Heading into the 2022-23 season, it was clear that the Minnesota Timberwolves would be leaning on their two core talents throughout the year in Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. The addition of Rudy Gobert was a massive change, but he was never going to have as big of an impact on winning as those two.
Over the course of the season, we saw Anthony Edwards take a huge leap in his development and cement himself as one of the most talented young players in the NBA. Towns, on the other hand, missed 52 straight games with a calf injury, dividing up his year and making it difficult for him to build consistency.
As a result, the seemingly yearly discussions of trading KAT were brought up once again, much to the dismay of many Timberwolves fans who are tired of the topic. However, we may have actually hit a point where it makes sense for Minnesota to pursue a trade for the big man this time around.
3 reasons why the Minnesota Timberwolves should trade Karl-Anthony Towns this summer:
1. To build around Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards is option number one in Minnesota for the foreseeable future, and that has never been more apparent than it is in April 2023. Ant’s offensive repertoire has continued to expand to that of a superstar bucket-getter, and he has become a staunch defender as well.
As such, Tim Connelly and the rest of the front office should be focused on building the team to best suit Edwards’ talent. If they want to remain a playoff contender for the next decade-plus, they need to do everything they can to keep Edwards happy.
There are probably some situations where it could make sense for them to keep Karl-Anthony Towns around, but those scenarios are no longer the top priority for the Timberwolves. KAT is the longest-tenured player on the team and is one of the greatest players in franchise history. But if Minnesota lets that cloud their judgement and starts catering to fan favorites, they will be in for a rude awakening.
2. Towns can be a defensive liability
With the 2022-23 season in the books, Karl-Anthony Towns will be entering next season heading into his ninth season in the NBA. He is a veteran through and through, and there are not many unanswered questions about who he is as a player at this point.
We all know what a unique offensive player he is. Towns’ mobility and ability to hit a step-back three or take a defender all the way to the cup is extremely rare for his size. It is the other side of the floor where he has had questions throughout his career.
Thankfully, he is coming off a series against the Denver Nuggets where he had some surprisingly good defensive stretches, and perhaps that bodes well for him as the Timberwolves weigh their options this summer. But as a whole, Towns has been an inconsistent defender at best in his eight years in the league.
Without super quick feet, KAT often struggles closing out jump shooters and he has never been a reliable rim protector in the paint. It is hard to find any player in the NBA as versatile as Towns, but Minnesota may be best served replacing him with a more defense-oriented off-ball player that would give Anthony Edwards even more free rein in the offense.
3. KAT is the Wolves’ most valuable asset that is expendable
When looking at the Minnesota Timberwolves’ roster, there are very few pieces that should truly be considered “untradeable.” Anthony Edwards and maybe Jaden McDaniels are the only core pieces that Minnesota should not be open to moving under any circumstance, given that they are the future of the franchise.
The Timberwolves will almost certainly need to keep Rudy Gobert around past this summer due to his huge defensive value combined with the fact that they can not afford to give away a player they traded the farm for last year. Even if they wanted to trade Gobert, they would not be getting nearly as much back.
That leaves us with Karl-Anthony Towns as the most expendable player in Minnesota that also carries big value. If the Wolves were going to move any one player and expect to get a sizeable return, Towns certainly makes the most sense.
We know that there is not a lack of interest in KAT from other teams around the league. His unique offensive abilities will no doubt intrigue several front offices, and the Timberwolves should be searching for the inevitable GM that is willing to make an overpay for him.