The Minnesota Timberwolves are 22-48 on the year, good for 13th place in the Western Conference. Despite some preseason hype, it’s clear that this group is still a long ways away from competing.
With that in mind, many have taken to wondering what Minnesota’s perpetually losing ways mean for the team’s biggest star, Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns is 25 years old and already one of the league’s best players. By the time he truly reaches his prime, he may be unstoppable.
But will he be a member of the Timberwolves when that happens?
During the most recent episode of the HoopsHype podcast, host Michael Scotto was joined by The Athletic’s Timberwolves insider Jon Krawczynski. Among other things, the pair discussed how viable of an option it is that Towns gets dealt at some point.
They offered two teams to keep a close eye on as it pertains to Towns’ future.
“Other executives around the league have always felt the Knicks would try to land a star in this league that’s with CAA due to the ties Rose has from working there previously before he took the job with the Knicks,” Scotto said.
“With the Knicks, they have the pieces to go out and try to get — it doesn’t have to be Towns, it could be another star. They’ve got Mitchell Robinson, a young center. They’ve got RJ Barrett, who’s a nice young player. They’ve got their draft picks if needed as well. For me, if Towns is on the trade block, I’d definitely look at the Knicks to be among several teams around the league who’ll make a pitch for him.”
Krawczynski’s response to that assessment was telling.
“Leon has a long relationship with Towns. He was Towns’ agent with Jessica Holt. Kenny Payne is on Thibodeau’s staff, and Towns and Payne are very close from their Kentucky days. Worldwide Wes. There are a lot of connections there,” he responded.
“One interesting element to it would be the Thibodeau factor. He and Towns didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye when he was in Minnesota. It wasn’t like they were at each other’s throats or anything, but they were just never on the same page. It would be interesting to see how a reunion like that would work.
“I do know the Knicks fandom in the Towns family is real. I don’t think the Knicks honestly have the assets to get him. I don’t think Barrett, Robinson, and whatever picks they’re going to have since they’re not going to be in the lottery will be good enough for Towns, who’s one of the best offensive players in the league and has three years left on his deal.”
So if not the Knicks, who does Krawczynski see as a potential player?
The Golden State Warriors.
“The team that I would watch is Golden State,” he continued.
That’s one way to watch a game. https://t.co/rlfZSR4DDe
— Game 7 (@game7__) May 13, 2021
“That’s the team that maybe they need veterans around Steph Curry and not their young pieces and maybe lottery picks or things like that. Again, I don’t think that’s going to happen. I don’t think the Wolves are going to trade Towns.”
The topic of Towns get traded has been brought up multiple times over the past week.
This will be an interesting situation to watch. Obviously there’s nothing immediately pending, but it certainly wouldn’t be all that shocking if Towns ultimately gets dealt from Minnesota sooner rather than later.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
