Minnesota Timberwolves: 8 teams most likely to trade for No. 1 pick

The Minnesota Timberwolves are going to try to trade back in the draft. Who are their most likely trade partners?

It’s no secret that the Minnesota Timberwolves want to trade back in the 2020 NBA Draft. But which teams are most likely to pull the trigger on a deal with the Wolves?

Minnesota holds the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, as well as pick No. 17 and pick No. 33. There’s plenty of draft capital and trade assets at the fingertips of president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, and there should be no shortage of potential trade partners, either.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 8 teams most likely to trade for No. 1 pick

There are a variety of factors to consider when evaluating potential trade-back partners.

First, the intentions of the other teams drafting in the lottery. There are some teams, such as the Golden State Warriors sitting at No. 2, that are also clearly in the market to trade their pick with a desire to add established NBA talent to their rosters. Not every organization is going to be willing to give up real assets to land the No. 1 pick.

Secondly, what available talent is on each team’s current roster? Teams like Cleveland, Detroit, and Charlotte almost certainly do not have the needle-moving talent that Rosas will be seeking in return for the No. 1 selection.

Additionally, what other draft picks does a potential trade partner have to move, both in this year’s draft and also in 2021. Remember, the Timberwolves traded both their first and second-round picks in the 2021 draft to Golden State as part of the Andrew Wiggins-D’Angelo Russell swap. With a draft class that’s expected to be one of the best in recent years, the Wolves would love to move back into the field.

While the Timberwolves could certainly deal with any of the other 29 teams, there are a few organizations that are better positioned to make a massive swap than others, and those are the teams that we’ll be focusing on for this list.