Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 NBA Draft Sleepers to trade for

Kessler Edwards, Forward, Pepperdine

Measurables: 6-8, 205 lbs

Kessler Edwards is one of the more interesting players in this draft class. For starters, he’s a full 6-foot-8, and should be able to play forward spot in the NBA. Edwards’s main skill is his distance shooting. Over the course of his three seasons at Pepperdine, Edwards averaged 39.5-percent from three – a mark well above average, especially for his size.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 NBA Draft Sleepers to trade for

Now, outside of that, Edwards simply is not going to give you much. He’s not an elite athlete for his size, and has little to no experience against actual quality college basketball teams. Edwards isn’t a great scorer inside, either, nor is he a high-level defender.

All of that out of the way, Edwards still makes plenty of sense in the deep second-round. He brings something that most players don’t: an elite skill at a highly-translatable position.

It’s hard to overstate just how good of a shooter that Kessler Edwards is: He’s genuinely elite – and his off-ball movement is similar to that of Klay Thompson or Duncan Robinson. That simply is not going to go away, and creative NBA coaches should be able to find a way to utilize that skill – no matter how poor the rest of Edwards’s game may be.

The Timberwolves could use Edwards as either a bigger wing or smaller forward-type, especially if they decide to move Malik Beasley (either for assets or a different role player). It’s not like Kessler Edwards would have to play right away, either. He can be a reserve, or be used situationally.

Aaron Henry, Wing, Michigan State

Measurables: 6-6, 210 lbs

Aaron Henry is an all-around forward prospect that makes some sense in the second round for the Timberwolves. Despite being slightly undersized, Henry excels defensively while also being somewhat complementary on offense.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 NBA Draft Sleepers to trade for

The shooting for Aaron Henry has been more than inconsistent. After scoring at a clip of 36-percent on threes during his first two seasons at Michigan State, Henry was just really bad at it this year, hitting less than 30-percent of his shots from distance. That said, his free throw percentage did climb every season in college – so maybe the 2020-21 shooting numbers were an outlier.

Henry is just a solid team player that knows how to play well within his particular role. He’s never going to be an elite player, but again, for where he’s being projected in the 2021 NBA Draft, letting him fall would be a mistake. He’s got the potential to be a really good role player while also maintaining a steady floor with his switch-ability and prowess on the defensive end.

There are many, many players that the Timberwolves could be interested in this draft season, but without a draft pick and limited assets, they may look to buy a pick towards the end of the draft – adding one of these players that could fall through the cracks.