The Minnesota Timberwolves did not take long to suffer an early setback after their promising start to the season. Despite his high level of play, Anthony Edwards seemed to be dealing with some right knee discomfort, a pain that has now been confirmed as serious and will require him to undergo arthroscopic surgery. According to ESPN reporter Shams Charania, this will force him to pause for two months.
Just in: Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his ailing right knee and miss up to two months, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/HenrAY2APs
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 27, 2026
Edwards began to display the discomfort in the victory over the Raptors, and Minneapolis even listed him as questionable in the injury report ahead of the visit to Cleveland on Monday. Nevertheless, with 47 points in that game, the shooting guard gave no indication of issues with his health, making the news all the more surprising, though, with a bit of perspective, the ailment could have been expected to surface.
And this is the same knee that caused Ant to miss 21 games last season, a joint on which he had already been dealing with problems and which apparently flared up again in the opening game of this regular season. Thus, after trying to play through the discomfort for a few days, the guard has decided to address the issue promptly, sacrificing the early months of the season to arrive in peak condition for the decisive stretch.
No Individual Awards
With this, Edwards forfeits the possibility of vying for individual accolades at the end of the season, as he will undoubtedly miss more than the 17 games that the 65-game schedule allows. This is, however, a concession he has shown himself willing to make, stressing that his main objective is to contend for the championship rather than chase an MVP. And even though he was averaging 33.3 points, that pace did not seem impossible.
The decision, however, carries financial implications as well, since not earning All-NBA will prevent Ant from signing next year’s supermax extension, which would guarantee him $304 million over five years. That extension would, however, become possible again in 2028 if he returns to earning All-NBA honors.
