History of the Wolves
Professional basketball has been played in Des Moines since 2007 when the Iowa Energy debuted at Wells Fargo Arena as one of the then NBA Development League’s expansion teams. The Energy were one of the most successful franchises in league history winning the 2011 league title and three conference championships.
On May 3, 2017, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the NBA D League announced the final sale of the Iowa Energy franchise to Glen Taylor. Later that month at Wells Fargo Arena with Taylor, Timberwolves personnel, Energy staff and fans in attendance, the Timberwolves unveiled the new G League team name and identity for their affiliate renaming them the Iowa Wolves.
The Iowa Wolves rebrand followed the Timberwolves own unveiling of their new logo in April 2017. The logos were created by the same designer, Rodney Richardson of RARE Designs who resume includes new designs for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans, and Sacramento Kings. The new Wolves logo gives a nod to the original Timberwolves logo while serving as a mark that aligns Minnesota and Iowa.
About the Affiliation
The Iowa Wolves are owned and fully operated by the Minnesota Timberwolves as one of the 30 affiliated teams in the NBA G League. Minnesota and the other NBA teams primarily use their NBA G League affiliates as a place to develop their young player talent. Players with three years of service or less can be sent, or “assigned,” to the NBA G League an unlimited number of times. The NBA team retains an assigned player’s rights and can recall that player at any time.
NBA G League players sign standard one-year contracts with the league, not individual teams, according to three different salary scales. (This excludes players on assignment from the NBA, who remain under NBA contract.)
Beginning in the 2017 offseason, NBA rosters expanded from 15 to 17 players with the addition of two spots for players under “Two-Way Contracts.” Starting with the 2023-24 season, NBA teams now may have up to three players under NBA Two-Way Contracts who will spend the bulk of the season in the NBA G League and not more than 45 days with their NBA team. Only players with four or fewer years of NBA service can sign Two-Way Contracts, which can be for either one or two seasons.
NBA teams often install the same offensive and defensive systems – including the same terminology and even some of the same plays – on their NBA G League affiliates. The staffs within the organization are in constant communication about the development of their major-and minor-league talent.
Where do NBA G League players come from?
There are nine different paths a player can take to the NBA G League:
• NBA teams can assign players to their NBA G League affiliate and recall them at any time.
• NBA teams can sign players with four years of service or fewer to two-way contracts, allowing them to retain their rights while the player spends the bulk of the season in the NBA G League.
• NBA teams can draft players and sign them to NBA G League contracts, thus retaining their rights through the “Draft Rights Player” rule.
• NBA teams can designate up to four players that they cut during training camp as “affiliate players,” meaning those players will join that team’s NBA G League affiliate (should the players choose to sign into the NBA G League). These players are signed under contract with the league rather than the team, meaning they are technically free agents who can be called up to any of the 30 NBA teams.
• NBA G League teams hold local tryouts each offseason and can invite up to four players from these tryouts to their training camps.
• The NBA G League holds a draft every year consisting of nearly 150 players who have signed contracts with the league. It lasts four rounds and teams only have to make two selections.
• Players who return to the NBA G League are, by rule, re-acquired by the teams that they played for within the last two seasons (Returning Players).
• Once the NBA G League season begins, players who sign NBA G League contracts are placed into a rotating waiver pool so that teams can claim them.
• If a player from high school, college or overseas enters the NBA G League without ever having declared for the NBA Draft, he will also join the waiver pool. That player remains NBA Draft-eligible but is not eligible to be called up to the NBA.
When a new franchise joins the G league, an expansion draft is held in which the new team selects 14 players from a pool of unprotected players among the league’s other teams. The expansion team will then hold that player’s NBA G League rights for two seasons. Each returning team can protect up to 12 of its players from being selected.
To Learn More on How NBA G League Rosters are Built visit NBA G League 101