NBA 2015 Draft: Okafor or Towns for T-Wolves?

The Minnesota Timberwolves are set to make NBA history on June 15, 2015 in the coming NBA Draft, holding the first overall picks for three consecutive years (2013-2015) But the question now is who do they pick? Duke’s Jahlil Okafor or Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns?

At the moment, Minnesota holds the first overall picks from the past two years. They are Anthony Bennett (2013) and Andrew Wiggins (2014). The T-Wolves ended up with the two players in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers for Kevin Love.

There are speculations that the T-Wolves may opt to get Towns with word that Okafor has set his sights on joining the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers will be selecting second in the coming NBA Draft.

Towns is described as a versatile 6-foot-11 center who could turn out to be one of the better defenders in the league. On the offensive side, Towns is seen as someone who could use some improvement offensively though he does know how to throw down the rock when the opportunity permits.

Okafor, another big man listed similarly at 6-foot-11 who also plays center, ranks second among the NBA Draft prospects.

Given that these two big men stand to be a good compliment to the frontline of coach Flip Saunders, a dilemma is up in the air. Both have their sights playing for another team.

Okafor has reportedly set his sights on being a Laker while Towns was more inclined to be a (New York) Knick.

While Okafor’s wish has a bigger chance of materializing, Towns’ case could be a bit more complicated.

Many believed that the Knicks had the inside track of winning the first overall pick this year, something attributed to the fact that the team had a 39.8 percent chance and second best-odds of snagging the top pick but as it turned out, the Knicks fell to the number 4 spot in the draft order. The Philadelphia 76ers will be picking third after Minnesota and Los Angeles.

In the event that the Timberwolves do select any of the two, the team may likely end up trading them away. Though Minnesota general manager Glen Taylor bares that this was unlikely, it is not being ruled out. Unless of course they set their eyes on other potential hopefuls in the draft like perhaps D’Angelo Russell, Justise Winslow or even Willie Cauley-Stein. Anything is possible though selecting one of the top two draft prospects could return more benefits and possibilities for the Timberwolves.

Should this happen, the T-Wolves are likely to look for a player that can complement their lineup.

As it stands now, the T-Wolves have a crop of youngsters that are no pushovers. Aside from Wiggins and Bennett, the team also has Ricky Rubio and Zach LaVine on the roster. Hence, it looks like the team could do well with another shooting guard or a big man in the middle.

After the free agency, a wild chase for big men is expected to ensue. Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe and DeAndre Jordan are expected to be among the most sough free agent big men and the T-Wolves could try and make a go at them as well.

Whatever happens, all that should be ironed out by June 25, 2015 when the 2015 NBA Draft takes center stage.