MINNEAPOLIS — The Timberwolves began draft night night with one first-round pick. They ended it with two.
Tim Connelly's first big move as Timberwolves President was a trade after all.
As the Wolves came up on the clock at No. 19 overall, they swung a deal with the Grizzlies to move back in the draft and take Memphis' 22nd and 29th picks.
With those picks, the Wolves selected Auburn center Walker Kessler at No. 22 and were awaiting their pick at No. 29 as Thursday wore on.
The Wolves traded out of No. 19 after selecting Wake Forest forward Jake LaRavia for the Grizzlies.
The Wolves were also sending a future second-round pick to the Grizzlies as part of the deal. A source said it was a 2023 second-round pick.
With their first pick the Wolves went for size and a potential rim protector in Kessler, who was a big part of Auburn's season in which the Tigers earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Kessler was the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year.
The Wolves could use a rim protector and size in the frontcourt and they got some in Kessler, who was known for his ability to protect the rim and block shots.
There were some surprises early in the draft as Paolo Banchero of Duke went No. 1 to the Magic after it seemed Jabari Smith of Auburn was headed there in most mock drafts. The Houston Rockets selected Smith at No. 3 after Chet Holmgren went to Oklahoma City. Purdue's Jaden Ivey slipped to the Pistons at No. 5, another surprise move, as the Kings took Iowa's Keegan Murray.
The early part of the draft was devoid of significant trades that involved established players, with the top 10 teams each keeping their picks. There was some movement in the teens as Detroit and Oklahoma City made trades to jump back into the lottery.
The Wolves didn't sit idly by as the trades began.
Relationships between front offices aren't a prerequisite to make trades in the NBA, but they can certainly help. Along those lines, the Wolves recently added Memphis' Steve Senior as an assistant general manager before they hired Connelly and Senior's relationship with his old team could have helped in making the deal.
