The 2024-2025 season isn’t exactly off to the smoothest start for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Granted, making a major trade less than four weeks before the start of the season is a decision that will make life difficult for any team. But the Wolves have experienced public struggles that have left many wondering about the team’s future.

Fortunately, Anthony Edwards has made it clear that by far the biggest problem this team faces is a mental block. When faced with high-level competition, they seem to be able to flip a switch and compete extremely hard. For the time being, they are still working on being able to use that intensity against the bottom residents of the competition.

In the meantime, there have been suggestions from fans about what trades to make, as well as other rumors from random corners of the internet. This past week, one of the rumors that was gaining serious traction was the rumor that the Timberwolves might be open to acquiring Donte DiVincenzo, who of course they just acquired in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade.

Now, NBA insider Marc Stein has stepped in to clear up any confusion on the subject. Stein writes on Sunday in his latest publication (subscription required):

I saw all kinds of Twitter conversations on Friday about Minnesota’s Donte DiVincenzo’s supposed status as a trade target for contending teams. That goes against everything I’ve heard about the Wolves, who wanted DiVincenzo for over a year before actually acquiring him and who reportedly have zero interest in handling inquiries for him less than three full months after his tenure at Wolves.

Considering how connected Stein is in the NBA world and given his track record of credibility, it seems like this rumor of DiVincenzo being a potential trade piece is toast. This seems a lot more logical than the idea that they wanted to get rid of him.

Donte may have struggled shooting the ball during the first month of his tenure in Minnesota, but completely giving up on a great shooter because he’s in a November slump is a completely ridiculous idea. DiVincenzo’s shooting will eventually return to normal, and he’s still getting used to his new teammates.

It’s also worth noting that Stein reports that the Timberwolves “wanted DiVincenzo for over a year” before trading for him. This clearly means that president Tim Connelly had a vision for Donte on this team, and it’s highly unlikely that DiVincenzo did anything over the course of sixteen games to completely change Connelly’s mind.