Devin Booker, Suns host Nikola Jokic and Nuggets in Game 1

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas knows this past season didn’t go the way he or the team wanted. But Valanciunas is still high on his team and would like to remain in New Orleans.

“I would like to stay and extend my contract,” Valanciunas said. “Obviously, during the season, you try to help the team as much as possible, but when the summer comes, you try to take care of your own things – how to extend the contract and stuff.”

The veteran center also said he expects there to be changes, after the Pelicans disappointing season.

“We had some talks with them. I think this summer won’t be easy for them, because they will have to make a few key decisions. Our season didn’t go as planned, so there will definitely be changes,” Valanciunas said.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are battling for seeding in the Western Conference. Now, the Wolves might have some reinforcements arriving soon. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns could both return from injuries as soon as Minnesota’s game on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks.

Edwards has missed the Timberwolves last two games, after suffering a sprained right ankle against the Chicago Bulls last Friday. Those were the first two games Edwards has missed this season. Minnesota fell at the Toronto Raptors on Saturday without Edwards, but bounced back to win at the New York Knicks on Monday.

Towns has been out since late-November with a Grade 3 tear in his right calf. Towns recently said he suffered a “major setback” in late-January, but that he’s close to returning now.

Minnesota is one game under .500 and in a seven-way fight for postseason seeds in the Western Conference. That seven-team mix is all within two games of each other in sixth to 12th place in the West.