Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 teams to trade with on NBA Draft night

3. Minnesota Timberwolves swap picks with the Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets are one of the teams most frequently mentioned as interested in acquiring the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

They currently sit at No. 3, and are reportedly searching for a big man to pair with their promising backcourt. According to several NBA reporters and detailed by our own Nate Ackert, the Hornets would love to draft James Wiseman.

Yes, there’s a world in which the Hornets stand pat and Wiseman falls to them. Or perhaps, they pull a mild surprise and draft USC big man Onyeka Okongwu, who is a superior defender to Wiseman and seems to have solidified himself as an early lottery pick.

But the Wolves are no doubt looking to get pick No. 3 plus an asset back from Charlotte. Perhaps that asset is a 2021 pick, which should be valuable as the Hornets are likely to be bad again next season.

More likely, the Hornets would scoff at that idea and instead include one of the players on their current roster.

The pool of players to select from would include Malik Monk, P.J. Washington, and Miles Bridges. The Wolves may ask for two but the Hornets surely wouldn’t consider that.

Something like this would almost certainly be palatable for the Wolves.

Washington is a near-perfect fit next to Towns. The Hornets could take Wiseman first overall and grab another player at No. 17 while the Wolves would at least get a pick in the 2021 draft (they currently have none) and would have Towns’ frontcourt mate for the present and future.

Also, while Omari Spellman doesn’t have a future in Minnesota, he would be a nice fit in Charlotte’s rotation.

The Hornets may still be a bit skittish about the deal, but if they believe that Wiseman is the real deal, then this is an appropriate price to pay to move up to No. 1 and take him.