The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft will take place on Tuesday, June 23. Barring a trade, the Minnesota Timberwolves will be making the 28th selection.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the Timberwolves’ worst draft picks in franchise history. It’s not necessarily the 10 worst players ranked in order, as where they were selected was taken into consideration.
I decided to include players that weren’t technically drafted by the Timberwolves, but joined the team on draft night trades. Minnesota still selected those players for the team drafting before the deal was made official.
Here are the 10 I chose in descending order. Also, check out the best draft picks in Timberwolves history.
Also considered: Felton Spencer, Luc Longley, Marlon Maxey, Shabazz Muhammad
10. Lazar Hayward (30th overall pick, 2010)
The last pick of the opening round in 2010, Hayward was involved in a draft night trade where the Washington Wizards sent him and Nemanja Bjelica to the Timberwolves for the 23rd pick (Trevor Booker) and the 56th pick (Hamady N'Diaye). Hayward saw action in 42 games as a rookie, shooting just 35.7 percent from the field. He was brought back by the Wolves in December of 2012, but made just 2 of his 10 shot attempts in four games before he was released, and his NBA career was over.
9. Sherron Mills (29th overall pick, 1993)
Go to Mills’ Basketball Reference page, and you won’t find any NBA stats. That’s because he never appeared in a game. He instead played in Europe. Since he was a second-round pick, he's not among the absolute worst picks in franchise history.
8. Rob Dillingham (8th overall pick, 2024)
Dillingham was technically drafted by the San Antonio Spurs. Acquired by Minnesota in a draft-day trade, the Timberwolves shipped out a 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 first-round pick swap. Incredibly undersized, but an excellent shooter in college, Dillingham never gained Chris Finch’s trust, and he was dealt to the Chicago Bulls at this year’s trade deadline.
7. William Avery (14th overall pick, 1999)
After a strong sophomore season as Duke’s starting point guard, the Timberwolves envisioned Avery as their lead ball-handler for many years. Instead, he lasted just three years with pedestrian career averages of 2.7 points and 1.4 assists.
6. Ndudi Ebi (26th overall pick, 2003)
86 minutes. That’s the total amount that Ebi played over two seasons and 19 games in the NBA, both with the Timberwolves. It’s safe to say his going from high school to the pros story isn’t quite as successful as Kevin Garnett’s was.
5. Paul Grant (20th overall pick, 1997)
Grant was sidelined for the entirety of his first season with a foot injury. He played just four games for the Timberwolves the following year. He’d play two games with the Milwaukee Bucks to end the season, then spent time playing overseas, before ending his career with 10 more appearances for the Utah Jazz in 2003-04.
4. Derrick Williams (2nd overall pick, 2011)
When a team selects someone with the second pick, a lengthy and successful time with that club is envisioned. Instead, the Timberwolves traded Williams early into his third year straight up for Luc Mbah a Moute. A 6-8 forward, Williams did average 12 points in his second season but on subpar efficiency.
3. Wesley Johnson (4th overall pick, 2010)
It took just two years for the Wolves to realize Johnson was a draft bust when they traded him for not much in return. During those two seasons with Minnesota, Johnson shot under 40 percent from the field in both of them, and he didn’t have a single 20-point game in 2011-12 despite starting 64 contests.
2. Jarrett Culver (6th overall pick, 2019)
Culver was acquired by the Timberwolves on draft night from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for the #11 pick (Cameron Johnson) and Dario Saric. It's safe to say Phoenix won the trade by a large margin. In 97 games over two seasons with Minnesota, he owned miserable shooting splits of .406/.288/.503. Culver played 47 more games for the Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks the next two seasons before he was out of the league.
1. Jonny Flynn (6th overall pick, 2009)
Forever remembered as the selection made before Stephen Curry went seventh, Flynn lasted just three years in the NBA (first two with Minnesota). After averaging 13.5 points as a rookie, albeit on a very bad Timberwolves team, his scoring average dropped off a cliff to 5.3 in 2010-11. Because of who was drafted directly after him, Flynn has to be No. 1 on this list.
