The Minnesota Timberwolves have made great and poor draft selections since becoming a team in 1989. Here are the top 10 draft picks in franchise history.
The NBA Draft is always an exciting and scary time for the Minnesota Timberwolves. They are no stranger to having a top-10 draft pick. In fact, they have had a lottery pick 21 times in 29 years. Some of those picks have turned into All-Stars, while many accomplished very little.
The Timberwolves are proof that high draft picks are not a for sure thing. They have the lowest winning percentage in the NBA since the franchise began in 1989. It has not been all bad though. They had some good years during the Kevin Garnett era, making it to the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons. Since Garnett left Minnesota, the Wolves have not made a postseason appearance.
That looks to change after an impressive offseason. The Timberwolves traded down in the 2017 NBA Draft to add Jimmy Butler to the roster. With the pick they acquired from the Chicago Bulls they got Justin Patton out of Creighton. Since it is too early to tell if Patton is a good draft pick, let’s leave him out while we take a look at the Minnesota Timberwolves’ top 10 draft picks in franchise history.
Note: This list includes players that were drafted by another team and immediately traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Honorable Mentions: Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Donyell Marshall, Pooh Richardson, Rasho Nesterovic, Luc Longley and Derrick Williams