Ranking the Minnesota Timberwolves’ top trade chips
By Ben Beecken
Ranking the Minnesota Timberwolves’ top trade chips: No. 1 draft pick
No. 1: The No. 1 pick in 2020 NBA Draft
Were you expecting to see anything else at No. 1?
Winning the lottery was a boon for the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was technically the only time in franichse history that the team improved on their lottery position, and, weak draft or not, the No. 1 pick has value.
Why? It’s easy. Anything can happen at No. 1. Anything.
The Cleveland Cavaliers shocked the world and took Anthony Bennett No. 1 in 2013. Okay, bad example, but it’s fair to assume that Rosas will ensure the Wolves get much better value at No. 1 than the Cavs did on that fateful night.
The Wolves, for one, aren’t going to reach. Let’s say that they have a Tier One on their draft board that includes more than one name. For argument’s sake, call it LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, and Killian Hayes. If Charlotte calls and is desperate to get to No. 1 to ensure that they get Edwards, you better believe that the Wolves would trade back to No. 3, pick up an asset along the way, and pick between Ball and Hayes.
If the Wolves have a Tier 1 of just one player, of course, they would simply stand pat and select him.
Minnesota controls the draft, and in almost any other year, the No. 1 overall pick wouldn’t even be considered an asset. If a Zion Williamson or a John Wall was on the board, the pick wouldn’t be for sale.
In a year like this, truly anything can happen. As we established earlier, all it takes is one.
What if Atlanta falls in love with Edwards and wants to ship the No. 6 pick, John Collins, and Kevin Huerter for the No. 1 and filler? Perhaps the Wizards get tired of rebuffing offers for Bradley Beal and get ready to make a move so they can replace Wall with Ball.
The No. 1 pick is an awesome asset, even in a year without a consensus, franchise-altering prospect. Gersson Rosas and the front office are already hard at work, shopping the pick along with the other assets on this list in their attempt to improve the roster.
Next. 8 teams most likely to land No. 1 pick from the Wolves. dark
Over the next several weeks — and especially on Nov. 18 — anything can happen.