Final Locked On Wolves Draft Board | Top Prospects the Timberwolves May Consider + Will They Trade?

Final Locked On Wolves Draft Board | Top Prospects the Timberwolves May Consider + Will They Trade?

hello and welcome into another episode of Lockdown Wolves It is draft day today First round of the 2025 NBA draft is tonight I’ll break down my big board 15 players that I’ve ranked why I think the Wolves will go after at number 17 We’ll do it all here next [Music] You are Locked on Timberwolves your daily Minnesota Timberwolves podcast part of the Locked On podcast network Your team every day Hello and welcome to the Lockdown Wolves podcast part of the Lockdown Podcast Network your team every day My name is Ben Beacon I’m the host of Lockdown Wolves Happy Wednesday everybody Happy hump day and happy NBA draft day Happy uh NBA first round draft day since now it’s a Wednesday and not a Thursday and we get one round Wednesday one round Thursday So much has changed I’m not trying to say get out by lawn All that to say we get two days of NBA draft Round one is tonight Minnesota’s number pick number 17 at least as of this recording on Tuesday evening I I don’t think they’ll trade it Um but you never know and they might do it during the draft We’ve talked about that I’ll give some predictions later in the show today but the the the main purpose of today’s show is to go through my big board for the Wolves I’ll rank the 15 players that I have talked about over the last 10 days or so here on the show and tell you what I think will happen at 17 and 31 for Minnesota Of course 31 is the first pick of the second round on Thursday So who knows By the time we get to Thursday’s show things could look a lot different There’s all kinds of possibilities on the table for Minnesota which I I don’t say every year I think that’s truly the case this year Um so we’ll get to the big board We’ll hit a couple of Wolves do and notes at the end Of course ownership transfers happening today A couple of other things I want to talk about too So we’ll do that toward the end A big thank you off the top for making Lockdown Wools your first listen every day Of course this show is free available everywhere that includes YouTube as well as all of your favorite audio platforms Wherever you like to listen to podcasts you can find Lockdown Wolves You can also watch on the Lockdown Sports Minnesota app on both Roku and Amazon Fire TV Okay So if you missed any shows over the last few weeks you can go back through wherever you’re listening to this podcast and uh or on YouTube and you can see usually in the title of the podcast which player I talked about And most of these guys I did at least one full segment on There were a couple that I went through a little bit more quickly but today I’m gonna go right down the list and I’m going to tell you who my top or let me let me explain how I’m going to do this These are the 15 guys I talked about And the methodology here was guys that I think are likely to be on the board at 17 in some cases or 31 possibly Um possibly you know a couple of these guys could go early Like the number one guy on my board who I think has a shot at being there at 17 probably won’t be like there’s a good chance he’s gone but I purposely didn’t talk about anybody that consistently has been mocked in the top you know nine or 10 picks Um and I didn’t talk about anybody that was like a deep cut second rounder sleeper type pick There’s a couple guys that almost certainly will not go as high as 17 that are are on this board as well So this is ranked based on how I fit with this fit with how they would fit with Minnesota and um how I what their fit looks like and also what I how I project these prospects out to be So yeah it’s a bit of a pick and choose Um it’s my own 15 guys There are players that are better than this on the board obviously potentially even at 17 And there’s guys on this board that you know uh maybe shouldn’t be in the top 15 at at 17 or certainly shouldn’t be at 17 but I think between the two picks you know these guys are 15 guys that I think makes sense for Minnesota So without further ado let’s go ahead and get started Number one on my board is somebody I talked about way back at the start of this series and that’s Thomas Sorber the big man out of Georgetown He’s actually when I when I uh picked him to Minnesota he’s somebody there was some chatter about but he wasn’t regularly mocked to Minnesota I believe the most recent ESPN mock actually does have him going to the Wolves Um yeah I think it does He is a He’s a true big a true modern big He’s 6’9 with a 76 wingspan He’s 19 and a half years old so still very young And the 76 wingspan to me is one of the more attractive things about him as a prospect He’s got a massive wingspan And he handles himself well on the perimeter I think he’ll be decently um decently switchable and pretty good in the pick and roll Those are the only real question marks for me Uh he doesn’t have a like a a crazy jump shot but he has touch and he has the ability to shoot So in terms of like starting right off the bat with what I like the most the wingspan um the his ability as a screener also like he can fake fake dribble handoff as the as the essentially the screener the the handoff guy pull the ball and get to the basket in a straight line drive I think his overall feel and how he controls his body how he takes contact is good All that is really positive And I also think he’s going to be able to pass the basketball in a dribble handoff situation where he pulls the ball back and straight line drives and somebody steps in to take a charge He can kick that ball to the corner or maybe even make the weak side pass the opposite corner for an open three like that is already in his game as a 19 and a halfyear-old Um you know already entering the NBA Um I think the also the offensive rebounding capabilities are really impressive I think he’s about as wellrounded of a big as you’re going to find in this draft My only real question marks which I mentioned a second ago are some lateral quickness defensively How switchable is he I mean he’s also a center He’s essentially a you know he’s 69 76 wingspan So he’s not Jade McDaniels in terms of his perimeter defense But I actually think he has the ability to be just as good on the perimeter as like a St Nazri Um somebody who is relatively switchable in the right matchup can be very good very versatile but also can get beat in the wrong matchup And since he’s a non-shooter what does his offense look like at the NBA level And non-shooter is actually a really strong way to put it I do think there’s something there Um like he’s got a little bit of a mid-range game Went to it a little bit too much Uh forced some difficult shots I think a little bit too much at Georgetown But there is something there from a range standpoint It’s not like the Wolves don’t already deploy a non-shooter Rudy Goar for a significant chunk of their minutes So him as a bench big that can play in non-goar minutes not necessarily play next to Gobear for the next couple of seasons Um I really like the upside of Thomas Sorber And um I also like his floor I think he’s plugandplay for the most part not as a big minutes guy but as a 10 12 14 minutes off the bench A um a combin almost in some ways a weird combo between what Goar can do uh defensively because he’s a really good helpside shot blocker and again relatively switchable on the on the perimeter and a better rebounder than Nas But offensively there’s a little bit of Nas off the dribble Obviously the shooting piece isn’t there It’s like he’s not a straight hybrid between Nas and Rudy but there’s elements to his game that that complement each of those guys So I think him as a backup big playing next to Nas and next to Julius not next to Rudy is interesting And then when Rudy moves on eventually in two three four years um Sorber could end up being the guy and I think he’s got the upside to be a potentially a star caliber player certainly a starter level player player in a couple of years I really like his fit with Minnesota There’s a decent chance he’s not on the board at 17 but I love his fit with Minnesota Number two on my board Drake Powell wing out of UNCC Much higher I’m much higher than him than a lot of people are Um in fact the latest ESPN mock had him going like like mid30s or 34 or something I believe he was mocked higher than that on on the Ringers mock draft Uh yeah he’s 23 on the Ringers mock draft So everybody seems to think he’ll be there at 17 That’s maybe a little bit high perhaps You know Minnesota may trade out of 17 anyway to try and avoid that guaranteed almost $4 and a half million dollars that come with that salary slot to try and save the money to to sign Nquille but if they’re not sure they can sign Nquille or whatever or they’re able to trade back and reduce what that guaranteed salary is going to be trade back into the 20s and take Drake Powell Um we’re going to talk about Nick Clifford in a second I had Nick really high up on my board and he still is I had him even higher until I really evaluated these guys and I was like “All right they’re not the same guy.” But Drake Powell’s got a wingspan that’s three four inches longer and he’s like over three years younger than Nick Clifford And there’s some advantage to actually let’s talk about these two guys together I do have Nick Clifford three on my board There’s some advantage to the 23-year-old for a team that’s been to the conference finals in consecutive seasons because if you think Alexander Walker is going to leave you want to backfill that with somebody who is legit plugandplay N Clifford is more plugandplay He’s probably a bit of a higher floor player than Drake Powell because of of what he can do as a shooter and his consistency and flexibility defensively But Drake Powell is still a high floor guy because of the catch and shoot and because of his motor and because of the defensive characteristics and the wingspan but he’s also not even 20 years old yet He’s almost 20 But there’s upside there too Drake Pal’s 66 with a seven foot wingspan high motor impressive length He’s already an awesome point of attack defender I think he’s switchable I think he has the size to guard up to even some fours I also think if he can function a bit as a center offensively he could be a a really good role man as well if he ends up playing a little bit more off the ball But beyond that I actually think there is a little bit of of um upside of him or or shouldn’t say that way He’s already a good shooter from the perimeter right He’s a 40 was a 40% catch and shoot guy on offense 90 attempts which is pretty good volume Overall he was about 38% from three There’s not much else there offensively yet Like Nick Clifford has more offensive game right now than Drake Powell And as long as we’re talking about shooting Dee Clifford uh was also 39% catch and shoot on threes over his career He was a little over 40% this year So really similar as Drake Powell The offensive advantage that Nick Clifford has is he’s better as a ball handler Out of ball screens he averaged nearly 1.1 points per possession at Colorado State which is a really good number He can create a bit he can create for himself and create for others So if you’re really trying to backfill Nik Alexander Walker’s role if Alexander Walker indeed does end up leaving in free agency Nick Clifford is more of an applesto apples He’s not exactly the same He doesn’t look the same when he plays but he could function in a similar role I think right now Drake Powell has more tools and raw athleticism certainly defensively The offensive catch and shoot is about the same but Clifford does a few more things than Drake Powell can However because the athleticism upside because of the offball activity defensively the extremely high motor that Drake Powell play Powell plays with um I actually like him more for a fit with Minnesota Again he’s not a backup point guard Nick plays one on TV He’s not really either but that’s what he had to do Nick Clifford could function in that role He’s already 23 There’s some you know belief that he could step in and do that Now Drake Powell can’t but I like the upside combined with the floor defensively and the shooting He’s already a three and D guy with a little bit of maybe higher usage sixth man type offensive capability Nick Clifford is more of like all right he’s our ninth guy right now My thing with Nick the only reason I have him behind Drake Powell is because TJ Shannon’s already kind of in that role Like TJ Shannon is not really initiating offense but other than that there’s some similarities there He’s the older rookie last year He spent a year in the league I think Clifford’s a little more redundant there than Drake Powell is but I like Nick Clifford a great deal and I’d be very happy with him at at 17 Um he’s a guy who’s usually mocked ahead of Drake Powell I just think there’s a lot of similarities and the youth and size advantage and athleticism advantage that um that Drake Powell has is is exciting to me I mentioned Powell was mocked lower than Minnesota in a lot of places Nick Clifford is actually mocked to Minnesota in the most recent Ringer uh mockup or mock draft I should say and he’s mocked to um the Pelicans at 23 in the ESPN mock Okay so 23 on ESPN for Nick Clifford and uh 17 on the ringer for Nick Clifford whereas uh Drake Powell is actually 23 to the Pelicans on the Ringer and in the second round on ESPN’s mock So I have my top three as Sorber number one I’m not going to spend as much time on everybody obviously Sorber number one Drake Powell number two Nick Clifford number three We’ll talk about the next few guys on my big board uh and start going through a few of these guys a little more quickly Do all that here next Today’s episode of Lockdown Wolves is brought to us by our friends at Open Phone If you are running a business you know that every missed call is money left on the table Think about the last time you had an urgent need maybe for a plumber or service provider If the first person didn’t 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BYU He is uh I would call him a combo guard Um probably I think the best passer in the draft Um and you know that’s that’s a a debatable thing but I think a lot of people I think a lot of people would agree with that I’ve seen that in a couple different places but based on the film that I watched I think I think he is he is the best passer in this draft For context he’s mocked at number 19 on the Ringer uh on their most recent mock and he’s at 13 on to Atlanta on the ESPN most recent mock draft So he that’s kind of the Wolves are right in the middle of that range Um he is 19 years old and is uh spent the year at BYU last year Of course he’s uh from um he’s from overseas and came over to play at BYU The creativity is obviously the thing that’s most attractive for him as a 19-year-old Being the best passer in the draft the size and length 69 610 wingspan is is pretty tantalizing Um the shooting isn’t quite where you want it to be Um but I like I don’t know I I think I think he’s got like you worry a little bit about the touch watching him Um but I I think there’s been there’s enough there Like he was 70% as a free throw shooter this year at BYU He was only 27% on threes on nearly five attempts per game Um so that that’s the biggest red flag But he’s actually pretty good at at uh at straight line drives If he gets an angle um if he gets a screen and can take that angle he he could definitely uh be impactful in that way He’s not super creative in creating for himself but uh so so I guess my main concern is is that that he doesn’t create for himself and the shooting isn’t quite there but the size the length the the um the decent athleticism and also the ability to uh to create for others for a team that doesn’t have a guard and prefers to have big guards where Rob Dillingham I shouldn’t say doesn’t have a guard doesn’t have a long-term solution at point guard that’s obvious Could he play next to Rob Dillingham Probably Those guys could play together and they could kind of take turns being the initiator for for you know the offense and play off of each other Dillingham obviously is more the catch and shoot guy Demen as more of the passer Um of course Dillingham being much smaller than Deon but I think that’s an interesting idea and I like I like the upside of Jie Demen So I have him number four on my Timberwolves big board Number five I have Ace Newell the big out of Georgia We talked about him a while ago as well He is 6’10 with the 611 wingspan He’s he’s almost 20 years old after a couple seasons at Georgia or sorry just one season at Georgia Um the most appealing thing about him is he already has a pretty solid floor and there’s a a pretty nice ceiling Um super active as a big an awesome cutter and understands where to be can play out of the dunker Uh wasn’t great as a roll big last year but I think I think if the screening improves the technique can improve Um he rushed a little bit from what I saw of him at Georgia if he improves his his capability to score off of a role I think he’s going to be a dynamic pick and roll big in the NBA or or I should say um situational big understanding timing spacing where he needs to be because again out of the corners out of the dunker uh uh cutting from the wings um from above the break looks very comfortable doing all of it He’s a he’s awesome in transition too He plays hard all the time Uh on defense he’s switchable and uh and has a good motor plays hard Awesome offensive rebounding That activity level super important for a team that tried to offensive rebound a lot last year Um there’s work to be done again with him finishing as a role man but also decisions on the short roll Like he’s not a good passer on the short roll Uh he’s not a stretch big He’s not a three-point shooter but he has good touch Like again I I don’t know if I said this already but he’s over 70% around the rim um last year at Georgia So the touch is obviously there the athleticism is there and I think his his overall form is okay Super sh super slow release and there’s range to finish or to shoot close out to the three-point line It’s just not consistent And again the mechanics are solid but it’s just a little slow So there’s some upside there offensively but I think he’s plugandplay from a defensive standpoint from a hey just go play 10 minutes a game Be active be in the right place at the right time get some offensive boards get some back taps go out there and do stuff Um especially if Minnesota were to move on or lose Nas or Julius Randle this year I like him as a fourth big type guy There’s a little bit of work to be had but again he’s not yet 20 so there’s upside there too It’s it’s kind of a nice high floor high ceiling combination Like a couple of other guys on this list they put Drake Pow in that same category and that’s why I have him number five Number six on my list is Liam McNeely wing out of Yukon He’s 6’7 almost a 69 wingspan He’s also 19 almost 20 Um the idea there is that he’s a creator that can also shoot He’s a really good passer for somebody that’s that big and isn’t a point guard He is legit a wing Um I think he he creates well for others The shot is supposed to be really good but he was just he was under 32% on catch on on overall threes doesn’t shoot well off the dribble Wide open threes in catch and shoot situations though he was over 43% So there is definite um projectability there because the form looks really nice Um especially catch and shoot As a movement shooter he doesn’t look super super comfortable and I think he’ll struggle with cal with NBA caliber contests with the length and athleticism at the NBA level with contests Um but the catch and shoot thing if he’s open and the his ability to create like if somebody closes out on him and he can put the ball on the for a little bit and pass um that’s I think uh I I think a good thing for sure and he can handle the ball a little bit in the pick and roll Good in transition good passing good touch on his passes and again the size is really impressive too So I see him as kind of a a mid- usage wing creator who can catch and shoot wide openen threes can put the ball on the floor a little bit in the pick and roll and create for others a bit of a jack of all trades master of none in some ways He’s not super athletic and he’s not a great defender but the offensive upside is there If he can like really nail down nail you know being a catch and shoot three-point guy or get a little bit better