Once considered a three-horse race, the current trends seem to indicate a two-horse race between Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball brewing for the No. 1 pick. Likely due to fit, the Minnesota Timberwolves have hardly been linked to big man James Wiseman out of Memphis. Instead, the team is heavily considering one of the two top guards in the draft.
The latest to add fuel to that fire was Jonathan Givony of ESPN’s DraftExpress, whose recent piece about the draft included this tidbit.
Guards LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards remain the most likely candidates here if Minnesota stays put. But until we get more clarity on the Wolves’ ownership situation, it will be difficult to predict their plans.
The Timberwolves still have a month to flesh out the battle between Ball and Edwards, neither of whom is a perfect fit in the backcourt with D’Angelo Russell. Because of that, Givony notes the team is also fielding trade offers for the pick.
Teams around the league say that Minnesota has been active in trade discussions, exploring multiple options with the No. 1 pick.
A host of situations, then, could still play out. Obviously, one of Ball or Edwards could still be the top pick in the draft while any number of teams could move up. Despite a recent report suggested they were considering trading down, the New York Knicks will always be a team mentioned in trade discussions further up in the draft given how they feel about Ball.
It paints an interesting picture of the upcoming draft and makes it particularly hard to project how things are going to unfold over the next month leading up to draft night.
