All good things much come to an end, and so, the Minnesota Timberwolves, having participated in multiple trades throughout the night during the 2022 NBA Draft, ended their draft by standing firm on their last original pick. Curiously, the 50th overall pick in the draft was the only original pick the Timberwolves kept and used in the night.
By the time the Minnesota Timberwolves were on the clock at 50, they had already had a very busy draft night, that included:
Pick 19 – Traded to the Memphis Grizzlies (plus future 2nd) for picks 22 and 29
Pick 22 – Selected Auburn C Walker Kessler
Pick 26 – Acquired from Houston Rockets (via Dallas) – Selected Duke SG/SF Wendell Moore
Pick 29 – Traded to the Houston Rockets (plus future 2nd)
Pick 40 – Traded to Charlotte Hornets
Pick 45 – Acquired from Hornets (plus 2023 2nd from NYK) – Selected Memphis F Josh Minott
Pick 48 – Traded to Indiana Pacers for 2026 2nd rounder plus cash
And so the Timberwolves had one more pick to use in the draft, and already had selected three players. So what would the team do at 50? Pick a solid player from the Euroleague, that’s what:
Sources: Minnesota will select Matteo Spagnolo at No. 50.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2022
So what do we know about Matteo Spagnolo? Well, a few points, to be exact.
He is a 6-foot-5 195-pound combination guard who shows promise to be able to run the floor as well as create his own shots off-ball as well. He has a very promising three-point shot, and his overall shooting from the foul line is superb.
He will be a draft and stash, a player who has been drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but who will play the next year or two in the Euroleague to refine his overall game. If the Timberwolves stand pat and play both D’Angelo Russell and or Patrick Beverly through 2022, then Spagnolo becomes tremendously valuable to the team in 2023.
Is Tim Connelly that good that he is making moves now for one or two years down the road? Yes, he’s that good.