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Minnesota open to trade for No. 1 pick, will test market

Minnesota trade No. 1 pick

SECAUCUS, NJ - AUGUST 20: The card of the Minnesota Timberwolves after they get the 1st overall pick in the NBA Draft during the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery on August 20, 2020 at the NBA Entertainment Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2020 NBAE (Photo by Steven Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Minnesota landed the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft... and that may not be the best thing for them.

Getting the top pick is not a bad thing. But this season, for this team, it presents challenges. This draft does not have a true superstar — Zion Williamson or Ja Morant of last year — at the top of the board. Then there are fit issues with the best players. LaMelo Ball overlaps skill sets and needs the ball like D’Angelo Russell. Anthony Edwards is not going to play better than Malik Beasley did for the Timberwolves last season. The bigger problem is Minnesota’s defense is already suspect with Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns, and both Ball and Edwards are terrible on that end of the floor. James Wiseman overlaps with Towns. None of the top guys fit.

So why not trade out? Timberwolves president Gersson Rosas told NBC Sports’ Tom Haberstroh he would consider it last week on Haberstroh’s podcast.

https://art19.com/shows/the-habershow/episodes/bb825751-e720-4ba9-a61a-976835a397a1

Other GMs already expected the same thing, reports Sam Vecenie at The Athletic.

Rosas is one of the most aggressive general managers in the league. Sources around the league already expect that he’ll work the phones over the next couple of months at least to see what’s out there on the market. The consensus around the league is that this will simply be a value play for Rosas, not necessarily one based upon a specific timeline they want to adhere to.

The questions become: What can Rosas get for the pick, and is it enough to make the trade worthwhile? What the Timberwolves need is one GM to fall in love with a player (most likely Ball, he has the highest upside... we’re looking at you, Knicks) and be willing to trade up to make sure they get their man. Rosas would gladly take a future high first-rounder for the top pick this year, or he could move down in the draft and stockpile picks.

If no trade is out there, Rosas will take the top player on their draft board and call it a day. One way or another, the Timberwolves will add talent this offseason. The bigger question is, will that talent fit.