The Minnesota Timberwolves have missed out on players such as Stephen Curry, Paul George, and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the NBA Draft.
Every NBA team has a stretch of time when their front office steals the headlines for their poor management and construction of the team. This typically happens after a string of disappointing seasons in which a franchise underperforms and embarrasses their organization from an on-court product standpoint. The Minnesota Timberwolves happen to be one of the teams who have gotten very little correct since making their NBA debut in the 1989-90 season with just 11 playoff appearances, 0 Finals appearances, and an overall winning percentage of just 40.2%
Like we have done with many franchises before today, it is time to highlight the worst decisions ever made by front offices in the history of the Minnesota Timberwolves. We will take a look at nine total draft decisions and four trade deals that directed this team into a downward spiral that has lasted nearly 40 years. Just as we covered with the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers, it is time to dive into some of the worst front office mistakes in the history of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
These are the worst draft and trade mistakes in Minnesota Timberwolves history.
1989 NBA Draft
Credit: Fadeaway World
Minnesota Timberwolves Selected: Pooh Richardson, 10th Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: Tim Hardaway (14th Overall Pick)
The Timberwolves wasted no time in making their first of many mistakes in the NBA Draft. In their inaugural draft as a team, the Timberwolves held the 10th overall pick and decided to go with Pooh Richardson, a point guard out of UCLA. Richardson would be decent with Minnesota in his first three seasons averaging over 16.0 points and 8.0 assists per game in each of the 1991 and 1992 seasons.
After the 1992 seasons, however, Richardson would be traded to the Pacers along with Sam Mitchell for Chuck Person and Micheal Williams. Richardson would play two seasons in Indiana and five with the Clippers before leaving the NBA in 1999 averaging 11.1 points and 6.5 assists per game for his career.
The Timberwolves pulled the trigger on Richardson as their point guard way too early as they missed out on a Hall of Famer just four picks later. Tim Hardaway would be drafted by the Warriors with the 14th pick. With some of the most elite handles in NBA history, Hardaway went on to become a five-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA player with the Warriors and the Heat in his 13-year career. Hardaway was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022, setting the tone for a lot more Minnesota mistakes.
2005 NBA Draft
Credit: Fadeaway World
Minnesota Timberwolves Selected: Rashad McCants, 14th Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: Danny Granger (17th Overall Pick)
To be fair to Minnesota, it took them quite a long time to make noticeable, franchise-altering mistakes but once they did, the floodgates opened. In 2005, the Timberwolves were coming off a few good seasons led by their MVP Kevin Garnett. In 2005, they held the 14th overall pick and went with talented UNC forward Rashad McCants.
After showing a ton of promise in college, McCants completely fell apart in the NBA. With Minnesota over his first two seasons, McCants saw less than 20.0 minutes of action and averaged just 7.0 points per game on 42.6% shooting. In his third season, McCants averaged 14.9 points per game off the bench and looked to have finally found his role. He would be traded to the Kings in 2009 but never played in the NBA following that season.
Danny Granger is a huge what-if in NBA history due to injuries derailing a once-promising career. Granger was available for the Timberwolves in 2005 before they went with McCants and despite the injuries, would have worked out far better as well. By 2007-08, Granger had evolved into a 19.6 points per game scorer. In 2008-09, he would earn All-Star honors and win the Most Improved Player award averaging 25.8 points per game.
Granger would have two more seasons in which he averaged over 20.0 points per game in 2010 and 2011 before injuries began to steal his athleticism and career. Granger would play through the 2016-17 season averaging 16.8 points per game on 43.4% shooting for his career.
2009 NBA Draft
Credit: Fadeaway World
Minnesota Timberwolves Selected: Ricky Rubio, 5th Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: Stephen Curry (7th Overall Pick)
The mistakes that were made not once, but twice by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009 NBA Draft may just be the worst draft mistakes by any team in NBA history. Minnesota was in desperate need of a point guard and held back-to-back picks with the fifth and sixth selections overall. What proceeded to happen has doomed their franchise ever since.
With the fifth pick, the Timberwolves decided on Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio, a flashy and talented guard who had some questions about him surrounding his readiness for the NBA. Rubio would play two more years in Spain before finally making his NBA debut for the team in 2011-12. Rubio would go on to play seven seasons with the Timberwolves averaging 10.1 points, 8.1 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.
As I said, Minnesota had another pick following Rubio so he isn’t the biggest mistake they made. The next selection also robbed them of one of the greatest players in NBA history.
2009 NBA Draft
Credit: Fadeaway World
Minnesota Timberwolves Selected: Jonny Flynn, 6th Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: Stephen Curry (7th Overall Pick)
With Rubio unsure of his future, Minnesota also decided on another point guard with their sixth pick. They decided to go with Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn who had delivered on multiple big occasions in college. Unfortunately, Flynn fell apart almost immediately and lasted just three seasons in the NBA before playing overseas. Once again, the Timberwolves’ draft pick folded in embarrassing fashion. But, who was this franchise-changing player they missed out on twice?
