Back in 2015, the Minnesota Timberwolves made Karl-Anthony Towns the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. He’s since made two All-NBA teams and three All-Star appearances after winning Rookie of the Year.
Towns is now 27 years old, and while he’s helped the Timberwolves return to the playoffs, he has yet to win a series in the postseason in three appearances across eight seasons. Last year, KAT made the switch from center to power forward, making room for the newly acquired Rudy Gobert.
While the two seven-footers have a small sample size together (27 regular season games), some are already wondering if team president Tim Connelly already has regrets about his blockbuster trade to acquire the Stifle Tower.
Not to mention, the T-Wolves are Anthony Edwards’ team now, and if the organization believes the next best step is parting with Towns in an attempt to reshape the roster yet again, or try and recoup some of the draft selections traded away for Gobert, trading Towns would be their only option.
Yet, there’s been zero indication that the Timberwolves are actually considering trading Towns, their second-best player on the team, and arguably, their second-best in franchise history.
According to Minnesota sports insider Darren Wolfson’s podcast on SKOR North, there has been no traction on a possible Towns trade yet this offseason.
“I’m not ruling it out. But what I can tell you in real time is I’ve checked with two team’s front office executives very high up, two teams that make logical sense if the Wolves were to trade Karl-Anthony Towns. If they let the league know, ‘Hey, we’re interested in trading Karl-Anthony Towns’, these two teams undoubtedly would at least inquire… Well, these two executives told me so far crickets. They have not had any trade dialogue with the Wolves.”
Darren Wolfson on Karl-Anthony Towns trade from Timberwolves
Wolfson wasn’t willing to hint or name the teams he checked in with, but chances are this is the same story around the league.
The Timberwolves have made no suggestion that they’re ready to make drastic changes for the second season in a row, especially considering they handed the potentially soon-to-be NBA champion Denver Nuggets one of their four playoff losses so far this postseason. This core may not be as far away as some think, especially with rising star Jaden McDaniels set to return to the lineup after missing the Nuggets’ series with a broken hand.
With a core led by Edwards, Towns, Gobert, and McDaniels, the Timberwolves are excited about their future, there’s no need to turn back now. Future cap problems may arise, we’re not there now. For the record, Towns cannot be traded until July 7, at the earliest, which is after the NBA draft, making a blockbuster even more unlikely.
Related: 5 ideal Karl-Anthony Towns trade scenarios from the Minnesota Timberwolves