Kahn says team won’t trade draft pick

Heading into the 2010 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves are exploring all possibilities with their No. 4 pick.

According to David Kahn, trading it is no longer one they are considering.

The team president said on Friday that moving the pick is “highly, highly, highly, highly unlikely.” The team had been widely rumored to be trying to move up in the draft, possibly to the No. 2 position in order to draft Ohio State’s Evan Turner. Apparently, that isn’t going to happen.This could be posturing by Kahn, though. It’s known that the Philadelphia 76ers, who own the second pick, aren’t a natural fit for Turner’s services because they already have guard/forwards in the same mold, like Andre Iguodala. But Turner is the consensus second-best player in the draft, and would be a great fit on Minnesota.

Just as Kahn might be trying to convince the Sixers that the team is satisfied with its draft position, the Sixers have been saying the same type of thing about Turner. In trade negotiations, perception is just as important as reality. But make no mistake: Philadelphia could certainly use a big man like Derrick Favors or DeMarcus Cousins instead of Turner, and Minnesota has no need for another big, plodding post player.

Games or not, the Timberwolves would do well to add Turner. He’d help the team now and in the future, filling a big need.

Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 6:09 pm by Raj Sethi

Tags: david kahn, evan turner, Minnesota Timberwolves news, Minnesota Timberwolves schedule, Minnesota Timberwolves tickets