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NBA Draft Preview
Chris Hine from The Minnesota Star Tribune joins All Day to discuss the Julius Randle trade, the Ayo Dosunmu signing and tonight's NBA Draft.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - It’s Draft Day in the NBA, and there’s already been some roster shake-ups across the league.
Unfortunately for Timberwolves’ fans, Giannis Antetokounmpo is not coming to Minnesota. The reality is despite some national reports, Giannis to the Timberwolves was never a reality due to the lack of assets on Minnesota’s side, and their unwillingness to part with current rostered players.
Timberwolves trade Julius Randle
The backstory:
According to ESPN insider Shams Charania, the Timberwolves Monday night traded Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets along with their No. 28 overall pick, and in exchange got the No. 33 overall pick. If that holds, it means the Timberwolves do not have a first round pick in Tuesday night’s NBA Draft.
The Timberwolves shed Randle’s $33 million salary to open up cap space, got some flexibility for future trades and freed up money to sign other players. Randle came to the Timberwolves along with Donte DiVincenzo in the deal that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks just before the start of training camp in 2024. Towns just won an NBA title in New York.
Timberwolves to re-sign Ayo Dosunmu
Why you should care:
Charania also reported Monday night that guard Ayo Dosunmu intends to sign a five year, $112 million contract to return to the Timberwolves. Minnesota acquired Dosunmu last season to add guard depth before the playoffs, and he exploded for a 43-point game against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Playoffs.
The Timberwolves are still lacking a lead point guard to pair with Anthony Edwards, but Donsumu gives Minnesota a scorer in the backcourt.
Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori to Portland
Dig deeper:
According reports Tuesday morning, the Portland Trail Blazers are hiring Micah Nori as their next head coach. Nori, one of the NBA’s top assistant coach, was Chris Finch’s lead assistant for Minnesota since Finch was hired in 2021.
Nori has interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs the past few seasons, and now finally gets his chance in Portland.
What's next:
Barring more trades, the Timberwolves have two second-round picks in Tuesday night’s NBA Draft. They have the No. 33 and No. 59 overall. Don’t put it past Tim Connelly to package those picks to get back into the first round, or attempt to acquire another veteran player.