Despite the Minnesota Timberwolves only getting to see the trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and Anthony Edwards together for less than two months this season due to injury, teams around the NBA already believe that one of them could be shipped out of town this summer.
There was much hope for the Timberwolves’ “Big Three” after trading for Utah Jazz All-Star Rudy Gobert this past summer. It was a move that went away from the norms of today’s game which heavily leans on building starting fives around guards and swingmen, to a lineup with a dominant frontcourt.
After a month and a half of playing together, the results were very mixed. However, it can take time to develop the right chemistry between such major players. But Minnesota didn’t get to work out the kinks after Towns suffered a Grade 3 calf strain in late November and has been sidelined ever since.
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While the Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly still have a lot of hope for their “Big Three,” team’s around the league believe things could soon be blown up if Towns doesn’t return to lead the team to playoff glory in 2023.
On Monday, The Athletic NBA insider Jon Krawczynski appeared on a new episode of “The Lowe Post” podcast and spoke about the situation in Minnesota. Krawczynski explained that the Timberwolves brass “believe that once [Towns] comes back and they have some time to build around [Edwards] and [Gobert] and KAT, they very much believe that can still work.”
However, he also revealed that there are detractors around the league that believe this trio does not have a long shelf life. And that, “other teams are eyeing this situation and looking to see if Karl-Anthony Towns will become available” and could be the next multi-time All-Star to be a part of a blockbuster NBA deal.
Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves faithful have had a complicated relationship after the Kentucky alum was an instant star when he debuted in the league in 2015-2016. However, just two playoff appearances in his eight seasons since have many unsure if he is the player that can truly take them to the promised land.
Karl-Anthony Towns only has one season and $36 million left on his contract after this season, making him a very intriguing trade asset this summer or at next season’s trade deadline.