After back-to-back years of picking in the top five, the Timberwolves are on the outside looking in this year, but they’re still hoping to make a splash.
According to a report by Marc Berman of the New York Post on Monday, the Timberwolves, who hold the No. 7 overall pick in the draft, are interested in either Lauri Markkanen or Dennis Smith.
Markkanen, the sweet-shooting seven-footer, could help space the floor next to Karl-Anthony Towns. But drafting him would be giving heavy responsibility to Towns to carry the duo defensively, and the team just gave a four-year, $64 million extension to incumbent power forward Gorgui Dieng. As for Smith, an explosive scoring point guard, he could present the Wolves the opportunity to move away from Ricky Rubio, but Kris Dunn, the point guard they drafted just last year for supposedly the same purpose, is still in bad need of development.
Of course, Minnesota has been pursuing bigger targets lately, but falling back on one of these cost-controlled talents to add to their dynamic young core wouldn’t be a bad outcome at all, if they can find a way to make it work.
