Sports
NBA Rumors: Wendell Moore Jr., No. 37 Draft Pick Traded to Pistons from Timberwolves – Bleacher Report
After making a major trade up in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft to acquire the rights to Rob Dillingham from the San Antonio Spurs, the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off another deal prior to the start of the second round on Thursday.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Timberwolves are sending Wendell Moore Jr. and the No. 37 overall pick in the second round to the Detroit Pistons.
James Edwards III of The Athletic reported the Pistons will send the No. 53 pick to Minnesota in the deal.
Timberwolves president Tim Connelly is doing a great job of using the draft to tweak the roster at a point when their ability to add players will be limited as a second apron team right now.
Connelly made the decision to trade a 2030 pick swap and an unprotected 2031 first-round pick to the Spurs for the right to add Dillingham. His rookie-scale contract will pay him just over $5 million next season, which is more than it would have been able to spend on a player outside of the organization under the second-apron rules.
Despite some speculation that Karl-Anthony Towns could be a trade candidate to help alleviate some of the tax concerns, ESPN’s Zach Lowe noted on Wednesday the T-Wolves hope to hang onto their star center.
Thursday’s trade with the Pistons is essentially another financial move for Minnesota. The team gets off Moore’s $2.5 million salary for next season. It could also save money on a second-round contract by moving down 16 spots from 37 to 53.
The deal is also a win for Moore, who was going to get very little playing time on a Timberwolves team trying to build off last season’s appearance in the Western Conference Finals. He’s played a total of 228 minutes in 54 games over the past two seasons.
Detroit could provide Moore with more opportunities for playing time as it rebuilds. The 22-year-old will still be coming off the bench with Jaden Ivey set to start in the backcourt alongside Cade Cunningham, but he could establish himself as a quality reserve if he has a strong training camp and preseason.