NBA Rumors: Timberwolves never intended to extend D’Angelo Russell
By Bret Stuter
Don’t discount those 3 second-round draft picks
Clearly, the driving force for the three-team trade that involved the Utah Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves was the LA Lakers. Tensions between the Lakers and veteran PG Russell Westbrook had boiled over, and the Lakers needed to change their roster drastically. The Timberwolves were easy to add to the mix because it’s clear that the Timberwolves’ trade of D’Angelo Russell was inevitable.
The Timberwolves ended up surrendering a player who created a less-than-happy locker room for center Rudy Gobert and emerged with a point guard who has incredible chemistry with Gobert, a promising new shooting guard who holds a solid perimeter shot.
Timberwolves’ Draft Whisperer reloads for future drafts
As a bonus, the Timberwolves also added three additional second-round future draft picks, which could prove to be quite valuable in the hands of Minnesota Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations, Tim Connelly. Of course, Connelly has earned the reputation of ‘draft whisperer’ as he has a knack for hitting even in the second round of the NBA Draft.
What could the Timberwolves realistically expect? Well, after examining the Minnesota Timberwolves’ future NBA Draft picks, we see that the team will have a least one second-round pick in every draft for the next seven drafts with the exception of the 2027 NBA Draft. That could change, as the Timberwolves currently hold one first-round draft pick and two second-round draft picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, and the team could make a trade to acquire a draft pick in 2027 by offering up a 2026 pick.