Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns signs super-max extension

Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns has reportedly agreed to sign the super-max contract extension to stay with the Wolves for five more years.

The first shoe has yet to officially drop, but instead of waiting for things to be official, Karl-Anthony Towns has agreed to the massive contract extension with the Minnesota Timberwolves that has reportedly been on the table for some time.

The Wolves have reportedly had a super-maximum contract extension on the table for Towns for weeks, if not months. Towns was reportedly refusing to sign the deal until Jimmy Butler was jettisoned from the roster.

Apparently, Glen Taylor’s word — and the hastiness with which he appears to moving — that Butler would be traded as soon as possible was enough.

The news of the extension first broke with this tweet from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:

Good for the Timberwolves to get this done before training camp opens next week. It’s one less thing that Towns, Tom Thibodeau, and anyone else from the front office will have to answer questions about at media day on Monday.

Wojnarowski explains the nature of the super-max deal in his story about the extension. Here’s an excerpt, which also includes a statement from TOwns himself:

"In a statement, Towns said: “On June 25, 2015, I was drafted to and committed to the Minnesota Timberwolves. On September 22, 2018, I made a recommitment to the Wolves and have the same feelings of excitement that I felt back in 2015.“I promise to the fans, my teammates and the organization to keep the vision of the man who drafted me, Flip Saunders, alive and treat his dream of winning with respect and dignity. To the fans from Day One and the Timberwolves fans, this is for you. Thank you for believing in me.”The super-max deal includes the ability for Towns to earn 30 percent of the Timberwolves’ salary cap with the fulfillment of reaching one of the three All-NBA teams, or being voted league MVP or Defensive Player of the Year this season."

Towns posted the following on Twitter to celebrate the extension:

It would make sense if the Timberwolves and Towns’ agent moved to get this done not only to avoid further questioning about a deal that should have been a no-brainer from the start, but also to show other organizations that the Wolves mean business when it comes to trading Butler as soon as possible.

After all, Towns would still be refusing to put ink to paper if Butler wasn’t on his way out of town. Therefore, the Wolves’ front office is ready to take some phone calls.

It remains to be seen what the Wolves can get in exchange for Butler, of course. That will be the next challenge for Thibodeau and general manager Scott Layden. Here’s hoping they get something of value that can help this year without tying up too much cap space next summer.

Also, congrats to KAT. He deserves the extension, and Wolves fans can at least celebrate having one of their All-Stars locked up while the other one remains firmly on the trade market.