Well, it was Stephen Curry. You know, four-time NBA champion, two-time MVP, and Finals MVP Stephen Curry who has gone on to enter his name in the greatest point guard of all-time conversation. Now, I understand that the Timberwolves had some concerns about his ankles which did plague him early in his career. However, once he got healthy, Curry changed the entire game of basketball forever by becoming the greatest shooter to ever touch a basketball.
Missing out on that kind of talent can have an everlasting effect on a team, and it certainly has with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite hitting on a few draft selections, they continue to miss even bigger with their choices over the last 15 years as well.
2010 NBA Draft
Credit: Fadeaway World
Minnesota Timberwolves Selected: Wesley Johnson, 4th Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: Paul George (10th Overall Pick)
In 2010, the Minnesota Timberwolves would hold yet another top-five pick in the NBA Draft that they fumbled horrendously. With the fourth overall pick, Minnesota decided on another Syracuse product, guard/forward Wesley Johnson. Just as Jonny Flynn did before him, Johnson did not live up to the hype and lasted just two seasons in Minnesota. In his two years with the team, he averaged just 7.7 points per game.
Johnson would go on to play a total of nine seasons in the NBA, finding minimal success with the Lakers in 2014 and 2015 before retiring in 2019. Meanwhile, just a few picks later, a future superstar was being drafted to the Indiana Pacers. Paul George would be an All-Star by 2013, averaging over 20.0 points per game while becoming an elite two-way player.
In 2013 and 2014, George led the Pacers to back-to-back appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals. In 2019 with the Thunder, George would finish top three in MVP and Defensive Player of the Year voting with the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2021, he led the Clippers to their first Conference Finals appearance ever. As time has gone on, George has earned eight All-Star selections, six All-NBA Team selections, and four All-Defensive Team selections. He could have been a franchise player for life if Minnesota had done their due diligence.
2011 NBA Draft
Credit: Fadeaway World
Minnesota Timberwolves Selected: Derrick Williams, 2nd Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: Klay Thompson (11th Overall Pick)
After consecutive misses in the 2009 and 2010 drafts, the Timberwolves decided to keep the streak going in 2011. This time, they had the second overall pick and decided on highly-touted forward Derrick Williams out of Arizona. Much like the top draft picks for Minnesota before him, Williams’ time in town would be short.
Williams would last just two seasons in Minnesota before being traded to the Kings in 2013-14. Williams averaged just 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in his time with the Timberwolves, missing out on a player this time around who has also helped in changing the game. That player is of course Klay Thompson who alongside Curry has won four NBA championships in the past 10 years.
Thompson is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history and a five-time All-Star as well as a two-time All-NBA player. Thompson and Curry have formed one of the most dangerous and accomplished backcourt duos in NBA history, giving Minnesota a dark look at what could have been for them if they had better front office decision-makers.
Credit: Fadeaway World
Minnesota Timberwolves Selected: Trey Burke, 9th Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: Giannis Antetokounmpo (15th Overall Pick)
After not having a first-round pick in 2013, the Timberwolves were right back up to their mistakes in 2013 in the NBA Draft. With the ninth overall pick, Minnesota would decide on electric point guard Trey Burke. Immediately, the Timberwolves would trade Burke to Memphis for Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad.
Dieng would play seven seasons in Minnesota averaging 7.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Muhammad would last four-and-a-half seasons before retiring in 2018. Little did Minnesota know that right after that ninth pick, a superstar and league-altering player was lurking.
Giannis Antetokounmpo would fall to 15th overall and to the the Milwaukee Bucks. All he has done since entering the NBA is take it over. After a slow start to build muscle mass and refine his s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s, Giannis would be a league MVP by 2019. In 2020, he would win his second MVP along with Defensive Player of the Year. In 2021, he would lead the Bucks to their first championship in 50 years and claim Finals MVP honors as well. Giannis’ reign atop the NBA continues today as one of the three best players in the NBA a decade after being drafted.
2016 NBA Draft
Credit: Fadeaway World
Minnesota Timberwolves Selected: Kris Dunn, 4th Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: Jamal Murray (7th Overall Pick)
The final draft mistake in Minnesota Timberwolves history occurred just seven years ago in the 2016 NBA Draft. The Minnesota Timberwolves were searching for a point guard yet again and decided on Providence standout Kris Dunn with their fourth overall pick. Meeting a similar fate to previous first-round picks, Dunn lasted just one season with the team before being traded in the deal that landed them Jimmy Butler.
Just three picks later, the Denver Nuggets lucked out when they selected Jamal Murry from the University of Kentucky. Right away, it was clear that Murray was the superior player as he turned in big-time performances in the regular season and playoffs. In 2023, Murray returned from an ACL injury to help lead the Nuggets to their first championship in team history. On their historic playoff run the Nuggets received 26.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game from Murray on 47.3% shooting overall and 39.6% from three.
