Isaiah Evans was the only green room invitee on Tuesday night who didn't hear his name called during the first round of the NBA Draft. 30 picks came and went, and Evans was still waiting, and with the NBA Draft split into two days, his wait extended overnight.
He didn't have to wait long on Wednesday night, with the Minnesota Timberwolves selecting him at No. 33 overall, just three picks into the second round. As disappointed as Evans undoubtedly was to fall out of the first round, he found a pretty darn good landing spot in the Twin Cities.
The Timberwolves were always one of the top teams that had shown interest in Evans during the pre-draft process. They're also the likely reason he fell out of the first round.
Prior to the draft, the Wolves made a trade to ship Julius Randle to Brooklyn to free up some cap space. The move cost them five spots in the draft, with part of the trade including a pick swap of 28 and 33. Had they not made that move, there's a good chance that Evans would have been the pick at 28.
Minnesota GM Matt Lloyd pretty much confirmed that:
"We actually really liked him in the 1st round last night. And we were considering taking him in the 1st round before we traded back," Lloyd said.
The Timberwolves trading back caused Isaiah Evans' NBA Draft fall
The fit for Evans in Minnesota is obvious. When you have a player of Anthony Edwards' caliber, one who is so dynamic with the ball in his hands and capable of getting into the paint at will, you want to surround him with as many players who can knock down outside shots as possible. It helps when those players are comfortable moving without the ball.
Evans certainly is. He played with a pair of ball-dominant forwards during his time at Duke in Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer, and he learned how to feed off of both. He'll find a similar way to be impactful playing next to Edwards.
"He provides a little bit of a movement shooting element, something that we think we can develop. He's had two good seasons at Duke... and we're excited about the opportunity to develop him into a little bit more," Lloyd said.
The Timberwolves will provide a major opportunity for Evans right away. He's a guy they liked a lot, and they selected him to contribute quickly. With veteran guard Donte DiVincenzo tearing his Achilles in April, his 2026-27 season is in serious jeopardy. While Minnesota appears to be gearing up for a major trade, there are minutes available for a young player like Evans to go earn.
He'll have plenty of motivation to do so after falling to the second round and all the questions surrounding his decision to leave college with multiple seasons of eligibility remaining.
Add us as a preferred source on Google