The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the league's more active teams, fighting and scrapping to make their team better in a myriad of ways. Many of those aggressive moves work out; others, unfortunately, do not.
One of those moves that did not work out was trading for Leonard Miller in the 2023 NBA Draft. The allure of Miller was clear; he was an athletic forward who pulverized opponents in high school, and it wasn't insane to think he could turn into a double-double machine in the NBA.
To take that bet, the Timberwolves gave up one of their most valuable assets, an unprotected Utah Jazz second-round pick, as well as a 2028 second-round pick. They landed the No. 33 pick in 2023 and used it to draft Miller.
Leonard Miller has not put it together
Three years later, the jury is somehow still out on Miller. He has been an absolute monster in the G League, scoring and rebounding and looking like a MonStar on the court. Once he checks into an NBA game, however, he turns into a wallflower. In three seasons with the Wolves, Miller played in only 49 games and averaged 1.9 points per game.
While the Wolves would have certainly loved to hang onto Miller and see if he could break through, their priorities as a team meant letting go at this past trade deadline. They included Miller in the trade to bring back Ayo Dosunmu, who had a standout postseason and will be back with Minnesota on a new long-term contract.
Dosunmu is evidence that second-round picks can turn into gold mines, as he was drafted 38th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. Miller, at least thus far, has failed to show that kind of upside.
The Wolves are still paying the cost
The cost to trade in and take Miller is still causing the team pain as it begins to be officially paid out. It's a double pain, because there were better options available on the board that the Wolves could have drafted, such as Jordan Walsh, GG Jackson and Toumani Camara.
Worse is the fact that Utah's 2026 second-round pick, the first of two picks the Wolves traded away in the Miller deal, landed so high in the draft. The pick came in at No. 35, essentially even with the No. 33 pick the Wolves bought to draft Miller in the first place.
That pick was held by the Spurs for three years, until on draft night, San Antonio traded up into the first round to take UConn center Tarris Reed, sending the Denver Nuggets No. 35 as a part of the package. The Nuggets used the pick on Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile.
For a Timberwolves team absolutely strapped for assets, burning two of them on a failed pick at power forward hurts more than it should. And add on to that the fact that the Wolves are now without a power forward on the roster after the LaMelo Ball deal, and it only hurts more.
Minnesota wasted picks and opportunity on Leonard Miller, and he did not pan out. Three years later, they are still feeling the pain, as another team used the pick they once held in their hands. If Brazile turns out to be a better player than Miller, the pain only increases.
Tim Connelly makes the bold trades. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they do not. This one was a flop.
