James Wiseman reportedly does not want to get drafted by Minnesota, which already has a center they want to run the offense through in Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Timberwolves, not blown away by any of the top picks in the draft, may take Wiseman anyway. That buzz — or possibly smokescreen — is a growing buzz around the league, something Jonathan Wasserman wrote at Bleacher Report.
It’s smokescreen season around the NBA draft, there’s more smoke in the air than a Snoop Dogg concert. With LaMelo Ball’s draft stock falling, Wiseman could be the No. 1 pick in the draft, and Charlotte reportedly really wants to draft Wiseman. For Minnesota, it makes sense to leak that they might draft Wiseman to put pressure on Charlotte to talk trade for the top pick. For the Hornets, it makes sense to leak you might be more interested in sitting at No. 3 and drafting Onyeka Okongwu (who a number of scouts do like more than Wiseman).
With no clear top pick in this draft, expect many more rumors for the next 10 days as teams try to disguise what they really want to do and who they have their eyes on.
Wiseman — a mobile 7-footer who could be a paint-protecting big on defense and quality rim-runner on offense — has fans in this draft. He could be a future top-40 player in the league, a key part of a quality team, and might be the best choice at No. 1 in this draft. Whether the Timberwolves really think that is another question.
