Timberwolves Notes: More draft workouts in Minnesota

The Timberwolves have continued flying potential draftees into Minneapolis for workouts, and a reasonably long list of names is starting to surface.

Per usual, Darren Wolfson of KSTP and ESPN 1500 Twin Cities has reported a few notes that nobody else has, including workouts with anyone from likely lottery picks to mid-first-rounders to second-round/undrafted candidates.

It’s a trend unchanged from the NBA Draft Combine that took place about a week ago in Chicago, where the Timberwolves did not pigeonhole themselves into only interviewing likely top-five or top-ten selections, but did their due diligence on a number of players who could be selected in the 20s, 30s, or even later in this June’s draft.

A few names to visit Mayo Clinic Square in the coming days and weeks that were unearthed by Wolfson over the past couple of days:

Henry Ellenson, of course, is the Wisconsin native and former Marquette big man who is a near-certainty to be a lottery selection. The fifth pick would seem to be a bit early to take him when at least one of Jamal Murray, Buddy Hield, or Dragan Bender are almost sure to still be on the board.

Similarly, Kentucky’s Skal Labissiere could land anywhere from the mid-to-late lottery but is much more of a raw, defensive-minded big man.

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On the other hand, Wichita State’s Fred VanVleet is unlikely to be drafted at all. And not only that, the Timberwolves don’t even have a second-round pick in this draft, unless they were to trade back in or buy one. It’s possible, as Tom Thibodeau is pretty clearly someone that enjoys squeezing value out of bargain-type players, but there are already so many young players on the Wolves roster that it certainly appears unlikely.

That said, VanVleet could be your prototypical third-string point guard in the NBA. There are some similarities to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Matthew Dellavedova, albeit in a smaller package — VanVleet is three inches shorter than the Cavs’ backup.

There are a long list of likely undrafted players that the Wolves either have already worked out or will soon, according to Wolfson’s latest podcast. Mentioned by Wolfson and expanded on over at ESPN.com is another undersized point guard, Miami’s Angel Rodriguez.

Other notes from Wolfson’s podcast include that he believes Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden’s “goal” is to trade the #5 pick in a deal for a veteran player, either straight up or as part of a larger deal as Thibs is apparently planning on making the playoffs immediately.

Also, the Boston Celtics, who hold the #3 pick, are apparently very high on Hield. And many of the teams drafting around the Wolves, including the 76ers (first pick), Lakers (second), and Kings (eighth) are all big fans of Providence point guard Kris Dunn.

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At any rate, the news is starting top pick up regarding the top-ten. It’s likely only a matter of time before we start hearing what other teams might be willing to give up to leap into the top-five of June’s draft.