Timberwolves virtually claim top pick

The NBA draft lottery was delayed three months. The Minnesota Timberwolves are certainly feeling like the wait was worthwhile.

The Timberwolves won the lottery Thursday night, giving them the No. 1 pick. The lottery was conducted virtually because of the pandemic, with NBA officials doing the actual draw in Secaucus, N.J.

Golden State holds the No. 2 pick, Charlotte got the No. 3 pick and Chicago will pick fourth. The Hornets and Bulls both bucked the odds to moveup.

The Timberwolves were 19-45 this season, marking the 14th time in 15 years that they failed to make the playoffs and finished with a losing record. And a month ago, Glen Taylor — who has owned the franchise since 1994 — said he “will entertain” offers for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.

It’ll be Minnesota’s first time holding the No. 1 pick since 2015.

Chicago had a 32 percent chance of moving into the top four spots, and Charlotte about a 26 percent chance. They leapfrogged four teams that had better top-four odds — Cleveland, Atlanta, Detroit and New York.

For now, the delayed draft — originally set for late June — is scheduled for Oct. 16.

Unlike a year ago, when Zion Williamson was clearly going to be the first selection, there is no consensus about the No. 1 pick. Top candidates include Georgia’s Anthony Edwards, Memphis’ James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball — the brother of New Orleans guard Lonzo Ball.

Outside of the lottery teams, the rest of the firstround order, starting with the No. 15 pick and going to No. 30, as of now is: Orlando, Portland, Minnesota, Dallas, Brooklyn, Miami, Philadelphia, Denver, Utah, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Boston, New York, the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto and Boston.