Karl-Anthony Towns is only 22 years old and he’s already one of the better forwards in the NBA. Towns, however, struggled in the postseason, and it has become clear that he and Minnesota Timberwolves czar Tom Thibodeau aren’t on the same page.
So, could Towns — the No. 1 overall pick in 2015 — end up in a new uniform next season? It’s not out of the question.
As ProBasketballTalk documented, Brian Windhorst shared on ESPN that teams around the league are inquiring about Towns’ availability — and the Timberwolves appear open to trade discussions.
“People in the league have been saying, ‘You know, maybe we should call and take a look and see what’s going on with Karl Towns,'” Windhorst explained. “Now, he and Tom Thibodeau did not have the greatest season together. I think that’s fair to say. They recently fired Vince Legarza, who’s his strength-and-conditioning coach or he’s actually his workout coach with the Wolves and, according to The Athletic, didn’t tell him about it. He found out when everybody else did. I don’t think that the Wolves are looking to trade him, but teams are definitely sniffing around as if maybe there’s something here.”
Towns averaged 21.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game this season. His shooting development continued as he knocked down 42.1 percent of his three-point attempts. He is Minnesota’s most valuable asset.
If Towns doesn’t like playing with Butler, you let Butler walk (after exhausting all options to make it work). If Towns doesn’t like Thibs, so long. Same with Wiggins.
The only entity in Minnesota that is irreplaceable now that Prince is gone is Karl-Anthony Towns.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) May 19, 2018
“They’ve already taken some calls on him,” Windhorst added. “This is not new. Blake Griffin, the Clippers called and offered Blake Griffin for him. They’re going to, I believe, get more calls on this, especially the way there seems to be a disconnect between Karl and the franchise.”
Towns’ Future
Towns is expected to be a restricted free agent in 2019 unless he and the Wolves agree to a long-term deal. Check out his full contract details here.
The Wolves may offer Towns a five-year extension this summer, likely worth anywhere from $157-188 million. Locking him up for the future would likely increase his trade value, but the Wolves, who are also trying to figure out what to do with Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins, may hesitate to make such a large financial commitment.
