It is no secret that one of the biggest storylines surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves this summer will be concerning Karl-Anthony Towns and whether the team ultimately decides to trade him or keep him. This topic has been floated among NBA circles for years, but this offseason could be the tipping point of the discourse.
There has been speculation into both sides of the debate, with the Timberwolves organization showing no hints as to which direction they plan to take. However, on Friday, Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus revealed in an article that multiple league executives believe Towns will be ‘long gone’ from Minnesota by the time the 2024-25 season begins.
This does not indicate that any trades are on the verge of happening, but it is interesting that there is widespread belief that Towns is not in Minnesota’s long-term plans. The likely reason for this has to do with Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels.
Some executives around the league believe the Timberwolves will trade Karl-Anthony Towns ‘in the next few weeks,’ per @EricPincus pic.twitter.com/DuP9953T3z
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 9, 2023
Edwards and McDaniels could be the reason Karl-Anthony Towns ends up leaving.
Obviously, the Timberwolves still have a belief in their pairing of Rudy Gobert with Karl-Anthony Towns in the frontcourt. They still believe there is something to be unlocked with the uniquely talented duo.
But the reality is that they simply cannot keep their entire core group of players together for the long haul. Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels are both extension-eligible this summer, and both will be seeking deals that will pay them north of $25 million in yearly salary.
With Karl-Anthony Towns headed into the first year of his supermax extension, that leaves Minnesota with some tough choices to make. As they are financially unable to keep all three players around, it may be in their best interest to invest in their promising young talent and see what kind of return they can get on the trade market for Towns.
For one reason or another, several executives around the league believe this is the direction they will take. Some even think the Timberwolves could be pressing the button on a deal before the end of June.
With the Portland Trail Blazers supposedly eager to deal their third overall pick, there seems to be at least one obvious avenue to Minnesota making a trade sooner rather than later. Are we in the final stages of the Karl-Anthony Towns era in Minnesota? No one knows for certain, but the evidence that he could be moving on is starting to stack up.