Report: Anthony Edwards the 'likely selection' if Wolves don't trade down
Is Anthony Edwards about to become the third cornerstone player the Timberwolves have to go along with Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell? If the Wolves don't trade the No. 1 overall pick in Wednesday's NBA Draft, he is the player that ESPN's Jonathan Givony believes Minnesota will select.
"Trade talks are still heavily in play for this pick, but most NBA teams are now getting the sense that Edwards is the likely selection if the Wolves stay put. He brings a positional fit with D'Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns, while Wiseman and Ball would overlap with those franchise cornerstones."
The 19-year-old is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 32 games as a freshman at Georgia last season.
According to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski, the Wolves have not settled on the player they'll take and "just because the Wolves have not made a deal yet doesn’t mean there won’t be a deal to be made by the time they go on the clock Wednesday night."
Edwards has compared his game to former NBA superstar Dwyane Wade, to which Wade agreed, even going as far to say that Edwards could be better.
“Being the top pick would be exceptionally cool,” Edward told The Undefeated. “Who doesn’t want to be the No. 1 pick? That’d be cooler than anything. … It would be a dream come true to be No. 1. But if that’s not a team that wants me, or if I’m not wanted there, then wherever I’m wanted, I’m happy with that.
“I don’t really care where I get drafted to. If you want to draft me and you are ready to take a chance on me, then I’m ready to give you my all.”
There are really only two other players who have been widely discussed as having top pick ability: Former Memphis center James Wiseman and point guard LaMelo Ball. Wiseman isn't a good fit since the Wolves have Towns, and there are a ton of questions about Ball's ability to shoot.
