The Timberwolves are trading the No. 53 pick to the Grizzlies for the No. 57 pick, according to a tweet from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. Minnesota will then trade the No. 57 pick to the Raptors, as tweeted by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
UConn shooting guard Cam Spencer was selected with the No. 53 pick and will now join the Grizzlies. Spencer played a crucial role in UConn’s championship run last season, averaging 14.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists after transferring from Rutgers. He also played three seasons at Loyola Maryland. Spencer shot 44% from beyond the arc for the Huskies and 41.7% on three-pointers across 132 college games. He’s the fourth UConn player to be selected in this draft, following Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, and Tristen Newton.
Cameroon big man Ulrich Chomche was picked at No. 57 and will join Toronto. He spent the past season with the NBA Academy Africa, playing three games during the Basketball Africa League qualifiers, where he averaged 13 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and one steal per game. Overall, he averaged 8.5 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.1 blocks in 26 games last season. Chomche is the first player from the NBA Academy to be drafted.
In a cap-saving move, Minnesota agreed to trade shooting guard Wendell Moore Jr. and the 37th pick to Detroit earlier in the day. The Pistons used that pick to select forward Bobi Klintman.
