Minnesota Timberwolves: 2021 NBA Draft target at every possible landing spot

Minnesota Timberwolves 2021 NBA Draft target at No. 3: Jalen Suggs

If the Wolves hadn’t just drafted Edwards last year or if they had allowed Beasley to walk in free agency, then the idea of drafting Suggs at No. 2 would be much more appealing.

As it is, the relative depth on the wing when factoring in Okogie, the promising Jaylen Nowell, and recent No. 6 pick Jarrett Culver should be considered, at least to some extent.

In any other year, Suggs would be a fantastic option at No. 1 overall, and if you’re thinking that the Wolves have needed a two-way wing who can score and defend for basically the entire existence of the franchise, well … you’d be correct.

It definitely feels weird to have such a strong wing prospect relegated to No. 3 on a Wolves big board, but that’s how good this draft class and just how impressive both Cunningham and Mobley are as prospects.

Suggs is a fantastic on-ball defender and a well-rounded offensive player. He brings leadership intangibles as well, which is something the Wolves could certainly use. While not a knockdown shooter, Suggs can score from all levels and likely will be above-average in catch-and-shoot situations from Day One.

The Minnesota native can play on or off the ball, making him an intriguing match with Russell in the backcourt. Edwards and Suggs could coexist, as Edwards is more of a brute-force scorer while Suggs is a superior playmaker, but the Wolves backcourt would suddenly look a bit more diminutive than what Finch would likely prefer.

Suggs is only 6-foot-4 with a wingspan that was measured at 6-foot-5 back in 2018 but hasn’t been publicly updated since then. Edwards, Russell, and Beasley are all 6-foot-4 as well, which would complicate things a bit.

The bet here is that if the Wolves land a top-three selection and subsequently pick Cunningham, Mobley, or Suggs, Beasley would become a likely candidate to be traded.

While there’s a 72.4 percent chance that the Timberwolves will pay a heavy price for the Russell-for-Andrew Wiggins swap, there’s still a 27.6 percent chance that they’ll have a chance to add a top-flight talent to their already impressive roster of young players.