NBA Trade Rumors: Karl-Anthony Towns on the verge of being traded?

NBA Trade Rumors: If recent reporting is any indication, Karl-Anthony Towns could be traded pretty soon, possibly at the 2023 NBA Draft.

Last offseason, when the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz, the belief was that he would help create a dynamic tandem in the frontcourt alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. However, that didn’t exactly happen this past season.

Instead of Gobert becoming a possible “final” piece for an emerging team in the Western Conference, the Wolves struggled for much of the 2023-24 season. They managed to play their way into the NBA Playoffs but lost in five games to the Denver Nuggets in the first round. More concerning is the fact that Gobert and KAT never seemed to mesh at any point in the season.

And that’s one of the bigger concerns that the Wolves will have to address somehow this offseason. Interestingly, according to a recent report, one way they could solve that issue is by trading KAT. And per the report, there’s a belief around the league that KAT could be traded in the next few weeks.

If that does end up being the case, you would have to imagine that some serious conversations will take place between now and the NBA Draft, with a potential deal getting done in that timeframe.

Should the Minnesota Timberwolves trade Karl-Anthony Towns?

There’s an argument to be made that the Wolves should trade KAT but I’m not sure if this is the offseason to do so. Even though the duo of KAT and Gobert struggles, the former’s injury did complicate the sample size.

In fact, the KAT and Gobert only played in 27 regular season games together. If that’s enough of a sample where the Wolves know what they have to do, all power to them. However, I’m not sure that’s a foregone conclusion.

And it’s not like the Wolves are under any pressure to move KAT right now either. KAT is under contract with the Wolves for the foreseeable future, his contract runs through the 2026-27 season. But may Minnesota has seen enough or KAT has quietly (through backchannels) let the Wolves know that he would like a fresh start at this point in his career.

Either way, this should make for an added storyline heading into the NBA offseason.

Still, I’m naturally hesitant when it comes to stars being traded. They usually have to force their way out of situations. That doesn’t seem to be happening here yet. And because of that, I’ll have to see it to believe it. I wouldn’t consider KAT gone just yet.