Timberwolves add big man Rocco Zikarsky, turn their attention toward NBA free agency

New York Times

a day ago

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves began the second night of the NBA Draft in an advantageous position. They held the 31st overall pick, the first one of the second round, meaning that any teams that really wanted a certain player were flooding president of basketball operations Tim Connelly's phone with texts and calls to try to move up to get their guy.
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Connelly, meanwhile, had multiple angles to consider. There were some players that the Wolves liked up there, but they already had a team stocked with young players who were having trouble getting playing time. He also had to give a long look to the team's finances, with the Wolves determined to stay under the second-apron spending threshold for next season so that they could retrieve some of the roster-building mechanisms, including being able to aggregate salaries in trades, that they were unable to do in 2024-25 as a second-apron team.
The Wolves started at No. 31 but made two trades to drop down to No. 45, where they picked Australian big man Rocco Zikarsky, a 7-foot-3, 18-year-old who played in Brisbane for the last two seasons.
'I think you just want to be as flexible and nimble as possible,' Connelly said. 'And we were lucky. We walked away with a couple of future assets. We walked away with roster flexibility. We walked away with a guy in Zikarsky that we had more highly ranked in the 45th pick and a guy that has a real puncher's chance.'
Connelly has been one of the most active front-office leaders in the league in his three seasons in Minnesota. After a quiet night in Round 1 that ended with the Wolves taking French center Joan Beringer at No. 17, Connelly got to his wheeling and dealing early. Before the night began, he swung a deal with Phoenix, sending the 31st pick to the Suns for No. 36 and two future second-round picks — the lesser of Golden State's or Denver's in 2026 and the better of Phoenix's or Houston's in 2032.
It was great value to move down just five spots, taking advantage of a bidding war for St. Joseph's forward Rasheer Fleming, who slid out of the first round. With a plethora of bigs on the roster, including youngsters Josh Minott and Leonard Miller, there likely wasn't room for a player who fit Fleming's profile. It could also be further indication of the Wolves' optimism that both Julius Randle and Naz Reid, who have player options for their contracts next season, will be back in 2025-26.
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Connelly then flipped No. 36 to the Los Angeles Lakers for No. 45 and cash considerations. The Lakers took Arkansas forward Adou Thiero.
The Wolves had their eyes on Zikarsky for most of the evening, believing that his size and mobility could, eventually, help him become an NBA player. He averaged 4.6 points and 3.5 rebounds for the Brisbane Bullets last season. Connelly said the Wolves are still deciding on where he will play next season. He could remain in Australia or come to the United States and play in Iowa in the G League. With Beringer already committed to playing with the Wolves, it seems unlikely that Zikarsky will play in Minnesota in the NBA next season.
Among Zikarsky's strengths, according to The Athletic's Sam Vecenie:
Areas for improvement, per Vecenie:
'He's a really unique project, prospect, and a really good kid,' Connelly said.
Drafting two 18-year-old centers also sends a message, oddly enough, about their point guard situation.
The Wolves only have Mike Conley and Rob Dillingham as true point guards on the roster. If Nickeil Alexander-Walker leaves in free agency, that takes another ballhandler out of the mix. The choice to take Beringer and Zikarsky is, essentially, a vote of confidence in Dillingham, who played sparingly as a rookie.
'I think Rob looks fantastic,' Connelly said. 'He had moments last year when he played that were not just impactful for himself, but they were impactful for team success, which is really the ultimate mark for a point guard.'
With the draft concluded, the Timberwolves can now turn their attention to free agency, which begins next week. Connelly said he felt like the Wolves were in a really good place with Randle, Reid and Alexander-Walker.
'What's exciting is when you have a good team, and the guys want to be back here. So we'll see,' Connelly said.
If the Timberwolves do want to stay under the second apron, it is hard to envision a scenario where all three of their veterans stay. Given their depth behind Alexander-Walker, including Terrence Shannon Jr. and Jaylen Clark, he may be the odd man out. Randle and Reid are so important to their frontcourt scoring that they may need to be the priorities.
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'We are in a unique situation; our free agency is going to be primarily focused on our own guys,' Connelly said. 'We have a little more flexibility and freedom than we would if we're looking elsewhere.'
If Randle and Reid stay and Alexander-Walker does depart, the Wolves would have 14 rostered players, including Beringer and not including their two-way guys from last season. Connelly said the Wolves did not have any trades in the works at the moment but did not rule out revisiting that market if opportunities reveal themselves after teams reassess their post-draft rosters.
'Until we win it all, we've got to challenge ourselves, right?' Connelly said. 'We're happy with the team, but we're certainly not content with the outcome last year.'