Five Potential Trades for Timberwolves’ Draft Pick
By Jason Tucker
If nothing changes in the upcoming draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves will have the 6th overall pick. There is already talk that they might trade their pick regardless.
On Tuesday afternoon the Timberwolves won a drawing against the New York Knicks, giving them the sixth-seeded position in the 2017 draft lottery. This doesn’t increase their chances of jumping into the top three. However, it ensures that as long as nobody jumps over them, they will pick no lower than sixth.
This not only increases the value of their first-round pick, but it also helps if another team jumps ahead of them on lottery night.
According to Nylon Calculus, the chances of drafting an All-Star decrease dramatically after the 7th pick.
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For the sake of this article, let’s assume that the Timberwolves end up with the sixth pick. Let’s also assume that they have decided that they have enough young talent on the roster and would instead, like to use their pick as a trade chip to bring in some veteran help.
This isn’t necessarily what I think is in the best interest of either team in the trade. It’s just a way to explore some possible deals that Minnesota could make as the pressure to make a playoff push is starting to mount.
The Wolves’ biggest needs heading into the off-season are improving their defense, 3-point shooting and finding somebody to slot into the starting power forward spot. I tried to keep these things in mind while making these trades.
The draft is deep this year and I really would like to see Minnesota add to their young core and have them grow together. Be that as it may, I also enjoy playing devil’s advocate, so let’s look at some possible targets if they were to trade the pick.