On June 21, Tencent Sports reported that according to Vonalowski, a senior journalist of ESPN, Timberwolves and Sun completed the transaction, and they sent the 11th and Saric to Phoenix in exchange for the 6th. [Focus on the 2019 NBA draft]
It is reported that the president of the Timberwolves, Gilson Rosas, has always hoped to make an upward trade. They hope to get the No. 4 or No. 5 signing. Previously, the Timberwolves also discussed the trading scheme with Pelicans and Cavaliers, but failed to reach an agreement. Finally, they chose to complete the trade with the Sun and got the No. 6 signing.
According to ESPN's draft forecast, Texas Tech shooting guard Jarrett Calver is expected to be selected in the sixth place in the first round.
In this transaction, the Timberwolves also sent Saric away. Last November, the 76 people completed the transaction with the Timberwolves. They sent Saric and Covington to Minnesota in exchange for Jimmy Butler. In the 68 games played by the Timberwolves, Saric started 28 games and averaged 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. The shooting percentage was 45.4% and the three-point shooting percentage was 38.3%.
Saric, 25 years old, is 2.08 meters tall and plays as a power forward. He was selected in the 12th place in the 2014 draft convention, but he didn't enter the NBA until 2016. In the rookie season, Saric can get 12.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He lost to Buck guard Brogden in the rookie of the year contest.
Saric has excellent three-point shooting ability. He can open up space on the court, and also can compete for rebounds under the basket. His style of play is very matched with that of No. 1 player Edton in 2018. However, Saric is also not good at defense, which may cause some problems for Sun's forward defense.
Next season, Saric's salary will be 3.5 million dollars. Sun has the right to provide him with a qualification offer of 4.8 million dollars in the 2020-21 season. If Sun is not willing to provide an offer, Saric will become a completely free player at that time.
The Timberwolves are also making drastic reforms after appointing Rosas as the team president. It was rumored that the Timberwolves are selling Wiggins' contract. The team is also interested in adding a young point guard and Downes partner.
(Cat and Bear)