Wiseman Doesn't Want to be Drafted by Minnesota' Because of Karl-Anthony Towns

[CelticsElite]

James Wiseman reportedly does not want to get drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves due to the presence of Karl-Anthony Towns.

‘“Wiseman does not want to come to Minnesota because Karl Towns is there. From what I understand, Wiseman doesn’t even want to do anything with the Wolves," said Brian Windhorst on The Scoop podcast (h/t Pro Basketball Talk).

Wiseman has been gaining momentum as an early pick in the upcoming draft, with the Hornets open to trading up to draft him.

The Wolves most recently met with LaMelo Ball.

https://kstp.com/news/scoop-podcast-319-brian-windhorst-matt-babcock-timberwolves-draft-gophers-conor-rhoda/5910810/

[Somebody]

Why do the Wolves even want LaMelo Ball? They have more than enough offence with Russell and Towns (obviously they can always use more additive offensive players, but they should be looking at defensive studs like Okoro).

[SparzWizard]

He has beef with KAT? Or does he not want to share the spotlight with KAT?

Either way, Wolves should consider trading the #1 pick for some legit weapons and make themselves a contender.

[ozgod]

Love how these rookies already feel like they can dictate who they go to. Remember when Josh Jackson tried that in 2017 by refusing to meet with the Celtics? That turned out well for us but not so well for him.

[RodyTur10]

Love how these rookies already feel like they can dictate who they go to. Remember when Josh Jackson tried that in 2017 by refusing to meet with the Celtics? That turned out well for us but not so well for him.

This doesn't make me want the Celtics to make an effort to draft Wiseman.
Although there are some character concerns with Anthony Edwards as well, I'd want him if we somehow ended up with a top 2 pick.

Really weird draft with this top tier Ball, Wiseman, Edwards who all have serious flaws in their game or attitude.

[Who]

Smart man. This type of attitude should be encouraged.

Players should not have their own careers stymied by a team. Path your own life.

[jambr380]

I don't think this is that groundbreaking. There are already questions about how big centers fit within the modern NBA game. Wiseman knows there is no possibility of the Wolves ever playing a two-center line-up. With wings and even guards there are always ways you can adjust line-ups to get talented young players involved, but Wiseman's best hope if he is drafted by MIN is playing like 15mpg. As a potential #1 selection, he should hope to be drafted by a team w/o a superstar Center.

[Vermont Green]

I think it is a reasonable concern for a center to wonder about his role with Towns there.  By itself, this would not worry me all that much.  He did also bail out on the season.  That is now two potential issues.  Even these two wouldn't make me avoid drafting him altogether but certainly I would be looking very closely at all off court aspects with him.

For Minny, I don't see them taking him due to already having Towns.  Edwards makes sense in that he tends to run in the top 3 generally.  Of course more of a PF type is logical but those players are trending lower in the mock drafts and there probably is not a "first pick" quality player to take.  I am sure they are hoping to do what Danny did, trade the #1, get the player you want anyway, plus pick up another good pick or player for good measure.

[footey]

I am in the minority both on this board and according to the mock drafts, but I feel Wiseman fits poorly into today's NBA.  Unless you think he is next coming of Ayton (which I don't; not close to the same feel and skill set), I would not try figuring out how to trade up to get him. 

Of course if Danny ends up drafting him, I will delete all my anti-Wiseman posts. (JK)

I don't blame the guy not wanting to go to Wolves. Frankly they probably only wanted to look like they would take him so that they can create a market for their number 1 pick.  Most everyone knows they have no intention of drafting him. 

[footey]

Smart man. This type of attitude should be encouraged.

Players should not have their own careers stymied by a team. Path your own life.

Yep.  Let's hope Trevor Lawrence takes your advice and forces the Jets to trade his rights to the Pats, LOL.

[gift]

Tatum didn't want to go to Boston either.

[Darth_Yoda]

I would want no part of Towns either.

[Moranis]

This has been going on for decades.  Magic Johnson would have gone back to school if the Lakers didn't have the first pick.  Isiah Thomas famously blew his interview with Dallas and tried to do so in Detroit because he wanted to go to Chicago at 4.  Detroit just didn't care and took him anyway.

https://www.nba.com/pistons/features/draft-tales-isiah-tried-talk-his-way-out-detroit-pistons-legend-trader-jack-wasnt-having

Somebody else didn’t want the Mavericks to pick him: Isiah Thomas. When he visited Dallas prior to the draft, he told Mavs coach Dick Motta that he didn’t think he’d fit his system and that Aguirre was the best player in the draft. He then irked Mavs owner Donald Carter, who liked to wear cowboy hats, by refusing to don one of his Stetsons for the cameras.

But Thomas wasn’t trying to steer the Mavericks off of him so he could get to the Pistons. He was hoping to land with his hometown Chicago Bulls, who went into the draft with the No. 4 pick.

“He wanted to play in his hometown,” McCloskey recalled. “He told me, ‘You don’t have any players.’ I said, ‘That’s true. But I’ll get you some players.’ ”

Thomas tried the same tactics that worked in Dallas when he visited Detroit, where he met with McCloskey and his trusted longtime scout Will Robinson, who coached Detroit Pershing and all-time great Spencer Haywood before becoming the first black Division I head coach at Illinois State.

“Jack McCloskey was asking me all these questions and I was intentionally answering every one of ’em wrong and finally he looked at me and said, ‘I know what you’re doing but I’m going to draft you at number two if you’re there and you’re going to love it,’ ” Thomas said on a recent podcast with another Chicago native and NBA alumnus, Quentin Richardson. “So he walks out and Will Robinson walks in and Will goes, ‘Champ, if you’re lucky enough to get here to Detroit, this place will love you like no other.’ … And he was right.”

[ozgod]

Smart man. This type of attitude should be encouraged.

Players should not have their own careers stymied by a team. Path your own life.

Interestingly enough this is the approach they use in Europe with their soccer leagues. There is no draft, any rookie can sign with any team and can go to whoever team gives them the most money or who they feel they have the best chance of success with. In addition there is no salary cap so teams like Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris St Germain can offer hundreds of millions for a player because they have rich owners. It's ironic that Europe with its so called social democracies have much less restraints on trade on players than the American sports leagues in the so-called heart of capitalism.

Of course, the negative is that in each league there's only 2 or 3 competitive teams any given year and it's the ones with the richest owners because they always have the best players and the best rookies. The other teams are just there to make up the numbers.

[KGs Knee]

This seems like a total non-story.

Of course he doesn't want to be drafted by a team where he'll be stuck playing behind an All-NBA level center already entrenched as the starter.  And it wouldn't make any sense for Minnesota to draft him, anyway.

It is a bit odd that his camp allowed this get out, though.  It seems rather pointless when there is no chance Minnesota was going to draft him, unless their plan was to trade Towns.