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Adrian WojnarowskiESPN
The Minnesota Timberwolves are finalizing plans to keep their front office and coaching structure together, league sources told ESPN.
Minnesota owner Glen Taylor is planning to keep general manager Scott Layden and interim coach Ryan Saunders, league sources said.
Saunders, 32, is expected to get a multiyear deal as coach, sources said.
A formal announcement could come this week, sources said.
Layden successfully sold himself independently of his previous superior, Tom Thibodeau, sources said. Minnesota had been surveying the marketplace for possible front office executives, but never made contact, league sources said.
Once it is completed, Saunders is likely to get a three-year deal with a team option on the final season, sources said.
Layden survived the purge of Thibodeau in early January. Thibodeau had served as Minnesota’s president and coach for two-plus years. Layden had previously been a GM with the Utah Jazz and New York Knicks.
Saunders, 32, is the youngest head coach in the league. He had earned the endorsement of franchise star Karl-Anthony Towns.