Fans tuning into the Minnesota Timberwolves' Las Vegas Summer League opener on Thursday night against the New Orleans Pelicans hoping to see the debut of former Duke star Isaiah Evans were left disappointed.
Evans didn't play, leaving many fans to wonder why he wasn't on the court.
You can blame archaic NBA trade rules as the reason why.
Evans didn't play because he wasn't eligible to play because the trade that netted the Timberwolves the pick they used to select Evans in the second round of the draft still hasn't been finalized.
That trade morphed into a four-team deal that encapsulated the blockbuster Lamelo Ball deal, but it still hasn't been finalized due to the inclusion of Mouhamadou Gueye, who, per Yossi Gozlan, couldn't officially be included in the trade until July 9th, three months after he officially signed his contract:
Great looking out.
— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) July 6, 2026
The Brooklyn-Chicago-Minnesota-Charlotte four-teamer can't become official for three more days due to the inclusion of Mouhamadou Gueye.
He signed his contract on April 9 and becomes trade-eligible starting July 9, the three-month anniversary of the signing. https://t.co/UuZWQDwtRa
That was technically eligible to happen on Thursday, but it didn't, leaving Evans ineligible to make his debut.
Isaiah Evans can't play for the Timberwolves until a trade is finalized
There's optimism that the deal will be finalized in time for Evans to make his debut on Saturday for Minnesota's next Summer League matchup against the Denver Nuggets.
The NBA has archaic rules around the formalization of trades. That's what always leads to awkward draft day moments of prospects taking photos in hats of teams they'll never actually play for. That would have happened for Evans, too, had he stuck around the green room for the second round of the draft because he was technically selected by the Brooklyn Nets, though everyone knew that pick was being routed to Minnesota.
Unfortunately, everyone is still waiting for that trade to be finalized.
The bureaucracy is unfair to both fans and to Evans. Fans are missing an opportunity to get a first look at Evans as a pro. Evans is missing valuable time on the court to aid in his devleopment as he looks to carve out a role with the Wolves as a rookie.
Hopefully, the move will be finalized on Friday, opening the door for Evans to make his highly anticipated debut. After his unexpected fall into the 2nd round of the draft, you know he's itching to get on the court to prove the doubters wrong. He's got a big chip on his shoulder, and he can't do anything to alleviate it until he's able to lace up his sneakers and play ball again.
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