A busy week continues as the Minnesota Timberwolves have announced a new jersey patch partner.
Also, positive news: a majority of Wolves players are reportedly fully vaccinated.
Minnesota Timberwolves announce new jersey patch partner
After spending a few years with Fitbit and going the entire 2020-21 season without a jersey patch partner, the Timberwolves have announced that digital security company Aura will emblazon their threads this year and beyond.
The Wolves issued a statement regarding the new partnership on Friday, as well as a video with Anthony Edwards endorsing Aura — along with an adorable dog.
https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/1441371939264610319
According to the release, Aura’s mission is “to create a safer internet” by securing customer data online. They offer subscriptions and an easy-to-use app.
The partnership will include in-arena and on-court signage in addition to the jersey patch.
Timberwolves reportedly making progress towards being fully vaccinated
The Wolves are apparently getting closer to getting the entire roster fully vaccinated, according to KSTP/Skor North’s Darren Wolfson.
Many are fully vaccinated, hear that a couple are in the process of getting to that point. So the #Timberwolves are in a good spot on this front. https://t.co/5Uh68T4Isu
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) September 24, 2021
Of course, there are teams that are absolutely in worse shape when it comes to vaccination status, and none more prominent than the Golden State Warriors and old friend Andrew Wiggins.
Sources: Andrew Wiggins has been in the Bay Area this month but is restricted to individual sessions at Chase Center. Under current SF protocols, if he isn't fully vaccinated over next 20 days, those workouts will end.
— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) September 23, 2021
It’s unclear what, exactly, will happen in regard to Wiggins’ status and availability moving forward. While the NBA protocols would seem to allow for Wiggins to participate in practice and team activities while appearing in games, San Francisco city ordinances and California state laws could be a hurdle.
As for the Wolves, it certainly sounds like a majority of players and staff are already vaccinated. We already know how Karl-Anthony Towns feels about the vaccine, and it seems likely that he’ll continue to make himself heard in the locker room on this issue.
Otherwise, media day is on Monday and training camp starts on Tuesday. Given the upheaval in the front office and the suboptimal news cycle of the last week, Monday could be interesting.
As The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reports (subscription required), there is a team meeting scheduled for Monday, and since the Rosas news broke on Wednesday, incoming owner Marc Lore has been in touch with players individually.
Krawczynski also notes that there will be a press conference introducing Lore and Alex Rodriguez on Monday, which will undoubtedly take on a different tone than was expected when it was initially scheduled.