NBA insider Darren “Doogie” Wolfson said on “The Scoop” podcast that the Minnesota Timberwolves don’t have any traction on a Karl-Anthony Towns trade as of now.
However, things could change once the offseason starts.
“I’m not ruling it out,” Wolfson said. “But what I can tell you in real-time is I’ve checked with two team’s front office executives very high up, two teams that make logical sense if the Wolves were to trade Karl-Anthony Towns. If they let the league know, ‘Hey, we’re interested in trading Karl-Anthony Towns,’ these two teams undoubtedly would at least inquire.
“Well, these two executives told me so far crickets. They have not had any trade dialogue with the Wolves.”
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report is reporting that the Timberwolves could trade Towns this offseason. In July 2022, Towns signed a four-year, $224.2 million designated veteran player extension with Minnesota.
“The Timberwolves had high expectations when it acquired Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz (for significant draft capital) that it would be a strong playoff contender. Instead, they had to fight through the play-in to lose to the Denver Nuggets in the first round,” Pincus wrote. “The new rules don’t favor Minnesota, with Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels extension eligible this summer. Edwards is believed to be seeking a max deal (and many around the league believe he’ll get it), and McDaniels is likely seeking closer to a $25-30 million starting salary.”
“The team won’t be able to afford that, with Karl-Anthony Towns and Gobert combining for over $90 million in 2024-25,” Pincus explained. “Dealing Gobert will not return anything close to what the Timberwolves paid to Utah. Other competing executives think Karl-Anthony Towns will be long gone ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. Some even believe Minnesota would jump at an opportunity in the next few weeks.”
Towns averaged 20.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists this season for the Timberwolves while shooting 49.5% from the field, 36.6% from beyond the arc and 87.4% from the free-throw line. The three-time All-Star only played in 29 games due to a serious calf injury.
Minnesota lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2023 playoffs in five games. Towns and Rudy Gobert weren’t a good fit together in the frontcourt.
More must-reads: