Recently, it appeared as though the Minnesota Timberwolves could count on making Syracuse swingman Wesley Johnson the fourth pick in Thursday's NBA Draft. But word out of New Jersey is that the Nets, who have the third pick, now prefer Johnson to big men Derrick Favors and DeMarcus Cousins, which could throw a serious wrench into Wolves GM David Kahn's draft plans. Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski pointed out he's already stuck with Al Jefferson and Kevin Love, two incompatible big men, and needs help on the wings, yet Favors and Cousins are the next best players in the draft after Johnson, and neither would address a need. And there's another layer of difficulty here for Kahn, as Tom Ziller of NBA FanHouse explains:
Interestingly, Wolves GM David Kahn criticized Favors' fitness level after the Atlanta product visited Minnesota, saying he felt Favors was "out of shape." Favors handled it gracefully, though those who have spoken to his agent have reported Favors' camp is outraged. Now it appears Kahn could be in a position to draft Favors, marking the second year in a row he handled his top pick without remarkable grace.
Indeed, as SBN colleague Alex Halsted posted earlier in this StoryStreamTM, if the Wolves are still sold on Johnson as their guy, they'll have to pay the Nets a price. But from Kahn's perspective, that price might be worth it to avoid being stuck with a third big man who needs minutes and touches, while being utterly bereft of perimeter players outside the streaky, unreliable Corey Brewer.