Report: LaMelo Ball expected to go first overall if T-Wolves don’t trade
The Minnesota Timberwolves hold the first overall selection in the upcoming NBA Draft, and some believe they will trade the pick. If they don’t, the youngest of the three Ball brothers could become a No. 1 pick.
Multiple sources told Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman that they expect the Timberwolves to draft Ball first overall if they keep the pick. However, one Western Conference executive says he has heard the T-Wolves are “confused” and are not sold on any player at No. 1. They also feel pressure not to make a mistake after they made a trade for Jarrett Culver in last year’s draft.
Most analysts agree that Ball is a lottery pick, but he could go anywhere in the top five. Some feel Georgia’s Anthony Edwards would be a safer pick at No. 1, but Wasserman reports that teams are concerned about his “drive and enthusiasm for winning.”
Ball, 19, is the biggest name in the draft for obvious reasons. If he doesn’t go first overall, we already have reason to believe he is not going second.
There are questions about whether Ball would be a good fit with D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns, though those same questions will exist for almost any team. Unlike past years, there is no consensus top overall pick this year. That is likely why the Timberwolves are strongly considering trading out of No. 1.
