Karl-Anthony Towns has been in the news quite a bit this NBA offseason. He may not be making headlines like Damian Lillard or Paul George, but he is still someone to keep an eye on as the offseason carries on into the dog days of summer. Of course, many remember his absurd comment saying Minnesota’s run to win in the play-in tournament was more impressive than Denver’s championship run. However, he is also another star name that has been thrown around in trade discussions this offseason. The Timberwolves reportedly entertained the idea of trading Karl-Anthony Towns around the NBA Draft.
Karl-Anthony Towns’ Name Came up in Trade Talks Before NBA Draft
Minnesota’s Predicament
The Timberwolves have a crowded frontcourt with Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid. Do not forget, the Utah Jazz controlled Minnesota’s draft due to the Rudy Gobert trade that occurred last summer. As a result, the team has explored the option of balancing out their frontcourt and looking toward building around the exciting guard, Anthony Edwards, for the future.
“There were talks between the Timberwolves and other teams before the draft and Towns’ name came
up,” said Ian Begley on Zach Lowe’s podcast. “I don’t know how aggressive the Timberwolves were with Towns, if at all.”
With the Timberwolves also giving Naz Reid a three-year, $42 million extension, many thought this signaled the end of Towns’ tenure in Minnesota. However, he is still on the team. However, the team could just be waiting for the right offer to come their way this offseason.
Teams Potentially Interested in Karl-Anthony Towns
A player like Karl-Anthony Towns is going to garner a solid market. After all, he is a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA player with a career average of 23.0 points per game. Not to mention, he is one of the deadliest shooting big men in NBA history with a three-point shooting percentage of 39.5 percent for his career. With a resume like this, the Minnesota Timberwolves are certainly going to receive trade offers. One team to keep an eye on is the New York Knicks.
The Knicks would love to have a star like Towns in the Big Apple to potentially pair with Julius Randle in the frontcourt. The Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets also reportedly showed interest in the past. However, everyone knows that Lillard now wants out and the Rockets just recently signed Fred VanVleet to a max deal. While the Timberwolves are remaining put for now, do not be surprised to hear more rumors involving Towns in the coming months.
