Minnesota Timberwolves: Reevaluating the Robert Covington trade
By Ben Beecken
What did the Minnesota Timberwolves get for their extra first-round pick?
First, let’s look at the 2020 first-round pick that was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks.
On draft night in November of 2020, Wolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas attached the No. 17 pick to the No. 50 pick and a pair of future second-round picks, plus forward James Johnson and his expiring contract in exchange for Ricky Rubio and the No. 25 and No. 28 selections. The Oklahoma City Thunder picked Aleksej Pokusevski at No. 17.
When Argentinian Leandro Bolmaro was still on the board at No. 23, the Wolves traded pick No. 33 to move up two spots from No. 25 and nab him. Later, the Wolves kept No. 28 and drafted Jaden McDaniels, a former five-star recruit as a high-schooler who at one point was considered a likely lottery selection.
So, put as simply as possible, the No. 17 selection was paired with four second-round picks and James Johnson and brought back Ricky Rubio, Jaden McDaniels, Leandro Bolmaro. This offseason, Rubio was sent to Cleveland for Taurean Prince, a 2022 second-round pick, and cash.
What did the Minnesota Timberwolves get for Juancho Hernangomez?
This is where things get a little messier.
The Wolves re-signed Juancho Hernangomez to a three-year deal last offseason, although only two years were guaranteed. After a COVID-19 and injury-impacted season, Hernangomez injured himself playing with the Spanish national team this summer and was unceremoniously shipped to Memphis amid a dispute with the front office.
Hernangomez was traded along with former No. 6 overall pick Jarrett Culver and was subsequently flipped by the Grizzlies to the Boston Celtics, so it’s hard to parse Hernangomez’s exact value. Regardless, he was part of the package that the Wolves sent out in order to land new backup point guard Patrick Beverley.
Let’s take stock of where things stand as of today.