NBA Draft 2013: Minnesota Timberwolves Looking to Trade Up for Victor Oladipo or Shabazz Muhammad
By Josh Hill
The Minnesota Timberwovles have been notoriously terrible drafters in recent years, but there’s hope that with David Khan gone things will turn around. Former head coach Flip Saunders took over for Khan earlier this month and he’s not wasting any time in making big splashes in the NBA Draft pond, as ESPN 1500 in Minneapolis is reporting the Wolves are looking into possibly trading up in the draft order to select either Victor Oldipo or Shabazz Muhammad.
"According to league sources, Saunders is a big fan of Indiana guard Victor Oladipo, and the only way to get him is to move up from the ninth-spot. If the Wolves stay at No. 9, one league source predicts Saunders will take UCLA’s Shabazz Muhammad."
The Wolves indeed pick ninth in the draft but they’d have to trade up to be able to draft either Oladipo or Muhammad. Both players have proven to be prolific scorers and that’s exactly what the Wolves have been in desperate need of in recent years. Former No. 2 overall pick Derrick Williams has shown flashes but patience is running out when it comes to how long to wait for him to take his game to the next level.
Oldapio fits the bill perfectly when it comes to what the Wolves need. Minnesota needs a scoring guard to compliment the offense they have with Ricky Rubio, Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic. Oladipo won over scores of fans with his play at Indiana during March Madness and he’s already a popular name in Big Ten country like Minnesota.
Muhammad harkens back to a pick Khan might have made as he’s a scoring threat but he’s a scoring small forward. There is a chance the the Wolves could convert him to shooting guard and use him specifically and solely for his scoring ability.
Either way, it’s looking like the Wolves are already thinking of being active in the draft and they have two first rounders to make a serious run at moving ahead of the Detroit Pistons in the lottery.