Timberwolves fined for resting healthy D’Angelo Russell

The “load management” trend in the NBA has been a problem for the league, and they are acting about it.

The league on Thursday fined the Minnesota Timberwolves $25,000 for resting a healthy D’Angelo Russell for its game on February 23 against the Denver Nuggets.

Russell was acquired by Minnesota in a trade with Golden State ahead of the deadline. He’s played in five games with his new team and missed Sunday’s loss in Denver.

The 24-year-old guard has averaged 24.4 points and 8.0 assists per game since joining Minnesota. The Timberwolves are having a rough go of it over the past month. They had lost 18 of 19 games prior to Wednesday’s surprising win over the Miami Heat.