Unhappy with Gobert’s cost? Minnesota Timberwolves got a discount
By Bret Stuter
What picks Timberwolves did not trade away
Okay, the Minnesota Timberwolves landed the fourth-best center in the NBA (see above) who excels at defense to pair with the third-best center in the NBA (see above) who excels at offense. But what did the Timberwolves keep in the process?
Let’s start with the draft picks:
- 2026 first-round pick (swap ensures Timberwolves have lesser of two)
2028 first-round pick
2030 and beyond first-round draft picks
All second-round picks
Unlike some of the melodramatic comments about the Timberwolves trading away their future draft picks for the next 50 years, the team is in much better shape in terms of the NBA Draft than you may think. And that assumes that those first-round picks are valuable.
Two-tiered first-round NBA Draft picks
What if the Timberwolves end up competing deep into the NBA Playoffs? Those first-round picks, held or traded away, are no better than glorified second-round picks, right? The value of first-round draft picks is lottery and non-lottery. Lottery picks have a chance, however remote, of ending up with the first overall pick. They are quite valuable.
NBA non-lottery picks are good, but not great, value in the eyes of NBA executives. Some, like Tim Connelly, have had some success in the past. Others simply consider them to be currency and trade them away. A third group will use them to choose rookies, but shouldn’t. Right now, the Timberwolves are betting that they will not come close to a lottery draft pick for the foreseeable future.
Of course, that presumes that the Timberwolves emerge from this offseason in far better shape to compete. But the same holds true if the team remains at or about the same level. Entering the NBA Draft with the 19th, 21st, or 30th pick is a far cry more difficult to select a future NBA star than the first overall pick, isn’t it?