We know this much — Derrick Williams out of Arizona will be the No. 2 pick in this draft. (Don’t buy the lines that the Cavs might take him No. 1, it’s not happening.)
What we don’t know — who will be drafting Williams.
With the draft just four days away, Minnesota is working hard still to trade the No. 2 pick, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. That is leading to all kinds of trade rumors, none of which seem to have merit or even make sense.Already it’s clear the Wolves will shop that second pick in search of a more experienced player or players and quite possibly a later pick in the first round.
Thursday’s rumor said the team is discussing a trade with Indiana involving Pacers forward Danny Granger. The report by an Ohio writer mentioned the names of Michael Beasley and Ricky Rubio as well as that No. 2 pick. Wolves boss David Kahn in turn texted an inquiring Indianapolis reporter and asked if the team must include Kevin Love, too.
The rumor over the weekend was Kevin Love and the No. 2 pick to the Lakers for Pau Gasol. The Lakers are too smart to make that bad a trade (Love would kill the Lakers defense, Gasol is a good pick-and-roll defender, and the Lakers are not breaking up their core). In follow up rumors, the Wolves basically said they’d do Gasol for the No. 2 pick but not Love also. As Washington is not willing to give up JaVale McGee for the No. 2 pick, the Lakers would only laugh at the Gasol offer.
The latest rumor is the Bucks sending Andrew Bogut and the No. 10 for the No. 2. But again that is a complete Wolves whitewash of a trade, there is no reason for Milwaukee to make that. Unless they think Bogut will never bounce back. That trade would kill the Bucks defense.
In some drafts offering up the No. 2 pick would land you a veteran big, but this is not that draft. Teams like Williams, but don’t love him.
Minnesota is willing to draft Williams, and they may well have to. He could work there (although now Michael Beasley can be yours for a decent offer). But they’ll keep trying to trade the pick right up to when David Stern walks to the podium.