The Minnesota Timberwolves were beneficiaries of an unexpected postseason run from the Detroit Pistons. Rather than Detroit keeping its lottery-protected first-round pick in next week's NBA Draft, as most folks expected, it conveyed to Minnesota — a team short on salary flexibility and long-term assets. It's a nice boon for the Wolves, who remain oh-so-close to reaching the mountaintop in a competitive Western Conference.
There are multiple directions Minnesota can go with the No. 17 pick they now own — a 3-and-D wing, another playmaker in the backcourt or maybe frontcourt depth with Naz Reid set to hit free agency. ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo currently project Georgetown freshman Thomas Sorber to land with the Wolves.
Sorber stands 6-foot-10, 262 pounds in shoes with a gaping 7-foot-6 wingspan. He's one of the most dominant rim protectors in the draft and a skilled post operator on offense. While the Wolves could look for a Naz Reid replacement, Sorber does not really check those boxes. He reads as more of a true center-type, and him sharing the floor with Rudy Gobert — with neither shooting 3s — feels like an improbability.
Could this signal, perhaps, Minnesota's plans for a post-Rudy Gobert world? The only way that realistically happens this offseason, of course, is a Kevin Durant trade.
Wolves selecting Thomas Sorber in mock draft could hint at Kevin Durant trade
We know the Phoenix Suns want a center in the KD trade. We also know the Wolves are interested, despite KD not reciprocating that interest. There is immense potential in a Durant-Anthony Edwards pairing, even if it's only for a couple years. We can debate whether or not Minnesota should rock the boat so drastically after back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances, but the Wolves did trade Karl-Anthony Towns after the first WCF berth. Tim Connelly and that front office are not afraid of dramatic changes, even in the face of success.
Durant is 36 years old, entering the final year of his contract and refusing to sign an extension in Minnesota. That involves a lot of risk. But so does paying Rudy Gobert $38 million in his age-35 season, which the Wolves are currently on the hook for. If the Suns decide to install Gobert as their defensive anchor and bank on Devin Booker as an offensive centerpiece, it could benefit all parties.
In this instance, the Wolves bring in Sorber — assuming the 17th pick isn't rerouted to Phoenix as part of the deal — as the Gobert successor. He won't provide close to the same impact as a four-time DPOY out of the gate, but Sorber can liven up the offense a bit and give Minnesota stout, versatile defensive coverage at the five spot. He's a heady player, with a feel and awareness beyond his years, plus the physical tools to manifest that intelligence into impactful rim protection.
What does a potential Kevin Durant-Timberwolves trade look like?
Odds are Phoenix asks for the No. 17 pick in a Durant trade, but it's clear KD's value around the league has plummeted. The Wolves appear to be aggressive in their pursuit, but realistically, Gobert is a valuable asset in his own right. Minnesota cannot and will not empty the entire clip.
If Gobert plus Rob Dillingham, Terrence Shannon Jr. and salary filler is enough to get Phoenix to the bargaining table, then the NBA Draft becomes the perfect avenue to recover some of what is lost defensively without Gobert. There is no better outcome in that scenario than Sorber falling all the way to No. 17.