The Minnesota Timberwolves have parted ways with general manager Scott Layden, according to The Athletic.
An agreement was reached earlier this week, just ahead of what would have been Layden's fifth season in Minnesota.
Layden was hired alongside Tom Thibodeau in 2016 and remained active in the team's front office operations after Thibodeau was replaced (and Layden himself was passed over) by current president of basketball opertations, Gersson Rosas.
Layden had one year left on his contract, but restrictions related to COVID-19 protocols for the 2020-21 season expedited his departure.
Rosas and Layden have a long-standing relationship, and Layden was reportedly integral in the decision to select Anthony Edwards with the no. 1 overall in the November draft.
According to The Athletic, Scott Layden — who was widely respected within the organization — is based in New York, and would have been largely unable to travel back and forth to Minnesota, due to COVID-19 protocols. The NBA is attempting to limit as much travel as possible for league personnel this season to prevent virus exposure. Layden would have had to isolate for an extended period of time each time he traveled.
The upcoming regular season has been extended into May, and his contract only ran through April.
So, Layden is leaving the Timberwolves on good terms now, a move that was always expected to happen once Rossas took over.
Scott Layden previously served as vice president and general manager (1999-2001), then president and GM (2001-03) of the Knicks. He also worked in the front offices for the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs before joining Thibodeau in Minnesota.
Along with Thiboudeau, Layden helped engineer the trade that brought Jimmy Butler to the Twin Cities — resulting in a 2018 playoff berth — before Butler soured on the franchise.
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