The Minnesota Timberwolves announced early Monday morning that Anthony Edwards, the first overall pick from the 2020 NBA Draft, will be the team’s official representative at the NBA Draft Lottery 2021, which takes place on Tuesday, June 22.

According to the press release from the team, Edwards will “represent the team virtually,” which means he will likely not be in Secaucus, NJ when the ping pong balls start dancing Tuesday night.

“I look forward to representing the Timberwolves and state of Minnesota at this year’s draft lottery,” said Edwards. “I remember the excitement for me during draft lottery and draft time last year and I hope to bring good luck for our fans tomorrow.”

As you likely know by now, the Wolves enter Tuesday night with a 27.6% chance of landing a top-three pick, which they would then keep for themselves. Ending the season with a .319 win percentage, Minnesota has 9.0% odds to land the first pick, 9.2% for the second and 9.4% chance for the third selection.

That’s the glass half-full approach; the glass half-empty (or more specifically glass ³⁄₄ empty) is that the Wolves have a 72.4% chance of having their pick land between #4 and #10. If the team lands outside of the top three picks, it will be conveyed to the Golden State Warriors as part of the Feb. 2020 trade that saw the Wolves acquire D’Angelo Russell in exchange for Andrew Wiggins.

Speaking of Russell — if I were running things at Mayo Clinic Square, I would have called him to represent the team for the second straight year, considering he was the franchise’s good luck charm last year at the 2020 NBA Lottery. But instead it’ll be ANT-Man, who will look to help Minnesota defy the odds and secure the first overall pick for the second straight year, something we haven’t seen in the NBA since the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled it off back in 2013-2014.

2021 NBA Lottery Viewing Party Reminder

As a quick reminder, our friend Dane Moore will be hosting a live viewing party of the 2021 NBA Lottery on Tuesday night at Forgotten Star Brewery in Fridley, MN. I personally will be flying in overnight for this event, and we should have many of the other Canis contributors there as well (in addition to Britt Robson, who will be recording a live podcast with Dane after the lottery dust settles).

If you’re in the area and would like to grab a beer and watch the event together, I invite you to join us for a really fun evening watching hoops (Clippers/Suns) and discussing the Wolves. Hope to see you there!