A dark horse Karl-Anthony Towns trade suitor emerged for the Minnesota Timberwolves this week amid lingering questions about his future with the franchise.
It is something of an open secret at this point that Minnesota is transitioning Anthony Edwards into the franchise player role that was previously occupied by Towns.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that Towns is on his way out, but it does mean that he is far more expendable now than at any point prior during his time in Minnesota. There is a reason six separate teams have expressed interest in him recently.
This week, a dark horse trade suitor emerged for Towns’ services.
According to NBA insider Bill Simmons, the Portland Trail Blazers are a team to keep an eye on when it comes to Towns.
“You wonder if Dame is watching [Minnesota] going ‘You know what? Me for Towns. Just switch us. We have Gobert. We have Edwards. It’s kinda nice. Me & Ant together. Maybe that’s a better situation for me than anywhere else—Fuck it I’m adding [Minnesota] to the list” @BillSimmons pic.twitter.com/roNTmWfFf0
— Dru (@dru_star) August 21, 2023
“[Miami’s] not gonna add [Dame]. The trade’s not happening”- @BillSimmons
“Well [Dame’s] not getting traded to Minnesota either, Bill”- @djacoby
[A Karl Anthony-Towns for Dame trade] makes sense on paper for a lot of reasons for both teams as a basketball trade”- @BillSimmons pic.twitter.com/ycqd2o48Mh
— Dru (@dru_star) August 21, 2023
“You wonder if Dame [Lillard] is watching [Minnesota] going ‘You know what? Me for Towns. Just switch us,” Simmons said.
“We have [Rudy] Gobert. We have Edwards. It’s kinda nice. Me and Ant together. Maybe that’s a better situation for me than anywhere else—F*ck it I’m adding [Minnesota] to the list.”
Towns has been in the headlines a lot in recent days for dominating the 2023 FIBA World Cup with the Dominican Republic and Jordyn Woods’ unique outfit choices to his games.
That said, soon enough international ball will stop – and then he will need to deal with his NBA future.
If the Clippers can’t get it done, 3 other teams are being linked to a James Harden trade. https://t.co/Eau0iapQWN
— Game 7 (@game7__) August 25, 2023
On paper, the Wolves have a lot of talent.
But for whatever reason, ever since Towns has been in Minnesota, the squad has not been able to put it together in a way that leads to meaningful results on the court.
Will that change in 2023-24? Time will tell, but if it doesn’t, it really wouldn’t be all that shocking to see Towns shipped out elsewhere.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
