Kahn considers four-spot scenarios
Now that the disappointment has passed that the Wolves didn’t get one of the top two picks in the draft, the reality of their position with the fourth overall pick is seeming a bit less depressing; Syracuse SF-SG Wesley Johnson is the best swingman in full riding boots in the draft and would fill a gaping need for the Wolves.
However, as always, trouble rears its ugly head around this team; there’s a chance Johnson’s stock could rise between now and draft night, which would mean Johnson disappears and someone like DeMarcus Cousins could fall to the Wolves. Cousins is no Shaq, but he’s a 6-11 big man who can play dominantly at times in the low post and would be a hard player for the Wolves to pass up if Johnson is off the board.
If that becomes the scenario, it would almost certainly trigger a ripple effect in off-season moves; the Timberwolves already are home to two players fitting Cousins’ description: Kevin Love and Al Jefferson. Add in a third such talent and one of them would have to be moved in a trade; most likely, the odd player out would be Jefferson.
Moving up might still be possible, in order to secure Ohio SG Evan Turner, but the strings attached to such trade-up deals would likely mean Washington or Philadelphia unloading long, expensive contracts on the Wolves as part of the deal, attached to aging, undesirable players like Gilbert Arenas or Elton Brand. Not very appealing, especially in the case of Arenas, who would play the same position as Turner, anyway. Talk about a waste!
As time plays out between now and the draft, unless a miracle occurs that makes Turner available to the Wolves at the four-spot, it’s looking more and more like their best scenario is to add Wesley Johnson to their roster; considering he’s a former teammate of Wolves PG Jonny Flynn, it might even be the best scenario possible.