as a creator for himself and others there’s additional upside there too So I have him number six on my big board Uh number seven I have Noah Essen Noah Essen is 6’10 6’11 wingspan forward He’s only 18 and a half years old He’s very raw And my kind of bottom line on him is he’s legit right now defensively Good steal and block rates switchable I think he’ll be great off the ball right away not great on the ball right away There’s a lot of work to be done there If they didn’t have say like uh I don’t know Jade McDaniels on the roster already which is aggressive Or on the other end of the spectrum Leonard Miller he’s that type of a of a kind of lanky rangy defensive type guy Um defensive perimeter defender Leonard Miller is obviously not like an awesome defender Um but there’s projectability there I just don’t know that the Wolves are necessarily going to um take on that project But if he were to fall in the draft I like him enough to have him seven on my board I don’t necessarily think the Wolves will take a leap on him but I like his projectability I think he’ll end up being a good pro primarily driven by the defense and also what I think he’ll be able to do with this shot We’re going to cruise through the final eight guys on this board I’ll give them to you in order and a couple of notes on each one and then we’ll hit the Wolves notes We’ll close out the show as we get you ready for tonight’s first round of this year’s NBA draft There’s nothing like stepping into your own outdoor 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little bit more here on the spot May slide him ahead of Essen Gay I mean he’s a great athlete He’s switchable as a defender I think he’s already a better rebounder with a better steal rate than SN The thing is Essen Gay has got a little more offensive projectability I think he’ll be a better shooter ultimately Theo is not a good shooter right now He’s a good straight line driver but doesn’t do a whole lot else I think he could be a small ball four that can’t shoot and and a non-shooting three I guess and contribute that way Good feel overall can score in the paint can straight line drive good size and athleticism but you know I don’t uh I don’t see him doing a whole lot offensively uh this year So I’ve got him number eight on the board Number nine um if you want to look at guards like this is this is you know outside of Denon like this is your guy Nolan Trayori um a true point guard out of France I just talked with him I think on yesterday’s show 6’3 with a 68 wingspan only 19 about a year ago was considered a top 10 likely top 10 pick and he could slide in this one out of the lottery Um and the size and quickness combo 68 wingspan out of a point guard with the quick first step He’s got his uh navigability if you will Ability to navigate to translate for you uh with that word I just made up Um in the pick and roll and to get his head and shoulders past guys to get into the paint is really good He touches paint a lot He just missed a lot of shots The shooting percentages aren’t good but the form is fine I think he’s got a decent floor as a I think he could be a backup point guard now as a 19 almost 20-year-old at the NBA level but he’s got a really high like all-star level ceiling Um I I could almost talk myself into flipping him and Demond Um because I think there’s a little bit more immediate offensive ability It’s just you know some of the other stuff we talked about with Deon that you know the fact that he is the best passer in the draft almost certainly uh you know that stands out But I actually think the floor for Trayor is pretty good Don’t get too stuck on his percentages I think he’s a better shooter than what his percentages showed Number 10 is Danny Wolf a big out of Michigan A lot of people have him higher in their boards for Minnesota I don’t love the fit He’s a good passer for his size He can create out of the pick and roll He did a lot of it at Michigan I think he did too much of it at Michigan and I think he overpasses I think the turnover rates a little higher than it should be He’s got good touch on his shot but the mechanics aren’t great and it didn’t go in quite enough um as a stretch four that can create a little bit like you know he’s not Dario Shar but that type of an archetype fine like I think there’s something there I’d be surprised if Minnesota drafted him I do think he’ll be decent as a pro um he’s got more to his game than than uh you know at first glance he’s like he’s just a stretch big well no he he can create a little bit I just don’t know that that’s going to translate quite as well you like the 72 wingspan again I think he’s a good NBA prospect I don’t love him for Minnesota I don’t ove him at 17 even though he may go higher than that I mean somebody could talk theirelves into talk themselves into a playmaker who’s 6’11 with a 72 wingspan very easily Number 11 on my board is Jace Richardson the guard out of Michigan State 61 with a 66 wingspan Um 19 and a half years old He’s a really good shooter almost 52% on catch and shoot threes 41% overall from three Good at finishing through contact The only concerns are he’s a above