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Timberwolves NBA draft live blog, Day 1: Updates, rumors, analysis

Follow along as we track one of the most important nights of the offseason for Tim Connelly and the Wolves.
Will Ragatz|
Jun 28, 2022; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly answers questions at a press conference to introduce the 2022 draft picks at Target Center.
Jun 28, 2022; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly answers questions at a press conference to introduce the 2022 draft picks at Target Center. | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Timberwolves

NBA draft night is finally here. The first round will get underway shortly after 7 p.m. central time, when the Dallas Mavericks will (we think) select Duke's Cooper Flagg to get things going at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The Timberwolves hold the 17th pick in tonight's first round, a prize they received courtesy of the Detroit Pistons' surprising season. That pick, which the Knicks included in last year's Karl-Anthony Towns trade, was top-13 protected this year, meaning it wasn't expected to convey in 2025. But the Pistons rose out of the NBA cellar and made the playoffs, which was a nice gift to Minnesota.

The Wolves also hold the 31st overall pick (from Utah) to kick things off in tomorrow night's second round. But the possibilities don't end there. Could we see Tim Connelly package those two picks to move up into the lottery for an impact player? Could one or both picks be involved in an unexpected draft-night trade for an established NBA contributor? We're about to find out.

First, here's some draft preview content:

Below, we'll be tracking and updating things from a Timberwolves perspective throughout the night.

10:30 p.m. — First round wraps up

The first round has come to a close. The Wolves hold the No. 31 overall pick to kick things off tomorrow, and there are plenty of intriguing prospects still on the board.

9:30 p.m. — Run on guards after Wolves' pick

The next three picks after Minnesota were Walter Clayton Jr., Nolan Traore, and Kasparas Jakucionis, a trio of intriguing point guards.

9:05 p.m. — Wolves take Beringer

The Wolves have selected 18-year-old French center Joan Beringer with the 17th overall pick. More on their newest addition here. The insider reporting is that he won't be a draft-and-stash player, so he'll come over next season.

9:01 p.m. — Wolves on the clock after a stunner

The Blazers just stunned everyone but taking Chinese center Hansen Yang at 16. He was a projected second-rounder. The Wolves are now on the clock.

8:53 p.m. — Thunder take Sorber

The Thunder just drafted Georgetown center Thomas Sorber

8:49 p.m. — Wolves considering moving back?

Here's a big update. The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski says he wouldn't be surprised to see the Wolves move back from 17, given the prices some teams have paid to move up tonight.

8:36 p.m. — Pelicans trade up for Queen

After the Bulls took Noa Essengue at 12, the Pelicans traded up from 23 to 13 to take Maryland center Derik Queen, who was projected by many as a top-ten pick. The Pelicans took Jeremiah Fears at 7 and then moved up ten spots to get another guy they were thinking about taking at 7. It did, however, cost them their unprotected 2026 first.

8:24 p.m. — Grizzlies trade up for Coward

The Grizzlies have moved up from 16 to 11 in a deal with Portland to take Cedric Coward, the 3-and-D standout from Washington State.

8:18 p.m. — The first mid-draft trade has hit

The Suns just addressed their frontcourt in a huge way, simultaneously trading for Mark Williams and drafting Duke's Khaman Maluach with the 10th pick.

8:04 p.m. — Nets take Demin

After Tre Johnson and Jeremiah Fears came off the board, the first slightly surprising pick in the top ten is BYU guard Egor Demin going to the Nets at No. 8. It's the first of five picks Brooklyn has in tonight's first round.

7:41 p.m. — Bailey goes top five

Kon Knueppel went to the Hornets and Ace Bailey went to the Jazz at 5, answering one of the night's bigger questions.

7:25 p.m. — We're underway!

After the Mavericks took Cooper Flagg and the Spurs took Dylan Harper, as expected, the draft has really begun. The 76ers are taking Baylor's V.J. Edgecombe with the No. 3 pick.

6:30 p.m. — Expect lots of movement

3:35 p.m. — Could Derik Queen be in play?

Queen, the ultra-skilled center from Maryland, has been widely projected as a top-ten pick. He isn't someone we've really considered as an option for the Wolves, barring a trade up. But maybe we should! This was an interesting comment from ESPN's Jonathan Givony: "If (Queen) doesn't go 7 (to New Orleans), there's talk he could slide all the way to 17, potentially."

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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