Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves may be at odds, so here are a few potential trade scenarios
Here are four trade packages involving the reportedly disgruntled Karl-Anthony Towns
•
9 min read
The Timberwolves are entering a very interesting offseason with Karl-Anthony Towns. Minnesota should be over the moon with the young big man right now. He just helped lead the Wolves to their first playoff appearance in over a decade. He's primed to be the face of their franchise for years to come.
However, that hasn't stopped rumors from circulating that everything in Minnesota isn't OK. In a podcast, ESPN's Zach Lowe and Brian Windhorst discussed Towns future with the Wolves and Lowe pointed out that Towns and the organization were not in a good place internally. Windhorst echoed the sentiment and said that Anthony Davis is more likely to stay in New Orleans than Towns is to stay in Minnesota.
Now, to be clear, he hasn't demanded a trade as far as we know and the organization would be crazy to just move on from its best young prospect since Kevin Garnett over a little bit of tension. What the Wolves should do is figure out why the tension exists and try to resolve it.
However, if for some reason that tension builds and a trade does feel inevitable, then the Wolves will have a very powerful asset on their side. Towns is considered by many to be one of the best young players in the NBA. The expectation is that he'll be a superstar some day. So a trade involving him would mean some major names would need to be involved. Here are are some fun trade scenarios that the Wolves could seek in exchange for their budding star.
Wolves get Leonard for Towns
| TEAM | TRADE PACKAGE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receives: F Kawhi Leonard, G Matthew Dellavedova | | | | |
| Receives: C Karl-Anthony Towns, G/F Tony Snell, G Eric Bledsoe | | | | |
| Receives: G Jeff Teague, C Pau Gasol | | | |
This could end up being the best-case scenario for all parties involved. The only reason the Wolves would trade Towns is if their relationship with him becomes broken beyond repair. For the Spurs, there have been rumors all season that a mysterious quad injury to Kawhi Leonard has created a rift between him and the organization. San Antonio is obviously trying to repair that, but if it can't then a trade could be a way out of the mess.
What this would mean for the Timberwolves
Minnesota shouldn't want to trade a former No. 1 overall pick that's only 22 years old, but that could change if the return in that trade is an MVP candidate. A healthy Leonard is enough to completely change the profile of a team, which is exactly what Tom Thibodeau wants. Thibs is already losing patience with his young crop of players by opting to play veterans he trusts like Derrick Rose over Tyus Jones.
Adding Leonard to the mix would change Minnesota from a growing young team to win-now status pretty quickly. They already have Jimmy Butler on the roster with veterans like Taj Gibson so it's not like the roster is young. Only the core is. However, none of this works if the Wolves can't get Leonard to sign an extension before the trade comes through. Trading a future piece like Towns only to see Leonard walk when free agency hits would be a complete disaster.
What this would mean for the Spurs
The Spurs are the ones in the driver's seat for a trade like this. They have control over the supermax extension that Leonard wants and are moving the best piece in the deal. What they can do with it is replace the player that was supposed to be the next face of their franchise with a new young player in Towns.
Losing out on an MVP candidate is tough, but Towns would allow the Spurs to continue their trend of going big as the rest of the league goes small. Even better, Towns is a modern big man that can play out on the perimeter which allows San Antonio to be a more modern team without sacrificing the size they desire to have. There's a little bit of personality concern adding Eric Bledsoe to the mix, but the Spurs organization has the respect of so many players. Bledsoe will either adapt or be moved.
What this would mean for the Bucks
Milwaukee is really here to just make sure the pieces getting moved have a home to go to. They'll want to take advantage of the Towns-Leonard mega deal and dump off Bledsoe somewhere. He was a mid-season addition last year that the Bucks wanted to be the secondary creator next to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Instead, the Bucks had to bench him multiple times for defensive effort problems. Bledsoe doesn't have much of a 3-point shot and won't be a good fit with Mike Budenholzer's expected offense.
Tony Snell is a young piece that will be tough to lose, but this deal clears out a lot of contracts for the Bucks while bringing in at least some proven talent. The Bucks need a bit of a roster overhaul and clearing out at least a few players is key. In return, they get Teague, who is familiar with Budenholzer's system. Pau Gasol is the exact type of big man that would work in a spread out offense. Is it perfect? No, but no trade ever is.
Towns to Lakers for youth
| TEAM | TRADE PACKAGE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receives: F Brandon Ingram, F, Kyle Kuzma, G Josh Hart | | | | |
| Receives: C Karl-Anthony Towns | | | |
Let's say the Wolves decide they want to be even younger than they already are. This doesn't feel likely, but if they opt to go that route then there's a team out there dying to get rid of some of its young players in exchange for a star caliber player.
