Feb. 16, 2026, 4:20 p.m. ET
In typical Anthony Edwards fashion, the superstar shooting guard looked like he had a blast at the 2026 NBA All-Star Game. He tried going right at a hyper-competitive Victor Wembanyama and was predictably brilliant en route to winning All-Star MVP.
But all of that hoopla and fun takes a backseat to an interesting conversation Edwards had with Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson in the post-All-Star scrum. A video captures Edwards covering his mouth before telling Johnson he “can’t wait to come home” and that he loves the roster the Hawks have built. “Home,” in this case, is, of course, Atlanta, where Edwards was born and raised before playing two seasons of college basketball at the University of Georgia.
Oh? Was Edwards hinting at some sort of displeasure with his Minnesota Timberwolves? It’s probably not that simple:
At face value, there’s no real reason for Edwards to rock the boat in Minnesota at this point. The Timberwolves have reached the last two Western Conference Finals and are certainly among the NBA’s current marquee teams. With Edwards at the forefront, it wouldn’t be a shock to see them win the NBA title in the next few years. Not to mention that Edwards still has three years left on a five-year, $244 million contract. He’s the cornerstone of a contender and is being paid handsomely.
That’s not a situation you leave readily.
But what happens if the Timberwolves stay in neutral, and don’t, at least, make another conference finals appearance this spring? Edwards is, at minimum, a top-six NBA player. Elite competitors like him don’t tend to stay happy for long about their team running into a wall they seemingly can’t breach. What happens if Edwards gets frustrated by that reality and calls out his teammates and or coaches? As we all know, frustrated NBA superstars tend to get what they want. Their contract parameters and what their franchise wants almost always come second fiddle. And what happens if the Hawks offer up the possible No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, by virtue of them owning the New Orleans Pelicans’ pick? If that specific draft asset becomes available to Minnesota, any Edwards trade talk becomes that much more realistic and viable.
Don’t underestimate the allure of playing for your hometown team, particularly one like the Hawks that might be on the rise. Relationships between team and star in the NBA can be very fraught and flip on a whim. If the Timberwolves aren’t careful, it wouldn’t be stunning to see Edwards pushing to go to Atlanta in the future.