The news that Alabama star point guard Labaron Philon, who's a projected lottery pick in Tuesday's draft, decided to accept a private workout invitation from the Minnesota Timberwolves, who own the 28th pick, is raising a lot of intrigue from the fan base.
Is it somehow possible that Philon falls to pick 28? Are the Wolves looking to trade up into the lottery? What do they have to offer for a lottery pick? These are all questions that have Wolves fans extra curious.
Personally, if Philon falls to 28, I would be beyond shocked. That would easily be the surprise of the draft. I can't see a world where he falls past, at the latest 20. A trade-up scenario would be pretty likely, however. Tim Connelly is no stranger to a bold move, and there are plenty of teams in the lottery that have a major need at center.
With Rudy Gobert presumably on the trade market, trading Gobert to one of these center-needy teams for matching salary plus their lottery pick could make a lot of sense for both parties. Some teams that fit this are the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets.
Rudy Gobert would be a great asset to either of those teams
The Hawks and the Hornets both have one thing in common. They're good, but not great. The Hawks were a competitive playoff team, and they gave the NBA champion New York Knicks some scares in round one, but ultimately, they didn't have enough to move on.
The Hornets, on the other hand, didn't make the playoffs, but that doesn't reflect how their season went. They started horribly, but since the turn of the calendar year, they have had one of the NBA's best records. They ended up losing their final play-in game to the Orlando Magic.
Both of these teams have a weakness at the center position. Onyeka Okongwu of the Hawks is good, but he's fairly undersized for a big man. Moussa Diabate on the Hornets is also a good player, but again, undersized. He's a great energy guy to have off the bench, but he probably isn't a starter on a competitive playoff team.
Rudy Gobert would be a huge upgrade for both of these teams, and most notably, he's infamous for turning good teams into great ones and helping them reach that next step.
The Hawks have the 8th pick in the lottery, and the Hornets have the 12th. This is the range where many people expect Philon to go. The Hawks or Hornets trading either of these picks for Gobert may not be well-received at first, but when their team is considerably better next season, they won't be unhappy anymore.
On the Wolves front, Gobert has been amazing during his tenure here, but it feels as though the Wolves have hit their ceiling with him on the roster. Trading him while he still has solid value for potentially Anthony Edwards' backcourt partner for the next decade would be a huge win.
It is a lot of moving pieces, but if anybody is going to pull something like this off, it would be Tim Connelly.
