9:38 pm: Edwards will have surgery on Thursday and the club will then have a clearer timeline for his recovery, Krawczynski tweets. Right now, it’s expected to be more than two months, which means he likely wouldn’t play until January.
5:51 pm: Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee and will miss up to two months, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
As Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix points out (Twitter link), it’s been a brutal opening week in terms of player health. Jalen Williams, Paolo Banchero, Kawhi Leonard, Jaren Jackson Jr., Cason Wallace and Jalen Suggs are among the players to be sidelined by injuries that will require multi-week or multi-month absences and now Edwards has joined that group.
Edwards has been dealing with knee soreness and the club decided to address the issue as soon as possible with the hope he’ll be back sometime in December and be back to full health for the rest of the season, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. Despite the ailment, Edwards was off to a spectacular start, averaging 33.3 points per game, including a 47-point eruption in an overtime loss to Cleveland on Monday.
In a story published before the surgery, Krawczynski noted that while his shots were falling, Edwards didn’t have the usual burst and occasionally walked with a limp. He wasn’t cleared to play against the Cavs until after pregame warmups and had been listed as questionable to suit up Wednesday against Golden State.
Edwards dealt with a hyperextended left knee in the playoffs last season and was also bothered by inflammation in his right knee, Krawcyznski added.
During his first five NBA seasons, Edwards never appeared in fewer than 72 games. He saw action in 79 contests for three consecutive seasons leading up to 2025/26, when he was limited to 61 regular season appearances, mainly due to a foot injury.
With Edwards sidelined, new backcourt partner LaMelo Ball will undoubtedly try to pick up more of the scoring slack. Ayo Dosunmu, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Isaiah Evans will see their playing time increase as Minnesota tries to survive without its franchise player.