Report: If Wolves draft Williams No. 2, Beasley moves to trade block

It is known around the league that Minnesota will trade you the No. 2 overall pick if you are willing to send them a veteran big man in return.

Problem is, in this draft nobody really wants to give up a decent veteran big man for what they can get at No. 2.

If things do not change — a team falling in love with Enes Kanter or Minnesota dropping their demands — expect the Wolves to keep the pick and to draft Derrick Williams out of Arizona. Which stocks their front court and leads to this note from DraftExpress, doing a new mock draft for Yahoo.

It’s likely that Williams will be the one taken since he is the consensus second-best talent in this draft, according to NBA decision makers. If Minnesota keeps the pick and indeed selects Williams, sources say the Timberwolves will look to move Michael Beasley as they try to improve the “culture of the team.”

This makes sense. While Minnesota does not want to get younger right now, Williams is a talent upgrade over Beasley (he’ll be the better player in a couple years). Plus there are the locker room concerns, which Beasley is trying to shake but that still dog him. Beasley did show late in the season he could score, but was a high volume shooter to do it.

Minnesota won’t get a veteran big man for Beasley either, but they may get someone useful.