The Minnesota Timberwolves failed to make the Western Conference for the third year in a row in 2026 and have reacted to that with major roster changes this offseason. The Timberwolves first shipped Julius Randle out of town, and they have now acquired LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets.
The Timberwolves did give up a fair bit in terms of draft assets in the deal, and they now don’t control their first-round pick until 2032. Here’s a look at the current status of those first-rounders.
2027
The Timberwolves had sent this 2027 first-round pick to the Utah Jazz as part of that massive package for Rudy Gobert in 2022. The draft assets in that deal were four first-round picks, the No. 22 pick of that year’s draft (Walker Kessler), and a 2026 first-round pick swap.
2028
The Timberwolves do have a first-round pick in 2028, but the Hornets have swap rights. This is the first of three swaps that were part of the Ball deal.
The Timberwolves are likely to do much better than the Hornets in 2027-28, so there is a good chance there will be no swap. If they are somehow worse, though, the Hornets will be swapping picks.
2029
Now, the Timberwolves’ 2029 first-round pick was also part of the Gobert trade, but it was top-five protected. They then included swap rights for this pick as part of the package for Ball.
So, if it lands in the top five, then the Timberwolves will swap picks with the Hornets. If it doesn’t, Minnesota won’t have a first-round pick in 2029.
2030
The Timberwolves sent a 2030 first-round pick swap (top 1 protected) to the San Antonio Spurs as part of their package for the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Rob Dillingham. Considering Dillingham is no longer on the team, safe to say this was a mistake.
Now, this was the last pick swap sent to the Hornets as well. So if the Timberwolves do land the No. 1 pick in 2030, it will be swapped as well.
2031
The Timberwolves sent their 2031 first-round pick to the Spurs in that Dillingham deal as well. There were no protections on this one, so they won’t have a first-round pick in 2031.
That’s a long time with no control. As for 2032, while the Timberwolves control their first-round pick that year, it is frozen through 2027-28 because they were a second apron team in 2024-25. They also cannot trade this selection because of the Stepien rule.
The Timberwolves could trade their 2033 first-round pick, though, and they sent it to the Hornets for Ball without any protections. So, they control their first-round pick in just one of the next seven NBA Drafts.
The Timberwolves have basically gone all-in, as they look to win a championship. It is a bold decision, but as they say, fortune favors the bold.
