Timberwolves news: Charles Barkley’s rant, Jordan McLaughlin injury status, Naz Reid extension

The Minnesota Timberwolves are trending up. Even after their one-point loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday, the Wolves have won six games out of eight and are tied with Utah for eighth in the Western Conference.

They are currently only one game out of sixth place and just 3.5 games out of a top-four seed. With the West being so tight this season, Minnesota’s struggles have not completely buried them in the standings.

As the deadline looms, trade and contract discussions are at an all-time high. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves are still dealing with an array of injuries, which has prompted even more discussion about personnel issues and how that will effect things moving forward.

Timberwolves news:

• NBA on TNT personality Charles Barkley went on air during the NBA’s Martin Luther King Jr. day slate of games on Monday and voiced his disbelief in Minnesota’s trade for Rudy Gobert. Barkley called it “the worst trade in NBA history,” enraging Timberwolves fans on Twitter.
• Dane Moore reported on Monday that Jordan McLaughlin is still nowhere close to a return to the court. The Timberwolves’ backup point guard has missed 20 consecutive games with a calf injury, and has not played since December 9th against the Jazz.
• After leaving the Timberwolves’ game against the Cavs on Saturday with a groin injury, Rudy Gobert re-aggravated his injury early in the contest with Utah on Monday, and was out for the remainder of the game. He is currently listed as day-to-day.
• The Timberwolves and Naz Reid are not close to an agreement on an extension at this time, according to Darren Wolfson. This could mean that the two parties are waiting until the offseason to negotiate a deal.

News from around the NBA:

• LeBron James inches closer and closer to becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. James posted his third 40-point game since turning 38 years old against the Rockets, putting up 48 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in the Lakers’ win.
• Jayson Tatum put up 51 points against the Hornets on Monday. With his fifth career 50-point game, Tatum now has more 50-point outings as a Celtic than Larry Bird and Paul Pierce.
• Walker Kessler recorded the first 20-point, 20-rebound performance by a rookie since 2014 in the Jazz’s close win at Minnesota.
• The Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls will tip off at 2:00 CT on Thursday, January 19th in Paris, in the NBA’s first game played in Europe since January 2020.