The wheels began spinning well before the start of the 2019 NBA Draft, as teams like the Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves worked their way into the upper half of the lottery through trades. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Wolves acquired the No. 6 overall pick in Thursday night's draft from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for the No. 11 pick and forward Dario Saric.

Wojnarowski added that new Timberwolves president Gersson Rosas was incredibly active in trying to move up in the draft, attempting to acquire the No. 4 and No. 5 picks before agreeing to the deal with the Suns. Here's a quick summary of the trade:

Timberwolves receive:

No. 6 overall pick in 2019 draft

Phoenix Suns receive:

Dario Saric

No. 11 overall pick in 2019 draft

Clearly the Timberwolves have their eye on someone at the top of the draft, and hope that they can secure him with the No. 6 pick. Minnesota was left in an awkward state after the trade demand and subsequent departure of Jimmy Butler, but still has two former No. 1 overall draft picks on the roster in Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. They likely feel that whoever they take at No. 6 in the draft will create a solid young core moving forward.

The Suns' activity was quite curious in the hours leading up to the draft. First they dealt T.J. Warren and a draft pick to Pacers in exchange for cash -- a cap space-freeing move that suggests they feel they can bring in a key free agent or two. The deal to move down from No. 6 to No. 11 makes sense if they are not in love with anyone at the top of the draft, and they pick up Saric -- a stretch-four who shot 38 percent from 3-point range after being traded to Minnesota last season.