Minnesota Timberwolves 2025 NBA draft preview: How to watch, list of picks

The draft begins tonight, and the Wolves are going to add talent to their roster in one way or another.

May 13, 2025; Chicago, Il, USA; Ace Bailey (21) and Tre Johnson (56) participate in the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The 2025 NBA draft gets underway on Wednesday night, and who knows what might happen? In addition to the players who will be selected, draft night is a time where major trades sometimes go down. Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly figures to be busy working the phones and consulting with his staff.

Here's everything Wolves fans need to know about this year's draft.

How to watch

The first round kicks off at 7 p.m. central time on Wednesday from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It'll be televised on ABC and ESPN, and it figures to last around three hours. The second round begins at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday and will be broadcast on ESPN.

Wolves' picks

The Timberwolves have the 17th overall pick in the first round, which they got from the Pistons via the Knicks in last year's Karl-Anthony Towns trade. They also have the 31st overall pick, the top selection in round two, which came from the Jazz in the multi-team trade that brought Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Minnesota.

But that doesn't mean Connelly will stay put and pick at 17 and 31. Last year, the Wolves had picks 27 and 37 and ended up trading a future first-rounder and a future pick swap to select Rob Dillingham eighth overall. This year, Connelly could theoretically look to package 17 and 31 and move up into the lottery if there's a player he feels strongly about.

What do the Wolves need?

The NBA draft is more about value and upside than immediate positional need. With that said, current roster construction does matter. The Wolves could potentially use another point guard, considering Conley is nearing retirement and Dillingham is still developing. They could also use another big man to play behind Rudy Gobert, even if Julius Randle and Naz Reid end up remaining on the roster. But you can never have enough wing depth, either, so it feels like there are all kinds of players on the table for Minnesota in this draft.

Who are some names to know at 17?

These are just a handful of the many players who could make sense for the Wolves with the 17th pick:

• Thomas Sorber, C, Georgetown
• Asa Newell, C/F, Georgia
• Danny Wolf, C/F, Michigan
• Joan Beringer, C, France
• Nique Clifford, F, Colorado State
• Cedric Coward, F, Washington State
• Rasheer Fleming, F, Saint Joseph’s
• Liam McNeeley, F, UConn
• Will Riley, G/F, Illinois
• Jase Richardson, G, Michigan State
• Egor Demin, G, BYU
• Walter Clayton Jr., G, Florida
• Nolan Traore, G, France

Happy draft day, Wolves fans.