wolves as an assistant coach in the 2014-15 season.
The younger Saunders quickly won the support of Minnesota’s locker room after being named the interim head coach and is lauded for his positivity and ability to connect with players.
The terms of the deal and the length of the contract will be announced by the team in the coming days.
