<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Clearing up details There has been some confusion over the fate of the Wolves' first-round draft pick this year, as a factor in the Marko Jaric-Sam Cassell trade last summer. Here's how it works, according to a team spokesperson: ? The pick is protected through the No. 10 spot. That means the Wolves retain the pick if they wind up drafting No. 1 through 10. If they end up at No. 11 or lower, the pick goes to the Clippers. (The lottery is 14 teams deep, so it is possible the Wolves could miss the playoffs and lose their pick. They were tied for the eighth-worst record in the NBA entering Wednesday.) ? The protection runs to 2011. If the deal hasn't been completed by then -- that is, if the Wolves are among the NBA's 10 worst teams in each of the next five years -- their first-round pick that year transfers regardless of position. ? The first-round pick owed to Boston from the Jan. 26 trade won't transfer until two years after the Clippers get paid off. NBA rules prohibit teams from trading first-round picks in consecutive seasons. So if the Clippers get the Wolves' 2006 pick, the Celtics must wait until 2008 at the earliest. And that one has protections, too. </div> Source
