Timberwolves NBA Draft buzz loaded with rumors, suggestions
The Minnesota Timberwolves won't pick until the 19th overall selection in NBA Draft Thursday night, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of rumors of what the Timberwolves could do.
The juiciest rumor, which is more speculation than actual reporting, comes from ESPN's Zach Lowe, who floated the idea of a blockbuster trade involving D'Angelo Russell and San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray. On his podcast, The Lowe Post, Lowe proposed a deal that would send two top-three protected first-round picks and Russell to San Antonio for Murray.
Zach Lowe proposes the Timberwolves offer D'Angelo Russell and two top-3 protected picks to the Spurs for Dejounte Murray: pic.twitter.com/KX734DsVql
— Josh Paredes (@Josh810) June 21, 2022
“The D’Angelo Russell situation has gone sideways in Minnesota," Lowe said. "Dejounte Murray is a guy that if I’m a young, rising team with a need in the perimeter, I’m targeting him….I love that fit with Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns.”
Lowe also said Murray would make great sense with the Wizards, Cavaliers and Hawks, though he noted he's not sure if San Antonio has any interest in trading Murray.
Murray averaged 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.2 assists last season and is eligible for a contract extension this season. If the Spurs feel like Murray is expendable, it would make sense for the Timberwolves to trade for the 25-year-old and use the $31.3 million they save by trading Russell to sign him to a new contract.
Before Timberwolves fans can dream about Murray in their starting lineup, they'll have to consider the cost. Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer says that it will take a significant haul to acquire Murray, citing the 2020 trade that sent Jrue Holliday to the Milwaukee Bucks.
In that deal, the Bucks gave up their first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 along with giving the New Orleans Pelicans the right to swap picks in the 2024 and 2026 drafts.
If that cost is too steep, The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor mentioned Utah's Rudy Gobert and Atlanta's Clint Capela as possible alternatives during an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast.
Gobert is a three-time winner of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and Capela led the league in rebounding with 14.3 boards per game during the 2020-21 season. With Gobert, the rumor is a suggestion, while there have been legitimate reports linking the Wolves to Capela.
Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly said Wednesday he is "super open" to trading the 19th overall pick and that could mean trading up or down the board or landing another player in a blockbuster.
Tim Connelly on possibly of trading 19: "We're super open to it. We've had countless convos about using that pick to add a more quickly impactful piece. But 99% of these convos are just theoretical."
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) June 22, 2022
For what it's worth, Krawczynski says that no deal -- whether it be for Russell or any player on the roster -- is imminent, but those discussions could intensify in the hours leading up to the draft.
"The Wolves know they have to get better to stay competitive in the Western Conference," Krawczynski wrote. "Just how aggressive they are in that pursuit could be apparent by the time the first round is over, and the window for blockbuster trades starts to close."
Tuesday on The Jon Krawczynski Show, Krawczynski hinted at the possibility of some fireworks before or during the draft. That came true to a degree already with Jeremi Grant being traded from Detroit to Portland.
"In just talking to people not only with the Wolves but around the league there is a very palpable sense that there's gonna be some fireworks either heading right into the draft or on draft night," Krawczynski said. "There's a real potential for there to be a lot of wheeling and dealing. A lot of fairly significant trade action that gets people kind of jumping out of their seat."
"Will the Wolves be a part of that or not? I'm not sure," he added.
