There were so many things working against the Timberwolves when they headed to Los Angeles on June 30 for a planned meeting with prized free agent D’Angelo Russell.



The salary cap situation Gersson Rosas inherited was airtight, with no space to use on the open market and certainly nothing close to enough for a maximum salary. The roster was full of players with minimal trade value that made opening up room for Russell a challenge, to put it mildly. And the Timberwolves play in Minnesota, a market that has long struggled to attract premium free agents.



That didn’t stop Rosas from chartering a helicopter and bringing coach Ryan Saunders and Karl-Anthony Towns, one of Russell’s closest friends in the league, to try and woo the All-Star point guard. And even after Russell spurned the Wolves for the Golden State Warriors that evening, Rosas is unapologetic of the attempt.



“To me, you’re going to get a lot of no’s before you get...