Get to know new Timberwolves center/forward Ed Davis

With the flurry of draft selections and transactions made by the Minnesota Timberwolves this offseason, a move that has slid under the rug is Minnesota’s trade for power forward/center Ed Davis.

Davis, 31, came to Minnesota in a trade that sent Jacob Evans III, Omari Spellman and a 2026 second-round pick to the New York Knicks.

Sure, he does not have the same level of name cache as Anthony Edwards or Ricky Rubio, but the 6-foot-9 Davis could be a solid role player who bolsters the Timberwolves’ bench and provides veteran leadership to the team’s young group of players.

So, what are the Timberwolves getting in Davis?

COLLEGE

Davis was born in Washington D.C. and played high school basketball at Benedictine College Preparatory in Richmond, Va., where he was named Virginia’s Mr. Basketball as a senior. The 15th-ranked player in the 2008 class by Rivals.com, Davis stayed relatively close to home and chose to play at the University of North Carolina.

He chose the right school at the right time, since the 2008-09 Tar Heels went on to win the NCAA championship. That season, Davis averaged 6.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 18.8 minutes played per game, but was still named to the ACC All-Freshman team. He saw more action as a sophomore when he started all 23 of UNC’s games, shooting 57.8% from the floor and averaging 13.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks a contest.

PRO CAREER

The Toronto Raptors selected Davis with the 13th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft. He spent the first two full seasons of his career as primarily a bench player for Toronto, then was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies midway through the 2012-13 season. He stayed with Memphis until the end of the 2013-14 season.

After signing with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2014-15 season, Davis inked a three-year deal worth $20 million with the Portland Trail Blazers prior to the 2015-16 campaign. He was a bench player in Portland as well and recorded 5.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game during his three-year stint with the Blazers.

He signed a one-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets for the 2018-19 season – where he became the first player in NBA history to average 8.5+ rebounds while playing fewer than 20 minutes per game — and went on to join the Utah Jazz for the 2019-20 season. The Jazz traded him this offseason to the Knicks for two 2023 second-round picks and New York subsequently dealt him to Minnesota.

During his 10-year NBA career, Davis has started 96 of his 668 games played and averaged 6.3 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 56.8% from the field.

CONTRACT

Davis signed a two-year contract worth $9.77 million when he joined the Jazz in 2019, which means he is due $5,005,350 from the Timberwolves this upcoming season.

PERSONAL

Davis is the son of 10-year NBA power forward Terry Davis, who played for Dallas, Denver, Miami and Washington.

Throughout his NBA journey, Ed Davis has established himself as one of the most well-liked players in the league by his peers and the fans. Damian Lillard said he was his favorite teammate.

You can find Davis on Twitter @eddavisXVII, although there’s been no updates from him since July 2019, and Instagram @eddavisXVII.