What this would mean for the Timberwolves
The only good thing about being the Wolves in this situation is that they can choose what they want to get in return for Towns. They'll likely hunt around for a star swap, but sometimes that just isn't possible. So the next best course of action is to flip Towns into as many young assets as possible.
The Lakers front office badly wants a star. If Minnesota plays its cards right then fleecing the Lakers for all the young players they have is a real possibility, especially if free agency comes around and the L.A. swings and misses on all the big names it wants to sign.
What this would mean for the Lakers
The reason the Lakers do this is for the star power. Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma showed they're both talented young players, but they haven't flashed the potential of Towns so far in their careers. They'll try to avoid giving up the entire farm for Towns, but if the Wolves are smart about negotiations then they won't settle for anything less.
The Lakers might be known for adding established stars to their roster, but they also have a history of taking younger players like Towns and bringing out the best in them. This isn't just a move to win now, but it also sets them up for the future. If they can bring out all of Towns' potential then the Lakers will be set for a long time.
Towns to Heat for Whiteside
| TEAM | TRADE PACKAGE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receives: C Hassan Whiteside, G Goran Dragic, F Justise Winslow | | | | |
| Receives: C Karl-Anthony Towns, C Gorgui Dieng, G Jeff Teague | | | |
This is a classic panic trade. In this scenario, Towns has demanded a trade from the organization and is trying to pressure his way out. Tom Thibodeau wants to win now, but he's going to have a hard time gaining the upper hand in negotiations with a trade demand over his head. Miami, also dealing with a player who wants out, could prove to be a decent swap partner.
What this would mean for the Timberwolves
What the Wolves do gain from a trade like this is a traditional big man that can be a force to be reckoned with when he has his head on a swivel. Hassan Whiteside is a headache, but he's a headache that works in old-school systems. The Minnesota offense last season was about as old school as it got. Thibs doesn't play modern ball and that might be the best destination for someone like Whiteside.
The other advantages here is the addition of Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow. Dragic made an All-Star team last year and is the exact rim-attacking guard that Thibs likes in his point guards. He should open up some cutting lanes for guys like Wiggins and Butler. Offensively, Winslow won't be able to use much of his skill as a point forward in Minnesota, but he's a strong perimeter defender and the Wolves need a lot more of that. Winslow also gives them a young wing that can maybe develop into something more later in his career. He doesn't have the potential of Towns, but having youth isn't a bad thing.
What this would mean for the Heat
The benefit here for the Heat is obvious. They make a massive and necessary roster shakeup without giving up on Pat Riley's desire to win right now. Towns being coached by Erik Spoelstra can only be good, but he also allows Miami to be more modern. Whiteside, a traditional big, has been an awkward fit for so long that having someone like Towns, who can stand on the perimeter, will be good for Miami.
By moving Dragic, the Heat will also be able to use Towns as more of a creator than he was in Minnesota. They'll still have Jeff Teague and maybe Dwyane Wade, but Towns should definitely have the ball in his hands more often in Miami. At worst, the Heat get a star big man on the roster and clear out some players that have been an awkward fit for a long time.
Towns and Porzingis swap
| TEAM | TRADE PACKAGE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receives: F Kristaps Porzingis, C Joakim Noah | | | | |
| Receives: C Karl-Anthony Towns, C Gorgui Dieng | | | |
This is one of the weirder potential star swaps. The obvious joke here is that Thibodeau will continue his infatuation with adding former Bulls players to his roster by adding Joakim Noah, but the addition of Kristaps Porzingis would be very interesting in Minnesota, especially if both star bigs are showing frustration in their current situation.
What this would mean for the Timberwolves
Seeking out Porzingis might be the most seamless transition possible for a team that might be dealing with a disgruntled star. They don't have the same set of skills but replacing a young big man with a young big man shouldn't shake the boat too much. Porzingis is also a more aggressive player than Towns which may work better in a Minnesota system that Towns at times struggled to establish himself in.
There's some concern with Porzingis recovering from a torn ACL, but if he's healthy then he'll fit in just fine next to Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins. He found ways to score in the Knicks' archaic offense last season. Scoring in the Timberwolves surprisingly efficient system would not be an issue for him.
What this would mean for the Knicks
New York does this if it feels that Porzingis is more unhappy with the team than he's let on. There's always been reporting of tension between Porzingis and the organization, but most of that existed with Phil Jackson. As far as we know he doesn't have any issues with Scott Perry and Steve Mills. However, if those two feel that a problem could exist later then they might try to get out in front of a deal and make a trade now.
Obviously, dumping off the Noah contract is a huge win here, but potential Towns brings to the table makes him worthy of being the future of a franchise that's trying to turn things around. He's arguably not as far along in his development as Porzingis, but a change of scenery may be what Towns needs to unlock some of that potential inside him.
