Karl-Anthony Towns has spent his entire NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves so far, but following the team’s disappointing 2022-23 season, there has been a lot of speculation about what his future may hold.
A trade could end up closing the door on his time with the organization, and since the league’s 2023 offseason hasn’t even started yet, nothing can be ruled out.
However, a new report indicates that there isn’t a lot of movement currently happening when it comes to a potential trade involving Towns.
“I’m not ruling it out,” NBA insider Darren Wolfson said. “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.”
It’s worth noting that according to a report from NBA insider Eric Pincus last week, there’s an expectation that Towns will be dealt before the 2024-25 season.
“Other competing executives think Karl-Anthony Towns will be long gone ahead of the 2024-25 campaign,” Pincus wrote.
“Some even believe Minnesota would jump at an opportunity in the next few weeks.”
Towns had a frustrating 2022-23 season. He was only able to appear in 29 games in the regular season, and his team took a first-round exit in the playoffs.
When Towns was on the floor in the regular season, he averaged 20.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from beyond the arc. It was his first season playing alongside fellow big man Rudy Gobert, and the campaign left the Wolves with more questions than answers about the viability of the pairing.
Towns, 27, is under contract through at least the 2026-27 season and has a lucrative player option for the 2027-28 season. His contract represents a big commitment for any team to take on, but he certainly has what it takes to be a key piece for a contending team.
The three-time All-Star is a versatile offensive player. Excluding the injury-riddled campaign that he just had, he has averaged 24.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game since the start of the 2018-19 season while shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from deep.
Minnesota has some tough decisions to make this offseason, and figuring out Towns’ future could be near the top of the list. It will be interesting to see if the former Rookie of the Year finds himself wearing a new uniform at some point down the line.
