The Timberwolves haven’t received tempting offers yet about the top pick in next week’s draft, but executive vice president Sachin Gupta said “three phone” time is coming soon, writes Chris Hine of the Star-Tribune. That’s what Gupta calls the days immediately before the draft when front-office members are balancing several phone calls at once.
“There’s not a whole lot of pleasantries that are happening with those calls,” he said. “There’s no time for it. It’s, ‘What do you want? What do you got for me?’ ”
Minnesota should find a lot of interest in the top selection between now and November 18. The Warriors and Hornets are both believed to be eyeing former Memphis center James Wiseman, while Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball might entice other teams to move up. The Wolves could have the luxury of playing teams against each another to drive up offers.
“We’ve always been active, and with these types of assets at our disposal, it really plays into sort of our mentality of turning over every rock and figuring out what all the possibilities are,” Gupta said.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Monte Morris could be the key to bringing Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday to Denver, suggests Mike Singer of the Denver Post. Singer states that the Nuggets would probably have to part with Gary Harris or Will Barton in a potential deal, along with Bol Bol. Throwing in Morris, who’s hoping for an extension this offseason, might be enough to get a deal done. Singer admits it’s a lot to part with, but contends that adding Holiday could give Denver the league’s best starting five.
- A potential December 22 starting date for the new season leaves the Thunder with little time to address a lot of business, notes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City is the only team without a head coach, and Chris Paul is among the most prominent names on the trade market. Danilo Gallinari, Nerlens Noel and Andre Roberson will all become free agents later this month, while Abdel Nader, Hamidou Diallo and Deonte Burton have team options ranging from $1.66M to $1.75M and Mike Muscala has a $2.3M player option. Mussatto believes Gallinari will consider staying with the Thunder if Paul isn’t traded.
- The Jazz worked out Washington small forward Jaden McDaniels, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic.
More must-reads: