KEY FACTS AND DATES
• The NBA draft is Nov. 18, and the Wolves have the No. 1 overall pick for just the second time in franchise history. The other was 2015, when they chose star center Karl-Anthony Towns.
• The top three picks are projected to be — in no particular order — LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman. Of the three, Wiseman seems least likely to be picked by the Wolves because he is a center like Towns. Ball is a point guard who played professionally in Australia, while Edwards is a shooting guard who played one season of college basketball at Georgia.
• If the Wolves decide to trade the pick, they could seek a star player as part of a package in return. Or they could try to recoup a high pick and a promising player from a team looking to move into the top spot.
• Whatever happens, the league timeline is accelerating quickly. The Wolves haven't played a game since March, and NBA players just approved a plan to start the season Dec. 22 — with camps opening around Dec. 1. That camp opening date is just two weeks after the draft, and free agency will be wedged in there, as well.