NBA Rumors: 8 Bold predictions for the second half of 2023 offseason

James Harden (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)
James Harden (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)
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Karl-Anthony Towns
Karl-Anthony Towns (Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports)

KAT will officially be placed on the trade block

It’s not been well-documented or reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves did have some exploratory trade talks with teams about Karl-Anthony Towns before the NBA Draft. Nothing materialized, it seems, from those discussions but it’s something to keep an eye on over the next few weeks. Teams don’t generally have exploratory trade talks if they’re not at least somewhat interested in potentially acting on those talks.

That’s why I predict that KAT will officially be placed on the trade block over the next few weeks as the Wolves decide to make the definitive decision to make Anthony Edwards the center of their franchise and the focal point of their team build moving forward.

KAT is an extremely talented player but he hasn’t been able to hit his ceiling during his time in Minnesota. It would likely be in the best interest of both sides to explore fresh starts. Because of his contract, though, trading KAT could be more complicated than many believe. Towns is due $211 million over the next five seasons and he has a $62 million player option for the 2027-28 season.

For any team that is interested in trading for KAT, it would be a huge commitment.