There are those who believe that the Minnesota Timberwolves have no other choice than to trade away a discounted star power forward Karl-Anthony Towns in order to be able to afford other rising stars on the Timberwolves roster. I am not convinced that is the case, particularly due to the fact that I cannot envision the new Minnesota Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly trading away star NBA Players at their lowest value.
But some ‘unnamed NBA Executives,’ believe that a trade by the Minnesota Timberwolves of one of their high-value stars is in the works and imminent. Of course, whether true or not, or whether the Timberwolves will or won’t trade KAT, the timing of this particular rumor is superb. The 2023 NBA Draft is coming up this month, and if a trade occurs, the timing of such a trade right now would favor the Timberwolves.
Why? Well, the focus of this Timberwolves team has pivoted from Karl-Anthony Towns to Anthony Edwards. And President Connelly has stated that their focus is building around Anthony Edwards going forward.
How are you paying for that?
The Timberwolves have two tracks of player timelines to invest their NBA Salary Cap into. There is the veteran track that includes C Rudy Gobert, PF Karl-Anthony Towns, and PG Mike Conley Jr. Of course, there is a second track of younger players that includes SG Anthony Edwards, SF Jaden McDaniels, and could also include C Naz Reid, and Luka Garza, SF/SG Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Wendell Moore Jr.
The problem is that most of the Timberwolves’ current payroll is consumed by the veteran track, even as the younger track is now due to get paid. And so, it will come down to one side or the other.
As more and more details emerge about the NBA’s new CBA, one thing is becoming increasingly clear:
— Kyle Theige (@KyleTheige) May 17, 2023
No matter how you feel about the core of Ant, Jaden, KAT, & Rudy, the new CBA makes it damn near impossible to keep all four guys long-term starting next summer.
Clock is ticking.
This is an either-or problem that comes down to how can the Timberwolves compensate both rails to succeed. The answer appears more and more to be that the Timberwolves cannot pay both factions.
In the end, the team will likely side with Anthony Edwards, and pay him and all of the young players who complement his style. So what of the marketable veterans? Well, here are three teams who have the incentives to try to pry Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves: