As part of the Julius Randle trade, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded the No. 28 pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for the No. 33 pick. Beyond the more pressing concerns with how the Wolves would go about improving their roster following a salary-dump move like this, it was worth wondering if trading out of the first-round might have cost Minnesota a chance to draft a high-impact player.
Luckily, though, Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas and Duke guard Isaiah Evans are still within reach after the first-round. It's not an outcome that I or others anticipated, but it's one Minnesota should be grateful for. Both Thomas and Evans can contribute immediately as spot-up shooters.
Leading up to the draft, both Thomas and Evans were top-five on my Timberwolves big board for FanSided.com.
Drafting either Thomas or Evans would be fantastic for the Timberwolves
With Donte DiVincenzo's devastating Achilles injury, shooting is something the Wolves sorely need. Landing one of Thomas and Evans in the second-round would be fantastic value. And with the third pick of the second-round, Minnesota is in a prime position to draft one of them.
It's fair to assume that one of Thomas or Evans will be taken with one of the first two picks of the second-round. North Carolina's Henri Veesaar is also another prime candidate to be drafted in the early second-round. As such, the Wolves could have a clear path to drafting either Thomas or Evans at pick 33.
Listen, I get it, Chris Finch doesn't play rookies, but next year, he might have to, especially if Tim Connelly gives him an NBA-ready rookie. In the case of both Thomas and Evans, their shooting gives them a bankable skill that will help them get on the court from day one. Both players thrive at spotting up and moving off the ball.
Likewise, while shooting is their forte, they both provide some general shot-creation juice, which further gives them a path to minutes.
With the Wolves' need for an infusion of shooting and general shot creation, it's hard to see them passing up a chance to draft either Thomas or Evans should one of them still be available at pick 33.
It's worth noting that the Wolves will also save some money by drafting in the second-round in addition to the enormous cap savings from the Randle deal. The bigger picture is, though, that since Thomas and Evans slipped, the Wolves have a clear path to drafting a prospect they would have loved to get at pick 28.
With all the uncertainty after the Randle salary-dump, good news appears to be on the horizon for Wolves fans.
