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Round 2 of the NBA draft hadn’t started Thursday before the Wolves made another trade, this time dealing the No. 37 pick and guard Wendell Moore Jr. to Detroit while receiving the No. 53 pick in return.
The second round starts at 3 p.m.
The move appears to be a slight cost cutting move while freeing up an open roster spot by sending Moore to the Pistons. Moore was set to make a little over $2.5 million next season and his departure will now take the Wolves down from 12 players currently under contract on the main roster next season to 11, giving them some more flexibility in free agency to re-sign their own free agents like Kyle Anderson, Jordan McLaughlin and Monte Morris.
Moore was one of the first draft picks President Tim Connelly made when Connelly arrived in Minnesota. He was the 26th overall pick of the 2022 draft out of Duke and the Wolves imagined him being someone who could play well alongside a talented group of players. But he never got the chance to crack the rotation on a regular basis.
The drafting of guard Rob Dillingham at No. 8 in the first round of the draft Wednesday spelled out the tea leaves for Moore in the third year of his deal — the Wolves expect Dillingham to contribute immediately, leaving little room for Moore to find a place to contribute in year three. He will end his Wolves tenure having played in 54 games, averaging 1.1 points per game.
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