Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves first-round pick in this year’s draft definitely has a ton of implications that come with it. Not only did Minnesota finish with the 6th worst record in the NBA, but they are a team that have finished with a losing record in 15 of their last 16 seasons.
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It’s clear the Timberwolves need something to go their way, but now, with just a 27.6% chance of their pick falling inside the Top-3 of the 2021 NBA Draft, they could be forfeiting their first-round pick, which would be a huge loss for them.
Last year at the NBA trade deadline, the Timberwolves traded Andrew Wiggins, this 2021 first-round pick with top-3 protection on it and a 2022 2nd round pick to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for D’Angelo Russell, Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman.
Looking back on it, this was a fantastic trade for the Warriors, but to put the “cherry on top,” they need this pick from the Timberwolves to fall outside of the Top-3 so they can grab it and draft yet another high-level, young prospect.
If Golden State does indeed get this year’s pick from the Timberwolves, then they will have everything they need to become a force once again in the Western Conference. The last few years have been down years for the Warriors given all of their injuries, but with Klay Thompson coming back, James Wiseman entering Year 2 and plenty of other options on this team, the Warriors will be able to elevate themselves back into championship contention if they get the Timberwolves’ first-round pick this year.
