Minnesota Traded a Future Pick for Draft Rights
Four days after the 2011 draft, Minnesota sent Portland a future second-round pick for the rights to Tanguy Ngombo, the No. 57 selection. Portland had acquired Ngombo’s rights from Dallas during its draft-night three-team transaction, then moved them to the Timberwolves. The deal was a straightforward bet on an international prospect: Minnesota surrendered a distant pick whose exact draft position was still unknown in exchange for a player it could hold outside the NBA roster.
Ngombo Never Produced NBA Value for the Timberwolves
The rights never turned into NBA minutes for Minnesota. RealGM’s draft history lists Ngombo with zero NBA seasons, and his professional career continued overseas rather than with the Timberwolves. That leaves Minnesota’s side with no realized NBA production from the acquired asset. The original idea still had some logic because the cost was deferred, but the completed outcome gives the franchise nothing tangible to offset the future pick it surrendered.
The Pick Eventually Became No. 37 in the 2015 Draft
Basketball-Reference traces the outgoing pick to the 2015 second round, where it became the No. 37 selection used on Richaun Holmes. The important point for this transaction is the pick value itself, not every later move involving Holmes. Portland had converted draft rights that did not generate NBA value for Minnesota into a future second-round asset that ultimately landed near the top of the round. That is a materially better realized return than a dormant rights holding.
Portland’s Advantage Is Clear Even Without Overcrediting Holmes
The canonical A for Portland and D+ for Minnesota reflect a wide outcome gap, but the analysis should stop at assets directly tied to this deal. Portland did not necessarily keep or develop every ounce of value associated with Holmes, and hindsight should not pretend the Blazers were guaranteed to make the same selection. Even with that restraint, the transaction worked in Portland’s favor: it exchanged Ngombo’s rights for a future pick that conveyed at No. 37, while Minnesota received no NBA production from Ngombo.
Final Verdict
Blazers Win — Minnesota D+, Portland A. Minnesota gave up a future second-round pick for the rights to Tanguy Ngombo, but those rights never produced NBA minutes for the Timberwolves. The pick conveyed in 2015 at No. 37, creating real draft value for Portland’s side of the transaction. The grade gap does not depend on assigning the Blazers every later accomplishment of Richaun Holmes; the direct comparison is enough. Portland received a valuable early-second-round asset, while Minnesota’s acquired rights generated no NBA return.