9 players the Minnesota Timberwolves gave up on too soon

Number II: Brandon Roy

If you think that Minnesota Timberwolves fans are a bit squeamish whenever the team is involved in a trade on NBA Draft night, there are plenty of reasons for it. When the 2006 NBA Draft arrived the Minnesota Timberwolves held the sixth overall pick. While that is not typically a spot for a team to select a franchise player, the Timberwolves were desperate to add a player who would move the needle and complement the incredible play of Keven Garnett.

And then Brandon Roy fell into the Timberwolves’ lap. The Timberwolves could not have had any better luck… until. That’s right, you guessed it. The Minnesota Timberwolves unwisely had a pre-draft trade arrangement set up with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets would trade a serviceable veteran shooting guard, Luther Head, and Randy Foye, who the Rockets would select with the eighth overall pick.

But the Portland Trail Blazers, who had their hearts set on Brandon Roy at the seventh overall pick, thwarted that telegraphed strategy by selecting Randy Foye at seven. That forced the Timberwolves to abandon their pre-scripted trade with the Rockets and were instead compelled to trade Roy for Foye and some cash. It was clearly a panic move by the Timberwolves, and the Trail Blazers shrewdly landed the guy that they had wanted all along.

Roy would flash brightly in his short NBA career. Roy would win NBA Rookie of the Year honors and then would excel for the Portland Trail Blazers for four more seasons.  Ultimately though, debilitating injuries in both knees would eventually end his NBA career prematurely. He would sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves for one season before retiring from basketball for good.