Sachin Gupta to leave Timberwolves management

Timberwolves Vice President of Basketball Operations Sachin Gupta is leaving the team to take a position with English Premier League soccer powerhouse Chelsea FC.

Gupta had been with the Wolves since 2019, when he joined the organization as the No. 2 pick under then-president Gersson Rosas. He served as interim head of basketball operations for the 2021-22 season following Rosas’ firing and before the team hired Tim Connelly for the same position in May 2022. Under Gupta’s leadership this season, the team reached the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

His departure was reported on Tuesday by The Athletic.

Gupta has remained with the team over the past two seasons, overseeing the analytics department under Connelly as the Wolves reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2004. He is known for his in-depth knowledge of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement and his ability to make creative trades. Gupta helped the Wolves engineer a four-team trade in his first season that netted the team Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Juancho Hernangomez and a first-round pick for Robert Covington and other players. The first-round pick they received in the trade ultimately became forward Jaden McDaniels in the draft this summer.

In February 2024, Gupta reported to police that a disgruntled employee at the Wolves facility had stolen a hard drive containing personal and private information. The former employee, Somak Sarkar, was sentenced to two years probation after pleading guilty to a serious misdemeanor charge of unauthorized computer access.

Wolves recently promoted Matt Lloyd to the role of general manager, making him Connelly’s primary deputy.