Ryan Saunders took over as the interim head coach when the Minnesota Timberwolves fired Tom Thibodeau back in January, and he did enough in three months to convince upper management he is the man for the job.
According to numerous reports, Saunders and the Timberwolves are finalizing a multi-year deal that will make the 33-year-old the team’s permanent head coach.
The Timberwolves and Ryan Saunders are in negotiations to make him the permanent head coach, league sources tell @TheAthleticMIN
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) May 20, 2019
Deal is expected to be completed soon, sources tell ESPN. Saunders is working on a staff. Gersson Rosas met with candidates at Draft Combine but search turned back to Saunders, the interim coach. https://t.co/VcwzUdb8xa
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 20, 2019
The Timberwolves went 17-25 after Saunders took over. He has deep family ties to the organization, as his father Flip Saunders had two separate stints as the head coach in Minnesota before he passed away in 2015.
There was a time when the T-Wolves were believed to be eyeing some big-name candidates for their coaching job, but Saunders has familiarity with the team and earned his shot.
