The 2022 NBA Draft is less than 48 hours away and the Minnesota Timberwolves are finally out of the lottery once again. Minnesota holds its own first-round pick (No. 19) and three second-round picks — all acquired in trades — at No. 40 (from WAS via CLE), No. 48 (from DEN via PHI) and No. 50 (from DEN via PHI). Surely President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly and Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Matt Lloyd — who is heading the Wolves’ scouting efforts — will not select four players in this year’s class, but this draft figures to produce some fireworks for fans to enjoy. It makes complete sense for the Wolves’ front office to consolidate their three seconds into either two higher in the second round or flip some or all of them into a rotation player. But, with a supermax extension for Karl-Anthony Towns, a rookie maximum extension for Anthony Edwards and a healthy extension for Jaden McDaniels expected to hit the Wolves’ books in the next few years, Minnesota will need a rookie contracts on the books to help ease the financial restraints on the front office from a team-building perspective.
Bullets Forever