Karl-Anthony Towns boasts one of the most impressive and well-rounded skill sets in the NBA. And yet, the popular belief among many insiders is that the Timberwolves could face a potential issue in a situation where they attempt to trade the 27-year-old big man.
During a recent conversation on ESPN's The Hoop Collective, insiders Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon discussed Towns’s future and specifically the issues Minnesota may run into with his contract. Windhorst began by highlighting the fact that he doesn’t believe the Timberwolves “could get picks for Towns [in a trade] right now.”
MacMahon parlayed off that opinion by stating that if the team could get “a couple of really solid role players,” the Timberwolves might have to “pounce” on that.
ESPN MacMahon: “If you’re gonna trade Towns you probably wanna trade him this year when he’s making 36, not next year when he’s making 49”
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) November 12, 2023
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Brian Windhorst: “ I’m not sure they could get picks for Towns rn”
MacMahon: “…If you could get a couple of really solid role… pic.twitter.com/mwTKxJ6DF0
As highlighted in the clip, Towns’s salary jumps from $36 million this year to around $49 million next year, as the T-Wolves big man signed a four-year supermax contract extension.
Although it’s still early in the 2023-24 campaign, Towns has posted the lowest points per game average since his rookie season (19.0) through the first eight games of the season. He’s also shooting a career-worst 43.8% from the field and 32.6% from three-point range.
The overarching concern may be that the pairing of Towns with fellow big man Rudy Gobert just isn’t working how the Timberwolves hoped — at least in terms of the personal numbers for the former. Minnesota is still 6–2 so far, but it’ll be interesting to see what the team opts to do with Towns as the season rolls on and the trade deadline draws near.
