After witnessing the dodging and weaving of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2022 NBA Draft, there is only a remote expectation that the team will stand pat on their future picks. But after trading away a small fortune in NBA Draft pick currency to purchase Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, we are not easily able to point to the future NBA Drafts and determine how many and which picks the Timberwolves have right now.
Not without a bit of work, that is.
So ease back and let us deliver what the Minnesota Timberwolves future draft picks look like:
2023 NBA Draft
Round 1 – Traded allotted pick to Utah Jazz
Round 2 – Traded allotted pick to Memphis Grizzlies
Add New York Knicks 2nd round pick
Incoming:
Minnesota Timberwolves acquire the NY Knicks second-round pick via Charlotte Hornets
Summary: 1 2nd-round pick (NYK)
Trades impacting this draft
Rudy Gobert trade
The picks going to Utah, per sources: unprotected 1sts in 23, 25, 27, a swap in ‘26 and a top 5 protected in ‘29
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) July 1, 2022
2022 NBA Draft Trades
and
2024 NBA Draft
Round 1 – Allotted pick
Round 2 – Traded allotted pick to either Trail Blazers or Thunder
Incoming: None
Summary: 1 1st-round pick (MIN)
2025 NBA Draft
Round 1 – Traded allotted pick to Utah Jazz
Round 2 – Traded allotted pick to Houston Rockets
Incoming: None
Summary: No picks
2026 NBA Draft
Round 1 – Lesser of allotted pick or Utah Jazz first-round pick
Round 2 – Traded allotted pick to either Pistons or Knicks
Add: second-round pick from MIA, IND, or SAS
Incoming:
The lesser second-round pick of the Heat, Pacers, or Spurs
Summary: 1 1st-round pick (lesser of MIN or Utah)
1 2nd-round pick (lesser of MIA, IND, or SAS)
2027 NBA Draft
Round 1 – Traded allotted pick to Utah Jazz
Round 2 – Traded allotted pick to Houston Rockets
Incoming: None
Summary: No Picks
2028 NBA Draft
Round 1 – Allotted pick
Round 2 – Allotted pick
Incoming: None
Summary: 1 1st-round pick (MIN)
1 2nd-round pick (MIN)
2029 NBA Draft
Round 1 – Traded allotted pick to Utah Jazz (Top-5 Protected)
Round 2 – Allotted pick
Incoming: None
Summary: Chance of 1 1st-round pick (MIN if falls among Top-5)
1 2nd-round pick (MIN)
So the Minnesota Timberwolves currently have seven draft picks spread over the next seven NBA Drafts. While that may not sound like much, the team will likely be signing Euroleague point guard Matteo Spagnolo to an NBA rookie contract in 2024, as that is when his contract is due to expire with Real Madrid.
The team continues to have options to trade back on their first-round draft picks in even years and to focus more intensely on free agents when the NBA Draft picks run light.