average not outstanding athlete and he’s just okay defensively but he plays hard and he’s got really good feel Um he’s not ultra athletic or dynamic and so at 61 that worries me a little but if he can continue to compete at the level he does and learn a little bit defensively with a 66 wingspan he’s a legit potential like microwave point guard microwave combo guard type guy off the bench Um the wingspan sets him apart in the ability to finish their contact a little bit from Dillingham even from last year Dillingham’s a better athlete more dynamic and that’s why you know he was a lottery pick top 10 pick last season or last last July last June I should say Number 12 on my list is Maxim Renault Renault Reo excuse me I went back and forth on him Played at Stanford the last four years Uh French but has been at Stanford for a while 7 foot one He’s already 22 A bit of a late bloomer um wasn’t really a full-time basketball player till the end of high school He’s a volume shooter with good touch He rebounds well which to me makes him still an attractive prospect The fact there is a stretch five capability there and he’s a really good rebounder Um he needs work as a roller He doesn’t finish great around the rim and I worry about the lack of dynamism with Reo and he’s you know I think he’s a better um helpside defender than he is on the ball defender or true shot blocker The offensive rebounding is better than the defensive rebounding I would say as a backup five I think he could be a pretty nice backup center from day one I don’t know if he’s got starting level upside necessarily Number 13 is Ben Saraf the uh the point guard out of um uh uh Israeli point guard I believe played in in Israel last year I lost I somehow deleted that cell on my spreadsheet But I really like his size 66 68 wingspan size and passing combo is very attractive The shooting form is good The percentages are not The defense is okay I think he’s more of a developmental prospect as a 19-year-old and there’s more question marks than there are with the Demens and the and the Richardsons and the Trailers that we already talked about in terms of guards Number 14 is Jir Watkins who we just talked about on yesterday’s show He’s already 23 He’s a 66 wing out of Florida State He’s got a wingspan though that’s nearly 7 feet north of 611 I think he’ll be a good team defender and decent at the point of attack right away at the NBA level Those are scoring tools but he’s got to develop them and he’s already 23 So he’s a bit of a project I think he he he likely will go in the second round Somebody will put him in the G- League and he’ll dominate the G-League He was a really good scoreer in the ACC the last couple of years Uh almost 19 points a game last year for Florida State And he is a really good passer So that’s attractive if you’re Minnesota Like could he be a big 66 creator that can develop a shot a little bit more and be a good defender too Yes I I think that’s true If they keep 31 and they and and some of these other guys your Drake Powels and obviously D Clifford are off the board and they trade 17 and he’s there at 31 or they could trade back and get him in the 40s or something I don’t mind him I actually kind of like like it It’s just there you can’t hang your hat on anything for him offensively except for the ability to potentially be a big playmaker from day one And then last time I board number 15 is Noah Penda Again these aren’t the 15 best players There are 15 guys who I think are realistic fits for Minnesota at either 17 or 31 thereabouts plus or minus both spots Noah Penda is a raw 6’8 wing forward who has a almost 67 excuse me almost seven foot wingspan out of France Can attack the rim Really nice size of physicality mix and finishes through contact Uses his physicality a ton Really good in transition Rigid jumper Doesn’t really elevate on it I think he’s stiff on defense I it’s too many question marks for me If you’re going to try and draft him and play him if you can get him in the second round and you know he’s a project fine But he’s already 21 He’s not 19 If he’s 19 he’d be higher on this list But I think there’s some development to be had there And uh you know certainly some upside but not somebody that is necessarily plugandplay That’s my big board Cruise through a lot of these guys quickly today Again go back and listen to shows over the last couple of weeks if you want to hear more on each of these guys Of course some of it will be the same but built out a bit more on especially these guys I cruised through in the last segment That’s my board again Very quickly Sorber number one big out of Georgetown Drake Powell out of North Carolina the wing is two Nick Clifford on Colorado State wing is three Jagger Deon guard from BYU is four Asa Newell five out of Georgia Liam McNeely sixth Noah Essen seven Aduro eight Nolan Trayori out of Trayori out of France is nine Danny Wolf from Michigan is 10 Jace Richardson 11 Maxim Reno 12 Ben Sarra 13 and Javier Watkins is 14 and Noah Penda is 15 There you have it Let’s talk about some Wolves notes I’ll hit these very quickly but I think it’s important to to throw them out there