The Minnesota Timberwolves franchise has rarely achieved success since its inaugural season in 1989-90. The Timberwolves' only playoff series wins came in 2003-04 when a team led by Kevin Garnett reached the Western Conference Finals.

Much of this underperformance can be attributed to poor selections in the NBA Draft. The Timberwolves have picked top-five in the NBA Draft 12 times in their 35 seasons and have possessed a top-ten pick on 21 occasions, yet have very little talent to show for it. High picks like Derrick Williams, Wesley Johnson, and Kris Dunn turned out to be busts, while the franchise traded away future All-Stars Ray Allen, Lauri Markkanen, and Brandon Roy before they even left the draft podium.

The team also infamously forfeited five future first-round picks (one was eventually returned) in 2000 for under-the-table negotiations with free agent Joe Smith, one of the harshest punishments ever handed down by the NBA. The franchise's fortunes have improved in recent years thanks to number-one overall picks Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards, but the T-Wolves have still been unable to overcome their playoff hump. While it is not the most illustrious list ever, here are the top 10 draft picks in Timberwolves history.

10) Isaiah Rider (1993)

Timberwolves accolades: 1993-94 All-Rookie

Rider is likely remembered by NBA fans for one of the nastiest crossovers and staredowns of the 1990s and as a pretty good scorer (18.8 PPG across three seasons with MIN), but his behavior off the court prevented him from ever reaching his NBA potential. Multiple arrests, drug issues, and clashes with management ended his time in Minnesota — and eventually his NBA career — prematurely. Rider was a special talent and worth the risk in a weak 1993 draft, but unfortunately could never put it all together and reach NBA stardom.

9) Nikola Pekovic (2008)

Timberwolves accolades: None

One of the few draft values on this list, Nikola Pekovic plied his trade in the Serbian and Adriatic Leagues Montenegran when he was drafted with the first pick of the second round by the Timberwolves in 2008. The Montenegrin center spent an additional two years in Greece — where he established himself as one of the best big men in Europe — before bringing his game stateside. Nagging injuries to his right foot prevented Pekovic from fully reaching his potential (or even playing an entire season), but at his best, Pekovic was scoring around 17 points/game, grabbing almost nine rebounds per contest, and shooting better than 50% from the field.

8) Pooh Richardson (1989)

Timberwolves accolades: 1989-90 All-Rookie

The tenth overall pick in a rather average 1989 NBA Draft, Pooh Richardson was the first selection in the history of the franchise, and, like many players on this list, had his best years in Minnesota. Richardson never missed a game in his three seasons in Minneapolis, scoring a solid 15 points per contest while averaging an impressive eight assists per game as a dual-threat point guard. Among 1989 draft picks, Richardson finished tenth in Value Over Replacement Player, making him a solid addition to the backend of this list.

7) Christian Laettner (1992)

Timberwolves accolades: 1992-92 All-Rookie

While he never quite reached the level of stardom that he achieved in college, Christian Laettner was still a pretty good player on some middling Timberwolves teams. The Duke product averaged 17.2 PPG and 8.1 RPG in three-and-a-half seasons in the Twin Cities, posting most of the best years of his career there.

6) Ricky Rubio (2009)

Timberwolves accolades: 2011-12 All-Rookie

Ricky Rubio is a tough pick to judge for the Minnesota Timberwolves. On the one hand, the franchise selected him fifth overall — ahead of the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Steph Curry, and Jrue Holiday, he never made an All-Star team, and the team did not even make the playoffs during his six seasons in Minnesota. On the other hand, Rubio was arguably the best passer to ever play in Minneapolis. He holds the franchise record with 19 assists in a game and dished out 8.1 assists per contest as a Timberwolf.

5) Wally Szczerbiak (1999)

Timberwolves accolades: 1x All-Star, 1999-00 All-Rookie

Like with Ricky Rubio, Wally Szczerbiak turned out to be a fine NBA player but was probably not the best pick the Timberwolves could have made in the draft. After Minnesota took Szczerbiak sixth overall out of Miami (OH), the next four picks in the 1999 NBA Draft were Rip Hamilton, Andre Miller, Shawn Marion, and Jason Terry.

Perhaps were are overlooking Szczerbiak's career a bit. In his seven years with the Timberwolves, the sharpshooter averaged 15.1 PPG while hitting 40% of his shots from deep, 50% overall, and 85.5% from the free throw line. He was also a part of the most successful Timberwolves team in franchise history — the 2003-04 squad that was the number one seed in the Western Conference and reached the Conference Finals. That is still the only T-Wolves team to win a playoff series. While Szczerbiak was not the optimal selection for Minnesota in the 1999 draft, he is still one of the better picks in Timberwolves history.

4) Zach LaVine (2014)

Timberwolves accolades: 2014-15 All-Rookie

What is it with the Timberwolves and getting rid of their draft picks before their rookie scale contracts expire? Of the first seven players on this list, four did not last four full seasons with the franchise. The departure of Zach LaVine has hurt the most.

LaVine, the 13th overall pick out of UCLA in 2014, increased his scoring average in both his second and third NBA seasons, topping out at 18.9 PPG in 2016-17 before a knee injury prematurely ended his season. It was clear that LaVine was on the verge of stardom, instead, the front office dealt him in one of the most ill-fated trades in the team's history, dealing him (and future All-Star Lauri Markkanen) to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Jimmy Butler. While Butler was productive during his short time in Minnesota, his infamous clashes with the front office overshadowed his play on the court. Not only did the Timberwolves trade Butler after he played just 69 games in the Twin Cities, but LaVine's best years have come after he left the franchise.

LaVine is a two-time All-Star nominee for Chicago, eclipsing the 25 PPG mark twice.

3) Anthony Edwards (2020)

Timberwolves accolades: 1x All-Star, 2020-21 All-Rookie

The first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Anthony Edwards is quickly developing into a franchise cornerstone for the Timberwolves. He has increased his outputs in every statistical category since he entered the league, topping out (so far) at 24.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 4.4 APG in 2022-23 to go with his first All-Star Game nomination. For the first time in recent memory, Minnesota actually selected the best player available in the draft.

2) Karl-Anthony Towns (2015)

Timberwolves accolades: 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA, 2015-16 ROY, 2015-16 All-Rookie

Karl-Anthony Towns' ongoing legacy in Minnesota is subject to scrutiny given his lack of playoff success, but Towns is easily the best player to come out of the 2015 NBA Draft and is one of the best big men of his generation. The Kentucky product is a three-time All-Star and ranks second in franchise history to Kevin Garnett in just about every major statistical category. As the second-best player in Timberwolves history, it is only fitting that Towns is also the second-best draft pick the team has made.

1) Kevin Garnett (1995)

Timberwolves accolades: NBA HOF, 10x All-Star, 8x All-NBA, 8x All-Defensive, 1x MVP, 1995-96 All-Rookie

Nearly 35 years after the team's inaugural season, Kevin Garnett is still the only NBA MVP in Minnesota Timberwolves history and is the only NBA Hall-of-Famer to play for the T-Wolves. He is the franchise's career leader in nearly 30 statistical categories, ranging from games played to assists to blocks. Putting any other player at the top of this list would be a travesty.