Minnesota may be forced to trade Karl-Anthony Towns for one reason

The biggest storyline around this offseason for the Minnesota Timberwolves is concerning Karl-Anthony Towns and his future with the franchise. For quite some time now, there have been rumors that the Timberwolves would be open to trading him for the right package.

But for the majority of his time in Minnesota, those rumors have been largely unfounded. He has been a stable rock for this organization and his place as the best player on the team was unquestioned for many years.

That has recently changed. As good as Towns still is, Anthony Edwards is staking his claim as the future of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The start and end of this team now hinges on his success more than anyone else.

Karl-Anthony Towns is no longer the Timberwolves’ best player.

With Edwards’ meteoric rise to stardom, Towns has suddenly become much more replaceable. That does not mean that the organization is now looking to get rid of him, but his presence is no longer as vital as it once was.

Still, there is very much a world where Karl-Anthony Towns is the second-best player on a Timberwolves team that is in contention for an NBA championship. Why would the front office be actively participating in trade talks? The answer lies in KAT’s contract.

As of right now, Towns is set to receive $36 million from Minnesota during the 2023-24 season. After that, his supermax extension will kick in, which will have him earning a jaw-dropping $62.1 million in the final year of his contract.

Towns’ contract situation is what could force the front office to make a move.

The Timberwolves signed Karl-Anthony Towns to this extension back on July 1, 2022. For those following along at home, that was the exact same day Minnesota executed the blockbuster trade with the Utah Jazz that landed them Rudy Gobert.

As such, this was less of bad planning on the part of the organization, and more of simple bad timing. Tim Connelly made a long-term investment in Rudy Gobert, and that decision immediately impacted KAT’s future in Minnesota.

With the Timberwolves taking on another supermax player in Gobert, a difficult financial situation became near-unsolvable as Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels took big leaps on the court. The team would now have to negotiate larger contracts for their two young rising stars as well.

Minnesota has an incredibly talented (and well-paid) group of players on its hands. Now that push has come to shove, they are coming to grips with the reality that they may very well have their hands tied financially if they do not trade Karl-Anthony Towns.