Wolves hoping Towns, 1 of 3 ex-Cats at draft lottery, brings them luck

Minnesota will send Karl-Anthony Towns as its representative to the NBA Draft lottery on Tuesday night in New York, hoping for the same fortune that brought them the NBA Rookie of the Year. The Wolves took Towns with the first pick in 2015 after winning the lottery last spring.

“This is a great time for Minnesota, not just for the draft but just because of the direction that we’re going,” Towns said of his organization’s future during Monday’s press conference announcing his winning the rookie award. “We’re going upward … we’re a team on the rise.”

Asked if he’s feeling lucky for his Timberwolves for the draft lottery, Towns said, “I don’t know how much more lucky I could get. I’m holding a great award … everything is just great. So I can’t be more lucky than that. Hopefully, it translates into (Tuesday night) as well.”

Towns will wear one of the late Flip Saunders’ wedding rings around his neck as a good-luck charm at the suggestion of Saunders’ son, Ryan, who wears it around his neck each day. Saunders, the former coach and executive of the Wolves, died last October after a battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Towns won’t be the only former University of Kentucky star representing his team at the lottery. Also participating are the Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker and the Sacramento Kings’ Willie Cauley-Stein.

This story was originally published May 16, 2016 at 9:10 PM with the headline "Wolves hoping Towns, 1 of 3 ex-Cats at draft lottery, brings them luck."