Karl-Anthony Towns’ future with the Minnesota Timberwolves remains in question and while his injury pushed off the situation for longer than it should have been, it’s getting close to the time to unravel the situation.
There is a significant amount of pressure on the Timberwolves headed into the 2023-24 season, specifically on how Towns and fellow big man Ruby Gobert will co-exist in Minnesota’s frontcourt.
Towns signed a four-year $224 million extension from Minnesota last June that isn’t supposed to kick in until next season, which, in theory, could keep him with the Timberwolves until the summer of 2028. But the franchise has the second-highest payroll in the NBA and if the experiment with Gobert and face-of-the-franchise Anthony Edwards fails, he could very well be on the trade block.
The 6-foot-11, self-proclaimed “greatest big-man shooter of all time” hit 40% of his three-pointers and averaged 21 points and a career-high five assists just last season.
The New York Knicks have their eyes on Towns because it seems that “[head coach Tom] Thibodeau would welcome coaching Towns again” according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. Towns would add quite the charge to the Knicks’ offense. In his last full season in 2021-22 (he appeared in just 29 games last year), his 34.9 points per 100 possessions was ranked in a tie for 11th amongst all NBA players.
The Knicks are superstar hunting, but concerns emerged upon the link between Towns and New York based on speculation that his relationship with Thibodeau from their time in Minnesota was rocky. However, both Thibodeau and Towns have had nothing good to say about each other.
“Watching the progress he’s made throughout his career, he’s as gifted as they come,” Thibodeau said (h/t Bondy). “There’s nothing he can’t do offensively… he’s really, really gifted”.
For now, though, Towns’ focus is on mounting a playoff run with Minnesota in the West.
“I see us doing something special,” Towns said on NBA Today. “I see us being very happy with the results after an 82-game season.”
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