Wolves' Connelly Says There Were 20 Contracts Agreed to Before Round 2 of NBA Draft

Minnesota Timberwolves president Tim Connelly revealed that several 2025 NBA draft prospects agreed to contracts with teams before the start of the second round.

"It was really curious how agent-driven the second round became, you know? I think we called players left and right, and there was 20 deals done before the draft even started," Connelly told reporters on Thursday (1:14 mark).

The Timberwolves entered the second round with the No. 31 overall pick before they ended up moving down after trading the selection to the Phoenix Suns, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

Minnesota received the No. 36 choice and two future second-round picks in the deal.

The Timberwolves went on to swap the No. 36 pick with the No. 45 pick and cash in another trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, via Charania.

Minnesota eventually selected Australian center Rocco Zikarsky at No. 45.

With the draft moving from one day to two in 2024, the new format might have enticed the agents of prospects still on the board after the first round to speak with interested teams. This could allow the players to find organizations that might be able to offer them an established role or immediate playing time.

Some notable undrafted players to reportedly sign two-way contracts with NBA teams includes Arizona’s Caleb Love joining the Portland Trail Blazers, Villanova's Eric Dixon signing with the Lakers, Alabama's Mark Sears joining the Milwaukee Bucks and St. John's guard RJ Luis Jr. becoming a member of the Utah Jazz.

While all four players may not have necessarily agreed to join their respective teams prior to the start of the second round, Connelly explained that contracts for several prospects were already worked out heading into Day 2.