Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and
On February 4, 2024, at Target Center, guard Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, guard Jordan McLaughlin, and forward Kyle Anderson watch as a Houston Rockets player attempts a technical foul free shot that was called against Edwards in the third quarter.Sports by Bruce Kluckhohn / USA Today
It’s noteworthy that Minnesota gave up only their own second-round selection in 2030 in exchange for point guard Monte Morris before the NBA trade deadline.
The following three drafts, in which Minnesota has second-round picks in each, could have all been dealt last week to improve the team’s roster. The Timberwolves presently own the No. 36 overall pick in the upcoming draft, which is the Grizzlies’ projected second-round selection.
The NBA values early second-round picks highly because they allow a team to obtain the rights of a prospect ranked in the top 40 while still having a great deal of negotiating flexibility. The collective bargaining agreement essentially dictates the format of contracts for first-round selections.
So the Timberwolves, who decided to hold onto that Memphis pick in their back pocket, consider it a useful chip.
For a team hoping to go deep into the playoffs this spring, strengthening the roster now is crucial, but Minnesota is also thinking for the future. With the signing of contract extensions for Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and Jaden McDaniels, the Wolves will face a severe salary cap crisis.
It seems unlikely that the Wolves will re-sign Kyle Anderson in the offseason, and while they will probably try hard to re-sign Mike Conley, doing so would involve some salary cap juggling. The Wolves will continue to live this way year after year unless itMinnesota will have to add players on cheap contracts to add depth to its team because it is so top-heavy. These can occasionally take the shape of cost-effective free-agent agreements, such as the one Minnesota signed Nickeil Alexander-Walker to last summer. However, the Wolves will almost certainly need to bolster their defense through the draft.
And you need draft picks in order to go through the draft.
With Utah holding all of the Wolves’ first-round selections in odd years and holding the option to trade first-round picks with Minnesota in 2026 as part of the Rudy Gobert trade in July 2022, Minnesota currently has first-round picks in all of the even years for the rest of the decade.
The 2027 and 2028 second-round picks are not owned by the Wolves. They currently have Memphis this summer, Utah the following year, and the least advantageous pick from San Antonio, Miami, or Indiana in 2026 as their stock of second-round picks for the upcoming years. The Wolves won’t have a second-round pick of their own until 2029.
Thus, it’s among the league’s better pick cabinets.
Since his time in Denver, Wolves basketball head coach Tim Connelly has demonstrated his ability to locate elite players in the second round. Possibly the greatest second-round selection in NBA history is Nikola Jokic. Morris was selected in the second round as well.
Connelly stated on Friday, “He played one NBA game his first year in Denver, developed into one of the league’s best backups, and has been a starter the last couple of years.” “I believe it demonstrates the potential value found in second-round picks.”
Leonard Miller, a 2023 second-round pick, might have value for Minnesota, but he still seems a ways off from being able to make an impact. The more choices you have, the more options there are for you toGive yourself a chance to win big. For this reason, Minnesota needs to preserve the few that it does have and perhaps
imaginative in coming up with methods to add more when the chance arises.
“Having picks is always preferable to not having picks,” Connelly stated. But in the last few weeks, the picks were highly sought after. We discussed numerous times that we could have taken initial action, but we didn’t feel the cost justified the benefit. Having some of those resources available to us during the off-season will be enjoyable. We have a second pick that might be very good and a first-round pick. You constantly want to add more. Any team must restock with young players, no matter where they are in the cycle.