The Timberwolves liked what they found so much in Round 1 of the NBA draft on Wednesday, they decided to do it again a day later.
Another round, another 18-year-old, 7-footer.
After multiple trade downs, Minnesota selected Australian center Rocco Zikarsky with the 45th overall selection of the second round of the NBA draft.
Zikarsky is a 7-foot-3 big man with the potential to expand his shooting range. He has a swimming background and has trained locally here in the Twin Cities in recent weeks. While Timberwolves basketball boss Tim Connelly admitted Zikarsky is “a long-term play,” he also added the team was “fired up” to get him.
“He has an appreciation for Minnesota and enjoys being around here. We had a great workout with him,” Connelly said. “We had him much higher on the board. It’s fun to add young players with energy.”
Minnesota opened the day with the first pick of the second round, No. 31 overall. That left many fans hoping the Timberwolves would select St. Joseph’s big, physical wing Rasheer Fleming, who can hit the 3-point shot at a high rate.
But those hopes vanquished when Minnesota traded with Phoenix, swapping No. 31 for No. 36, picking up a pair of future second rounders in the process. During the draft, Minnesota moved back from No. 36 to No. 45, picking up cash from the Lakers before finally picking Zikarsky, who is likely to land with the Wolves this season on a two-way contract that will allow him to develop in Iowa for much of the season with the G-League club.
Connelly called having the No. 31 pick in the second season of the NBA’s new two-night draft setup “fascinating.” He called it “curious” how agent-driven the draft was at that point. The Wolves were calling players throughout the day, and Connelly fould “there were 20 deals done” before the round began.
“You know, 31 is fun,” he said, “but it’s probably not as fun as we thought was gonna be.”
Connelly said Thursday’s draft board movement was done largely with the team’s current roster in mind.
Minnesota is pressed against the salary cap and hopes to retain at least Naz Reid and Julius Randle, if not also Nickeil Alexander-Walker while dodging the second apron. That means ducking unnecessary salaries while also accruing future assets.
“There were players that we really liked,” Connelly said. “But you can’t just add, add, add, add. When we looked at the board and we were aware of what the offseason might look like … we thought moving down and adding assets, and assets that are down the line that hopefully we can utilize with a pick or with a trade.”
Connelly noted Minnesota has dealt a number of future picks. So, the more it can recoup, the better off it is. Minnesota now has two additional second-rounders.
“Draft night is so much fun, but sometimes it’s like buying a car,” Connelly said. “The minute you drive off the lot, it loses half its value. So, we wanted to keep as many balls in play. … I think you just want to be as flexible and nimble as possible. And we were lucky. We walked away with a couple of future assets. We walked away with roster flexibility.”
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