Minnesota Timberwolves could still trade for draft pick

The Minnesota Timberwolves will be among many teams that are active within the trade market this offseason. Whether they look to become buyers or sellers depends on the value that general manager Gersson Rosas will look for.

For starters, don’t expect any of D’Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, or Anthony Edwards to be dealt. It is highly unlikely that any of those three are moved, especially with how each of those players were performing towards the end of last season.

Minnesota Timberwolves: It is still possible for team to acquire another draft pick

After that, acquiring a draft pick may not even be a part of the plan this offseason, although it could be one of the products of a trade that brings in a different player to the roster – perhaps a rotational forward or additional guard/wing player.

For example, last month I proposed a trade that would send Ricky Rubio to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Tristan Thompson and a mid-2nd round pick. It is unlikely that the Timberwolves go out of their way to receive a late-first round pick (or maybe even something earlier), but to dismiss the notion that they couldn’t get a late pick as a throw-in to a larger deal would be unsettling – especially with the volume of trades this franchise has seen over the past several years.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have a plethora of young talent, and each draft pick is a risk in itself. However the depth in this year’s draft class is comparable to both 2017 and 2018 in the sense that there are going to be gems later on – players that should be able to contribute from the outset.

If the Timberwolves find themselves picking in the 25-45 range, it is not unlikely that they come away with a mid-level role player – something that is an absolute win at that particular stage in the draft.