Draft lottery is May 18
The NBA’s draft lottery is May 18, and the implications couldn’t be bigger for the Minnesota Timberwolves. As the team with the second-highest chance to get the top overall pick, an honor the Wolves have NEVER enjoyed in their 20-plus year franchise history, the last time the Wolves were in this position, they ended up drafting third and getting Christian Laettner, a huge bust.
The words the Wolves can end up is drafting fourth overall. That would be tragic as it would almost guarantee that Ohio State’s Evan Turner would be off the board, and he’s a player that has a strong chance to be the team’s best answer at SG, a position they were weakest at last season.
The Wolves don’t necessarily need the top pick, where Kentucky PG John Wall is expected to be drafted, but they need to at least not drop any further than the second pick to ensure they get Turner.
The other two picks the Wolves will receive are at 18 and 23, generally the territory where home-state talent, center Cole Aldrich, is expected to be taken. It would be great PR for the Wolves to draft Aldrich, and if they can get him at the 23rd pick, they will; however, whether they would spend the 18th pick on him remains to be seen.
If they do, it means a lot of other talent is off the board; and those picks could also be packaged to move up to get a more desired target, rather than a player who is little more than outdoor décor. Time will tell, but a lot will be determined by how the lottery falls for the Wolves; team history proves that whatever happens, it won’t be ideal.
