MINNEAPOLIS — There are a few tightropes Timberwolves President Gersson Rosas will have to walk Wednesday as the Wolves finally reveal to the world what they are going to do with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
Rosas has been adamant the Wolves will pick the best player available regardless of fit with the current roster. But that player, presumably, will have to coexist alongside franchise tent poles Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell.
Rosas and the Wolves could try to maximize the value of the pick by trading it. But what kind of swap would be fair, especially when there might be a player the Wolves covet at the top?
These are questions Rosas has had multiple months to ponder. One thing the Wolves have made clear throughout the last few weeks: their draft board is set. They know who they will select No. 1 overall, as well as No. 17 and No. 33, if they end up keeping those picks.
Rosas has already made the calculation of what it will take to walk that first tightrope from one side to another. But the questions about who that pick is, what kind of player he will be and whether to trade the pick still loom large over Wednesday night.
The direction of the Wolves in the next few years hinges upon the decision.
"We don't want to be shortsighted for the public perception of making the choice that will help us in Day 1. We want to make the decision that will help us in Day 400 ... " Rosas said. "But no draft decision is over after the first day, or after the first year. It's a process that takes a lot of time and development, and I think history teaches us that."
