Without a draft pick, Timberwolves must forge different path to upgrade roster

Now that Tuesday's lottery settled the fact that the Timberwolves won't have a pick in this year's draft, the next month will be the polar opposite of how last fall went, when the Wolves had the No. 1 pick and then waited three months before drafting Anthony Edwards.

Barring a trade back into the draft, there won't be rampant speculation over who the Wolves will pick after they ceded the seventh pick to Golden State to complete the D'Angelo Russell-Andrew Wiggins trade, and any Wolves fan clicking on the ever-popular mock drafts will do so with a tinge of emptiness.

The next important date for the Wolves on the NBA calendar is Aug. 1, the start of free agency.

President Gersson Rosas has said his biggest priority for this offseason is addressing the power forward position.

"The four spot needs help," Rosas said in May. "Our rebounding needs help."

The Wolves do not have a lot of room under the luxury tax with around $131 million committed in salary to 12 players, assuming the Wolves pick up cheap team options on Jaylen Nowell and Naz Reid. For reference, the luxury tax this season was $132.6 million.

That means any significant move the Wolves make to address the four spot in their lineup will likely involve a trade or a sign-and-trade with salary going out.

Rosas has often said the primary way he will reshape the Wolves' roster is through trades, and many of the players on the current roster initially came as a result of trades or draft picks acquired in trades — Jaden McDaniels, Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez, Ricky Rubio, Russell.

The lack of a draft pick could also ease the transition of last season's 23rd overall pick, guard Leandro Bolmaro, to the Wolves. Rosas said last week the Wolves will continue talks with Bolmaro's representation about potentially joining the Wolves. Bolmaro played in Spain last season and was one of three first-round picks the Wolves had in addition to McDaniels and Edwards.

But after Tuesday the Wolves don't have to commit a salary slot to a top-three pick, which could make it easier to sign Bolmaro.

The Wolves likely will be looking to add someone who will be able to mesh well with Karl-Anthony Towns, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

Improving the defense is at the top of the agenda for coach Chris Finch, and late in the season Finch said figuring out Towns' best pick-and-roll coverage was something he would work on in the offseason. Whoever ends up as the Wolves' power forward will influence how Finch designs the defense.

"We've said that we do have the luxury when you have a skilled big like KAT to have different types of power forwards to plug in next to him," Finch said after the season. "It could be more of a physical rim-protecting type guy, or an aggressive multiskilled switch defender. We'll see what's out there."

Whether fans agree with his moves, Rosas has never let salary-cap or contract situations get in his way of making a deal.