The Worst Trade Mistakes In Minnesota Timberwolves History1996 Trade Between The Minnesota Timberwolves And Milwaukee Bucks
Credit: Fadeaway World
Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Stephon Marbury
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Ray Allen, 1998 First-Round Draft Pick
In the 1996 NBA Draft, such legendary players as Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Steve Nash, and Kobe Bryant were available for the taking. The Timberwolves had the fifth overall pick and decided on Ray Allen, a shooting guard out of UCONN who was primed for NBA play already. Instead of settling for Allen, the Timberwolves insisted on the player drafted right before him by Milwaukee and added a 1998 first-round draft pick to sweeten the deal.
In return, the Timberwolves received Stephon Marbury who was a New York point guard prodigy, ready for the spotlight from a young age. Marbury would be great for two seasons in Minnesota, averaging 16.9 points and 8.3 assists per game. By his third season, Marbury and Timberwolves management reached a tipping point which resulted in him being traded once again to the Nets.
If the Timberwolves had just kept Allen, they were getting an All-Star and All-NBA player who could light it up from all three levels on the court. Allen would go on to break the NBA’s all-time three-pointers made record, earn 10 All-Star appearances, and win two NBA championships with the Celtics and Heat. Most importantly, Allen would have formed an unstoppable duo with Kevin Garnett, bringing much success to a team that has never won an NBA title.
2006 Trade Between The Minnesota Timberwolves And The Portland Trail Blazers
Credit: Fadeaway World
Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Randy Foye
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Brandon Roy
During the 2006 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers held the sixth and seventh overall selections. The Timberwolves chose first, taking Brandon Roy out of Washington while Portland settled on Randy Foye out of Villanova. With cash considerations changing hands as well, the teams swapped draft picks, leaving Minnesota with Foye and Roy heading to Portland.
Foye would make an All-Rookie team with the Timberwolves in 2007 and play a total of three seasons with them. He averaged 13.0 points and 3.7 assists per game over the course of 191 games before being dealt to the Wizards in 2009. Foye would play 11 seasons in the NBA with the Timberwolves, Clippers, Wizards, Nuggets, Jazz, Nets, and Thunder.
Brandon Roy would quickly burst onto the scene, taking home Rookie of the Year honors in 2007. He would proceed to make three All-Star teams in a row as well as All-NBA Team selections in 2008 and 2009 averaging over 20.0 points per game on 48.0% shooting. Unfortunately for Roy, his knees were failing him as they deteriorated to the point that there was no cartilage left and he was forced to retire. The four-year window that Roy had as a top talent in the NBA is certainly enough to claim him one of their worst trade mistakes.
2007 Trade Between The Minnesota Timberwolves And The Boston Celtics
Credit: Fadeaway World
Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, 2009 First Round Pick, 2009 First Round Pick
Boston Celtics Receive: Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett is one of the greatest players in NBA history. His career began out of high school in 1995 when the Timberwolves drafted him fifth overall. Garnett would go on to become the only NBA player to lead a franchise in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks with Minnesota over 14 seasons. He even brought home the only MVP award in franchise history in 2004. In 2007, Garnett had enough and was ready to compete for an NBA championship. He asked for a trade out of Minnesota, and General Manager Kevin McHale obliged.
The return for Garnett would be so bad that many accused McHale of colluding with his former team as Garnett was shipped to the Celtics. In return, Minnesota received five players who were either past their primes or never panned out in the NBA. They also received two first-round draft picks they ended up missing Stephen Curry with horribly.
For Garnett, you would expect the trade package to blow us out of the water considering how much he meant to the franchise. In his first season with Boston in 2008, Garnett would win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award. He would also help lead the Celtics to their first NBA title since 1986 and another NBA Finals appearance in 2010. The point is, Garnett was still a high-level player with a ton to offer a squad. The package Minnesota got in return is an embarrassing show of how incompetent their front office has been.
2022 Trade Between The Minnesota Timberwolves And The Utah Jazz
Credit: Fadeaway World
Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Rudy Gobert
Utah Jazz Receive: Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, 2025 First Round Pick, 2026 First Round Pick, 2027 First Round Pick, 2029 First Round Pick
The Minnesota Timberwolves committed maybe the worst trade in their team’s history just one year ago. In a deal many thought would propel them into championship conversations, the Timberwolves acquired three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, and it would cost them a historic haul full of young talent and first-round draft picks.
In exchange for Gobert was Walker Kessler, a league leader in blocks as a rookie with 173 rejections in 74 games. Jarred Vanderbilt was also included as he helped inject life into a desolate Lakers team as they advanced to the Western Conference Finals. Even Malik Beasley and Patrick Beverley played vital roles for their teams in 2022-23 as well. Then, there is the draft capital Utah owns for the foreseeable future.
All of this was given up in exchange for a version of Gobert that was underwhelming, to say the least. Gobert finished 2022-23 with 13.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game in 70 games played. The duo of Gobert and Towns in the frontcourt played just 27 games together while it looked horrible in the time they did spend together. While the jury is still out on a final verdict for this deal, anything less than an NBA championship will be seen as a massive failure.
