NBA Draft Lottery: Minnesota Timberwolves get No.1 pick

By Cheri Cheng - 20 May '15 10:48AM

The Minnesota Timberwolves might have lost a lot this season, but on Tuesday night, they were the winners.

"It's funny because, until about 20 minutes prior to the lottery, it was pretty much a normal day," Timberwolves president and coach Flip Saunders said. "My heart rate was 59 an hour ago. When the No. 1 pick was decided it was about 125 when I looked at my watch."

The Timberwolves, who lost 66 games during the 2014-15 season, won the first pick during the NBA draft lottery. The Los Angeles Lakers got the second pick while the Philadelphia 76ers and he New York Knicks landed the third and fourth pick, respectively. The fifth pick went to the Orlando Magic.

"Having the No. 1 pick gives us the opportunity to really evaluate everybody and really see what direction we want to go," Saunders said. "At this point, we're open. We'll pick the best player for us."

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, added, "I'm just really happy for the Minnesota fans because they've been so loyal and they've been so patient with us and this has been such a difficult year."

The Timberwolves have never landed the No. 1 pick. However, they acquired last year's first overall pick, Andrew Wiggins via trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In that trade, the Wolves also landed the 2013 No. 1 pick, Anthony Bennett. If they keep this year's top prospect, the Timberwolves will become the very first team in league history to have three straight No.1s on their roster, Elias Sports Bureau reported.

This is also the first time since 1979 that the Lakers and the Knicks hold a pick in the top five. This is the fourth time, but second time in a row that the Lakers are picking in the lottery. Lakers star Kobe Bryant had a positive reaction in regards to getting the second pick this year.

"Obviously this is a step in the right direction for our franchise and the process of being back where we should be in the next year or so," Lakers coach Byron Scott said. "I can't say it's a way to announce that we're back. I think we're on the right track."

Knicks general manager Steve Mills reacted to their No. 4 pick, stating that he was "a little disappointed" since the Knicks had the second-highest chance of landing a top pick.

"I think we're going to be open to a lot of things," Mills said optimistically. "We know we can get a good player at this pick. We're also going to be open to talking to teams and looking at different options."

The Knicks could trade their pick for a seasoned player or trade it for several lower first-round picks. If they keep their pick, the team will most likely select a player that can complement Carmelo Anthony.

The 2015 NBA draft includes several prospects, such as Duke's Jahlil Okafor, Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns and Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell.

The draft will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, 2015.

Here is the draft order for the top 10 picks:

1. Minnesota Timberwolves

2. Los Angeles Lakers

3. Philadelphia 76ers

4. New York Knicks

5. Orlando Magic

6. Sacramento Kings

7. Denver Nuggets

8. Detroit Pistons

9. Charlotte Hornets