Ancient Minnesota Timberwolves Coaching analyst Somak Sarkar was released from prison Thursday after being accused of stealing a hard drive from the office of a Timberwolves basketball official in February.
According to Minnesota District Court records obtained by USA TODAY Sports, Sarkar entered the office of “SG” — believed to be Timberwolves executive vice president Sachin Gupta — on Feb. 3 and took the hard drive containing “ personal and professional information. The personal information included his Social Security number, tax information for himself and his family, and bank account information. The commercial information, which belongs to the Minnesota Timberwolves, included employment and player contracts, as well as NBA strategic information,” the criminal complaint reads.
Sarkar was allegedly observed on CCTV entering the executive vice president’s office.
Sarkar was fired in February and arrested March 18, charged with third-degree burglary for entry without consent with intent to steal/commit a felony or misdemeanor.
How was the alleged theft discovered?
According to the criminal complaint, SG left the hard drive connected to his laptop in his office on February 2. When SG returned to his office on February 5, the hard drive was gone.
“Security reviewed surveillance and discovered that Somak Sarkar, charged herein, entered the SG office on Saturday, February 3, 2024. … Badge information showed that the defendant entered the Timberwolves offices Saturday and no other employees were there. CCTV showed that at 5:44 p.m. he went to SG’s closed office, located around the corner and down the corridor from the common office area. The accused entered the office twice after checking to see if anyone could see him. He then left,” according to court records.
The Timberwolves’ forensic analysis of Sarkar’s laptop “determined that the defendant’s work laptop had been used to open certain files on the hard drive.” They also found that more than 5,000 files had been accessed and downloaded to another device,” according to the complaint.
Sarkar told authorities that “as a member of the coaching staff, he had the courage to ‘put stuff on’ and forgot to return it,” records show.
Who is Somak Sarkar?
Sarkar had worked for the Timberwolves from August 2021 until his termination in February, according to his LinkedIn page, which indicates he also worked for the Timberwolves. New York Knicks as Coaching Analytics Coordinator for seven months and as Head of Basketball Analytics for the New Orleans Pelicans from 2013 to 2020.
He went to Rice University and earned a degree in mathematical economic analysis, financial computing and modeling, according to his LinkedIn bio.
Sarkar worked for SG until August 2023, but was moved to the coaching staff due to his professional performance, according to court documents.
Who is Sachin Gupta?
Gupta is in his fifth season with the Timberwolves and is known in basketball circles as the person who created ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine when he worked there nearly two decades ago. He joins Daryl Morey’s team with the Houston Rockkets in 2006 and also worked for the Detroit Pistons And Philadelphia 76ers.
According to his biography in the Timberwolves media guide, Gupta, while in Houston, would “build the foundation of the team’s extensive analytics department for which the Rockets would later become famous.”
He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and electrical engineering from MIT and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, according to his biography.
What’s next in the Timberwolves-Somak Sarkar affair?
The next hearing will take place on May 16.
