Timberwolves have 17th and 31st picks in NBA draft, but expect things to change

The Timberwolves enter Wednesday’s two-day NBA draft with the No. 17 and No. 31 overall picks. So in plotting mock drafts, the draftniks of the world have to assume the Wolves will be staying in those positions and selecting players there.

Except if Tim Connelly’s tenure so far in Minnesota is any indication, the Wolves likely won’t be picking from both of those slots.

In each of his three drafts as the Wolves’ president of basketball operations, Connelly has moved around the board in both rounds.

As it pertains to what the Wolves are looking for in this draft, Connelly said after the season ended that the team was “wide open” as to what it would do. But he added that an emphasis would be on finding players who would be able to contribute right away as opposed to needing years to develop.

“If we can add a clear rotation piece using those picks, we’d be all over it,” Connelly said. “We’re also very excited and encouraged about the guys who are going to be there.

“We don’t see a lot of separation between 17 and 31. And with a team like ours, we saw this year with [T.J.] Shannon, [Rob] Dillingham and [Jaylen] Clark in particular and Josh [Minott] where they had moments where they were productive and played well, and there were extended periods where they didn’t have any role.”

There are pros and cons to the positions the Wolves find themselves in with each pick. They acquired the 17th pick from the Knicks (via Detroit) in the Karl-Anthony Towns, Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo trade this offseason. Their own pick, which would have been No. 21, went to Utah as part of the Rudy Gobert trade in 2023.

That 17th pick carries with it a salary slot of about $4.2 million next season, and that could be money the Wolves use to re-sign players like Randle, Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker while staying under the second apron. Will the Wolves try to deal that pick for a future one and save that money for next season?

At 31, the Wolves like their position. They think there is a drop off in the draft soon after that, and teams may be clamoring for that pick. With the pause between day one and two of the draft, the Wolves could field calls on that pick and not have to make a split-second decision as they would have in the past. If they choose to keep it, it is the first pick of the second round, meaning they could sign that player to any kind of contract to help with their cap flexibility.

Depth is a precious commodity in the era of first and second aprons and the various roster-building restrictions that come with being a second-apron team, as the Wolves were this season.

To that end, Connelly said “you always need to have the cupboard stocked with talented players.” But he also added that that kind of talent the Wolves may find in this draft would likely come in behind the other young players on the roster when it comes to fighting for a rotation spot.

“If we stay at 17, stay at 31, there’s no expectation they’re going to make an instant impact,” Connelly said. “Because we think we have some young guys in the gym right now that can probably step ahead of them, but the most good players you have, the more good guys you have, the better you are, not just for in-season depth, but for flexibility for trades, whatever it may be.”

Here’s a look at the moves in the draft Connelly has made in his tenure with the Wolves:

2022: Traded back from No. 19 and ended up with No. 22 Walker Kessler (dealt to Utah in the Gobert trade) and No. 26 Wendell Moore (dealt to Detroit in the 2024 draft). Also acquired Minott in a draft-night trade while moving around during the second-round.

2023: The Wolves entered the night only with the 53rd overall pick, but Connelly dealt two future second-round picks to the Spurs to grab Leonard Miller with the 33rd overall pick. The Wolves then selected Clark at No. 53.

2024: The Wolves had No. 27 and No. 37 overall at the beginning of the night. But they pulled a stunning draft night trade in dealing a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Spurs for Dillingham. Then they took Shannon at No. 27, traded back out of the 37th pick multiple times and ended up not using that pick in any form.