PatBev “Ultimate love for Minnesota.” Reiterates Anthony Edwards will leave Wolves
By Bret Stuter
It comes down to Anthony Edwards demanding a trade someday
Without incentives to do so, trading Anthony Edwards away seems like a foolish assertion. But at one time, an assertion that the Minnesota Timberwolves would trade All-Star center and power forward Karl-Anthony Towns seemed pretty foolish too. So what factors would lead to the Minnesota Timberwolves trading away Anthony Edwards?
III: Rebuild
Each new NBA season resets team rankings, but it also resets the random nature of injuries that can cripple a player and a team’s roster for an entire NBA season. Minnesota Timberwolves fans already know that the 53-game injury to All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns likely wiped a half dozen or more wins off the Timberwolves schedule last season. And another prolonged injury to a core player would likely derail the Timberwolves’ chances of competing for an NBA Championship anytime soon.
Depending on how desperate the projections become, the Timberwolves could opt to simply rebuild their team, much like the Utah Jazz chose to do last season. In those circumstances, NBA teams often trade away their best assets, and Anthony Edwards is clearly the crown jewel of the Minnesota Timberwolves roster right now.
II: Financial stalemate
The best players in the NBA want to be paid the most. Right now, the Minnesota Timberwolves roster boasts three NBA All-Star players and the ability to keep each one paid at the maximum level will eventually trigger penalties for the Timberwolves team. That ability to pay them not only becomes less and less likely over time, but it will ultimately sever the TImberwolves’ ability to acquire and retain the role players to fill out their roster.
Right now, some expect finances to get so tight for the Timberwolves that fiscal pressure will force the team to trade away Karl-Anthony Towns. Does that solve the problem, or simply create new problems for this team down the road? Perhaps both statements are true.