Minnesota Moved Draft Rights and Malcolm Lee for a Future Pick
On June 27, 2013, Minnesota gave Golden State the rights to No. 26 first-round selection Andre Roberson and guard Malcolm Lee. The Timberwolves received the Warriors' 2014 second-round pick and cash. Roberson was a Colorado prospect, while Lee had been a Minnesota roster guard whose development was interrupted by injuries. Golden State valued the incoming rights as an asset to move again on draft night. The cash and later selection gave Minnesota resources it could use without committing to another rookie guaranteed a first-round contract. This was a draft-asset transfer, not the start of Roberson's Warriors playing career.
Two More Transactions Produced Nedović for the Warriors
Golden State immediately passed Roberson's rights to Oklahoma City in exchange for the rights to No. 29 Archie Goodwin and cash. It next moved Goodwin and Lee to Phoenix for the rights to No. 30 Nemanja Nedović. The Warriors' own media guide documents all three transactions on the same day, distinguishing the original Minnesota deal from the follow-on swaps. Nedović eventually appeared in twenty-four NBA games for Golden State during 2013-14. Roberson later established himself as a defender with Oklahoma City, but none of those Thunder games should count as Golden State return from keeping his rights.
Minnesota Turned Its Second-Round Pick Into Another Cash Deal
The 2014 second-round selection Minnesota received became No. 53, used to select Alessandro Gentile. Minnesota did not develop him into a regular Wolves rotation player. Instead, the franchise sold the rights to Houston for cash in a separate June 2014 transaction. That later move is evidence that Minnesota's original compensation was transferable; it is not evidence of Gentile playing NBA games for the Timberwolves. The 2013 agreement contained cash in addition to the draft pick, and each amount belongs to the relevant step in the trade chain. The NBA draft ledger supports both dates and the pick identity.
Modest Returns on Both Sides Support an Even Verdict
Neither club produced a lasting homegrown regular through this one transaction. Golden State's connected sequence yielded Nedović and limited NBA minutes, while Minnesota collected financial value and a second-round asset it moved again. The original strong Warriors grade would depend too heavily on Roberson's later career for Oklahoma City, where he arrived through a separate exchange. Minnesota likewise cannot claim an influential NBA player because Gentile's rights eventually bore that name. Judging the first trade by what each franchise genuinely received and could deploy supports a modest even assessment. The exact dates and intermediate assets are more informative than a winner's label alone.
Final Verdict
Even Trade. Golden State receives C+ because Roberson and Malcolm Lee were exchanged again that night, ultimately yielding Nemanja Nedović and his twenty-four Warriors games. Minnesota also receives C+ for cash and the 2014 No. 53 pick, later used on Alessandro Gentile and sold for additional cash. Neither Roberson's Thunder career nor a fictional Minnesota playing contribution from Gentile is assigned to the wrong team.