if you missed them here before the draft Um of course the Timberwolves sale closed or it’s closing on Wednesday It was unanimously approved by the board of governors by the NBA owners on Tuesday Wasn’t really like a real it was a hurdle but I don’t think anybody was too worried about it was unanimous and the tailor took out an ad of the Star Tribune and uh it’s happening It’s going to be official on Wednesday Lori and Rodriguez will take over The one interesting note is that Lori will be the principal governor of the Timberwolves and uh Rodriguez will be the alternate governor I think it was the term I saw Um and then it’s flipped for the links whereas Rodriguez is the primary governor and uh Lori is the alternate So uh interesting stuff there Great that that’s now buttoned up I’m sure more will come I think they’re going to do a presser at Las Vegas summer league So there will be more there too on on uh you know what next steps are there and what may or may not change Mori is getting an interview with the New York Knicks It’s his second interview of the offseason He interviewed with Phoenix before they hired Jordan He of course had some interviews last summer um as well and and uh I think he had two or three Pistons Cavs maybe one other team last summer but uh Nori is interviewing in New York to potentially fill the Tom Fibido vacancy And then the last note was um oh the uh the trade talks there was some reports uh Michael Scott of Hoopsite was reporting that Minnesota was very hesitant to include Rudy Gobear in their trade package for Kevin Durant beyond the fact KD was apparently unwilling to sign an extension in Minnesota They wolves did not want to trade Gobear which doesn’t surprise me that much Uh but notable that that’s that’s out there now and that that’s at least what’s being reported to have been the case So I’m sure that’s a saga that will get told over and over from different perspectives throughout the offseason So we’ll get back to that too I’ll be back on Thursday We’re going to talk about what happens Wednesday night Actually probably will post a show right after the draft Wednesday night so late Wednesday to talk about whatever happens Last year I you know I didn’t think the Wolves would trade up I think there was any chance they traded up and drafted Rob Dillingham So that was definitely exciting I think trading up is probably the least likely thing to happen I think they could trade out I think they could trade back I think they could trade They they probably don’t end up with two first round picks Um my guess is my prediction is that the Timberwolves try and trade back If they can’t they’ll draft somebody at 17 and then they’ll try and trade out of that first pick of the second round Remember between round one Wednesday round two Thursday teams will fall in love with the player that fell The Wolves will probably be able to get a future first by trading out I do think they’ll try and trade 17 for a future first And if they can they’ll probably hang on to 31 and pick somebody there If they can’t they’ll pick someone or trade back and pick up an asset along the way and then they’ll trade 31 for a future first My overall prediction is they’ll come out of this draft with one rookie and one future first round pick I don’t know how they do it I listed a couple of options there a second ago but I think that’s what they do They’ll draft one guy somewhere first or second round somewhere It may not be at 17 or 31 and they’ll acquire a future first round pick That’s my prediction All right that’s all I got for you today Big thank you for making Lockdown Wolves your first listen Of course you can listen anywhere You can watch on YouTube You can watch on the Lockdown Sports Minnesota app on Roku and Amazon Fire TV And if you haven’t already now is kind of your last chance to check out the Lockdown NBA mock draft It’s a five round mock Yours truly of course picked for the Wolves I did pick Nick Clifford but there’s lots of other stuff to listen not just for my pick or to listen for not just for my pick It’s a comprehensive draft analysis from experts uh NBA experts college experts NBA draft experts and more You can find the 2025 lockdown NBA box mo box mo box mo box mo box mo box mo box mo box mo box mo box mockd draft on NBA big board and lockdown NBA on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts Of course the lockdown wolves podcast is part of the locked on podcast network Remember the lockdown network is your local experts on all the biggest stories Once again I’m Ben Beacon This is the Lockdown Wolves podcast We’ll catch you next time

Ben Beecken (@bbeecken) gives his top-15-player big board for the 2025 NBA Draft from the lens of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ roster. From Thomas Sorber, Drake Powell, and Nique Clifford to Ben Saraf and Noah Pender, it’s time to break down the board and determine which prospects could be the best fits for the Wolves’ roster. Plus, draft predictions and a look at Timberwolves notes, including the new ownership group and Micah Nori’s latest interview.

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