Gersson Rosas was hired as Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations last May. The NBA draft was roughly six weeks away, and with it came Rosas' first opportunity to put his stamp on the organization.
The longtime Houston Rockets executive wasted little time. In the hours leading into the June 20 draft, Rosas shipped the No. 11 pick and Dario Saric to the Phoenix Suns in return for the No. 6 pick.
Saric had been acquired by the previous regime only seven months earlier as part of the return for Jimmy Butler. Rather than figure out whether or not to pony up in restricted free agency for the underwhelming yet talented Saric the following summer, Rosas decided to cash in for the opportunity to pick Vanderbilt's Darius Garland or Texas Tech's Culver.