NBA Draft: Minnesota Timberwolves meet draft prospects virtually

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been meeting virtually with draft prospects.

In a normal year, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the rest of the NBA would be more than a week post-draft and free agency would be underway.

The year 2020, has been, of course, anything but a normal year. That means that teams are now in the middle of what has become an elongated draft preparation prospect.

Remember, the lottery isn’t until Aug. 25 and the draft itself not until Oct. 16. Teams had been feverishly preparing for the draft in April and May just in case it happened in June as scheduled, but now feet have been taken off the gas around the NBA.

But that doesn’t mean teams have stopped preparing. Especially in the case of the Wolves and the other seven teams not invited to the re-start in Orlando, the draft is the next big thing to be prepared for.

NBA Draft: Minnesota Timberwolves meet draft prospects virtually

We’re now at the time of the offseason during which we’ll have a trickle of draft news, mostly related to which prospects are being interviewed by which teams. There will also be some agents pushing narratives on their players and perhaps on some teams around the league.

This week, we found out that Killian Hayes will be interviewing with the Minnesota Timberwolves soon.

Also of note, that Cleveland doesn’t want to draft a guard, at least according to Hayes’ agent. It makes sense, given that the past two drafts have brought them Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. Of course, if the Cavs land the top pick, that could change. Perhaps they’d select the right guard.

Hayes would be a great fit with the Wolves. His game holds many similarities to D’Angelo Russell, which is simultaneously a good and a bad thing.

Additionally, Darren Wolfson reports that the Wolves have interviewed former Michigan State Spartan Cassius Winston.

Winston, a 6-foot-1 point guard, is being mocked anywhere from the late first round through the end of the second, so he could very well be a target at No. 33, the third pick of the second round, or if the Wolves trade back.

There’s a lot to like about Winston as a prospect: his 6-foot-5 wingspan, fantastic court vision, and a 43 percent career mark from 3-point range in four years at Michigan State. He’s a fantastic orchestrator in the pick-and-roll and holds his own defensively.

The only real drawbacks are his age and modest athleticism, as well as some injury concerns, meaning that Winston is practically the definition of a high-floor, low-ceiling prospect. He could potentially step in as a backup point guard at the NBA level from day one.

We’ll keep an eye out for any other reports on players the Wolves have met with. There are bound to be many more over the next three-plus months…