Updated Timberwolves draft picks after trade

Perhaps one of the greatest ironies to the Minnesota Timberwolves this season has been the fact that after hiring one of the most successful NBA executives in the past at the NBA Draft in President Tim Connelly, the team then proceeded to trade away four of the next eight NBA Draft first-round picks as part of the package to acquire Rudy Gobert.

Isn’t that like hiring a highly respected maid to clean the castle, then selling it and moving to the much smaller summer cottage?

Well, the Minnesota Timberwolves did not sit this one out. In fact, the team picked up three second-round draft picks before the NBA Trade Deadline. That is three added to seven over the next seven NBA Drafts, which we illustrate below:

Future Minnesota Timberwolves NBA Draft picks

• Year       Rd   Draft Picks               New Additions
  2023       1    None
  2023       2    NYK 2nd                   None
  2024        1   MIN 1st
  2024         2   No 2nd                      Lesser  WAS or MEM 2nd
  2025        1    No 1st
  2025         2    No 2nd                     2nd Utah
  2026        1    lesser MIN/UTA
  2026        2   lesser MIA/SAS/IND 2nd Utah
  2027        1    None
  2027        2   None
  2028         1   MIN 1st
  2028         2    MIN 2nd
  2029         1   None
  2029         2   MIN 2nd

That means that the Timberwolves’ future draft picks now consist of:

2023 – One second-round pick (NYK)
2024 – One first-round pick (MIN), one second-round pick (least of WAS/MEM)
2025 – One second-round pick (UTA)
2026 – One first-round pick (least of MIN/UTA), Two second-round picks (UTA plus least of MIA/IND/SAS)
2027 –  No draft picks
2028 –  One first-round (MIN), one second-round (MIN)
2029 – One second-round pick (MIN)

That is a sight better than before, in which the Timbewolves had no picks in either the 2025 or 2027 NBA drafts.

What has happened to the Timberwolves’ picks? Let’s take a quick review:

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

2022 NBA Draft Trades

and

2024 NBA Draft

Round 1 – Allotted pick

Round 2 – Traded allotted pick to either Trail Blazers or Thunder
Add lesser of Washington Wizards or Memphis Grizzlies 2nd round pick

Incoming: Minnesota Timberwolves acquire the lesser of two second-round picks via LA Lakers

Summary: 1 1st-round pick (MIN), 1 2nd-round pick (MEM/WAS)

2025 NBA Draft

Round 1 – Traded allotted pick to Utah Jazz

Round 2 – Traded allotted pick to Houston Rockets
Add: Second-round pick from Utah Jazz

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 PLUS a second-round pick from Utah Jazz

Incoming:
The lesser second-round pick of the Heat, Pacers, or Spurs PLUS the second-round pick of the Jazz

Summary: 1 1st-round pick (lesser of MIN or Utah)
2 2nd-round picks: (lesser of MIA, IND, or SAS) and (UTA)

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)

The changes move the Timberwolves into participation in all future NBA Drafts sans the 2027 NBA Draft, and at the expense of a player who was gone by the end of the season anyway (PG D’Angelo Russell).

We’ve seen what the magic of Minnesota Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly can do in just one NBA Draft, as his selections have already flashed potential in the NBA, whether for the Timberwolves or for another team. Now, armed with three more darts to toss at the NBA Draft board (pun intended), the Timberwolves hope that he can hit a bullseye once more.