Timberwolves begin NBA draft’s second day with trades, then add Australian center Rocco Zikarsky

The Timberwolves didn’t make any trades on night one of the NBA draft. But entering night two Thursday, President Tim Connelly struck a few deals.

The Wolves entered the second night with the first pick, No. 31 overall, then made a trade with the Phoenix Suns for No. 36, giving up No. 31 and gaining two future second-round picks. Those picks are a 2026 pick (the less favorable of Denver or Golden State’s second-round picks) and a 2032 pick (the more favorable of Phoenix’s or Houston’s).

But Connelly wasn’t done there. With the Wolves on the clock at No. 36, he swung a trade with the Lakers for the No. 45 pick and cash, a source confirmed.

Then the Wolves selected Australian center Rocco Zikarsky with the 45th pick. Zikarsky will be a long-term developmental project who won’t fill a roster spot right away.

Connelly said he was moving around the board in part because of the state of the Wolves roster entering free agency in a few days.

The Wolves are focused on retaining their own free agents or potential free agents, Julius Randle, Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and there aren’t many roster spots available. Adding Zikarksy, who a source said will be on a two-way contract so won’t require a roster spot next season, provides flexibility both roster-wise and financially, Connelly said.

“You can’t get draft fever and just add, add, add,” Connelly said. “So when we looked at the board and we were aware of what the offseason might look like, and it essentially starts in a day or two. We thought moving down and picking up assets and assets that are down the line, assets that hopefully we can utilize either with a pick or in a trade.”

Zikarsky is 7-2, according to his NBA.com draft profile. Like the Wolves’ first-round pick, Joan Beringer, he’s still 18 and is a development project at center. His strengths include the ability to finish on lobs and a good shooting touch that could develop over time. Some things he may need to work on include his post-up game, improving his mobility and fouling at a lower rate. Connelly added that Zikarsky could dunk without jumping.

“We walked away with a guy in Zikarsky that we had more highly ranked in the 45th pick, and a guy that has a real puncher’s chance [of making it in the NBA],” Connelly said.

The Wolves figured they were in an enviable position at No. 31 entering the night, and they fielded a lot of calls for that pick, which Phoenix used to select St. Joseph’s Rasheer Fleming. But Connelly said the experience wasn’t quite what the Wolves expected, considering how “agent-driven” the second round was.

“We called players left and right, and there was 20 deals done before the draft started,” Connelly said. “It was interesting. You know, No. 31 is fun, but it’s probably not as fun as we thought was gonna be.”

This is now the fourth draft of four in Connelly’s tenure with the Timberwolves in which he has made some sort of trade in the draft.

On Wednesday night, the Wolves stood pat at No. 17 and took French center Beringer, a defensive-oriented center who figures to be a long-term development prospect. Beringer didn’t begin playing basketball seriously until around four years ago but impressed the Wolves with his ability to guard multiple positions and defend the rim.

“Every time we watched him we were just kind of blown away with his instincts, especially for a guy that’s barely played basketball,” Connelly said of Beringer. “Defensively he was covering five spots. He’s very raw but really bright and has developed at a pace that, quite frankly, I’ve never seen for a guy that new to professional basketball. He was our guy when the night started, and we were very fortunate that he was there.”

The Wolves leave the draft with two prospects who will need time to develop. Now the focus turns to free agency, which begins Monday with a negotiation period. Connelly said the team maintained wiggle room to bring back the key pieces of this season’s run to the Western Conference finals.

“We walked away with a couple of future assets. We walked away with roster flexibility,” he said.