NBA Draft: 5 destinations for Buddy Hield

Mar 20, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) reacts in the second half against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

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Feb 13, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine competes in the dunk contest during the NBA All Star Saturday Night at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Minnesota Timberwolves

The T-Wolves have one of the most exciting cores in the NBA, but they lack perimeter shooting. Ricky Rubio can pass and Zach LaVine can fly, but neither is a knock-down perimeter shooter. Adding Buddy Hield would provide the Timberwolves offense with a whole new dimension.

Rubio is rumored to be on his way out of Minnesota this summer, which means the ‘Wolves will likely be in the market for a guard. If they want to give more minutes to LaVine (which they should), they will need to partner him with a shooter in the back court. Adding the best perimeter scorer in the draft would be wise.

Imagine a starting lineup of LaVine, Hield, Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Deng next season. They may not be ready to compete with the Western Conference elite, but you’d like their chances of taking a serious step forward in the win-column. Add in the right free agent or two and you might even have a playoff contender.

Minnesota might have reservations about Hield’s ceiling compared to some of the other guys who will be available this early in the draft. They may hesitate to take a college senior if they can roll the dice on a younger player with more upside.

For me, that would be a mistake. They need some additional talent to help the high-ceiling young players they already have. If they keep drafting guys who are years away from actually helping the team, they may eventually watch guys like Wiggins and Towns walk in free agency. Adding Hield would help the team both now and in the future. That’s what the Timberwolves should be looking for in this year’s draft.

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