The Minnesota Timberwolves have acquired the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for big man Dario Saric and the 11th overall pick, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Minnesota has traded No. 11 and Dario Saric to Phoenix for the No. 6 pick in the draft, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 20, 2019
Saric was acquired by the Timberwolves along with Robert Covington in the trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers last November. He averaged 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 45.4 percent overall and 38.3 percent from beyond the arc for Minnesota, starting 28 of the 68 games in which he appeared.
Saric, the 12th overall pick of the 2014 draft, didn't make his way to the NBA until 2016, when he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to the Milwaukee Bucks' Malcolm Brogdon. Up for a contract extension this summer, he's a natural fit offensively next to 2018 No. 1 overall pick DeAndre Ayton due to his ability to stretch the floor and make plays against a scrambling defense, though that frontcourt pairing could leave much to be desired defensively.
Minnesota has seemed poised to make a major move for weeks after the recent appointment of team president Gersson Rosas. Rumors of a possible trade for Andrew Wiggins, who possesses one of the most onerous contracts in basketball unless he makes major and rapid improvement this season, surfaced in recent days, as did the team's interest in adding a young point guard to pair with franchise center Karl-Anthony Towns.
ESPN also reported on Thursday that the Timberwolves tried to move up to No. and No. 5 before ultimately settling for a trade with the Suns to land No. 6.
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