Trade Rumor: 1 + 1 = 2?

[Vermont Green]

Some executives around the league believe the Timberwolves will trade Karl-Anthony Towns ‘in the next few weeks’,

per Eric Pincus

Darren Wolfson on a potential Karl-Anthony Towns trade: “I’m not ruling it out. 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. – via Spotify

[freshinthehouse]

There are rumors floating around that Dejounte Murray might be available in the right deal,

per Eric Pincus

Some executives around the league believe the Timberwolves will trade Karl-Anthony Towns ‘in the next few weeks’,

per Eric Pincus

———

Hawks: Towns

Timberwolves: Murray, Collins, 2023 15th pick, 2024 - Round 1 pick (via Kings)

———

Minnesota Timberwolves

Murray
Edwards
Anderson
Collins
Gobert

Conley, McDaniels

Unless Murray and Collins are absolutely terrible in the locker room, the Wolves would have to make that deal. 

[freshinthehouse]

Also, I can assure you that anyone pining for Towns in a C's jersey doesn't now a Wolves fan lol.  Towns, while a good guy, is never gonna win you a thing if he's your first or second best player.  He shrinks in big moments.  After a year or two the same people wanting him would be demanding we trade for whatever we could get. 

[theswitch]

I'm close with a few Minnesotans and I understand the KAT is soft stuff...but hear me out on why I'm giving him a pass on that stuff. He was progressing in his game, taking more outside shots at a 40%+ clip as the focal point in the offense through two All Star seasons into 2019. COVID was tough on everyone, but it's hard to underscore how hard it was for KAT -- he lost eight relatives to COVID, including his mother, and was hospitalized with it himself (and then had a long recovery). Man, that is brutal! And I think we overlook sometimes how old these guys are...that is brutal for anyone but the kid was 24 years old! Most people are barely out of college at that age.

So that's an incredibly hard journey through the 2021 season. Last year, he was supposed to start putting it back together and you have to give him a thumbs up -- All Star season, 41% shooting from deep on 5 attempts per game, 53% from the field overall, 10 rebounds, a steal and a block averaged each, 25 points per game. The team got the 7 seed in the West which is not an easy feat. And the team sucked! Other than Anthony Edwards, who was only 20, you had DLo, Jaden McDaniels, Pat Beverly, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Taurean Prince. Carrying those guys to a 7 seed is no easy feat! They are a really bad cast of characters. Carrying them and managing a 20-year-old second budding superstar is a good experience.

Then the next year you turn the page and they bring on Rudy Gobert, totally dismantling his place in the team and forcing him into a more unnatural role (similar to how Porzingis has to stand on the perimeter when he's playing alongside a 5 who clogs the paint) offensively and defensively (has to chase smaller guys around). All that while gutting the rest of the team.

So look, he's obviously a tough story over the past couple of years but I can't think of a more credible case of "needs a change of scenery" for a young superstar. I wouldn't trade JB for him but the rest of the team is an easy "yes" for that type of guy. Especially if he doesn't have to be *that* guy.

[Who]

Karl Anthony Towns is the next Pau Gasol.

A guy miscast as a franchise player but a darn good ball player who could be hugely successful as a #2.

Pau likewise was criticized for being too soft.

[Csfan1984]

Karl Anthony Towns is the next Pau Gasol.

A guy miscast as a franchise player but a darn good ball player who could be hugely successful as a #2.

Pau likewise was criticized for being too soft.

I see that possibly. However Gasol had some moments but no one on his teams punked him like Butler did to Towns. Gasol didn't let a 2nd year player take over the team. He played second to a icon and besides that was always the guy for his teams. Gasol was always tough in international play too. Towns has only a bad resume.

[celticsclay]

I'd rather just acquire both in Boston

Boston - Towns, Murray
Minnesota - Brown
Atlanta - Smart, BOS 24 1st, 26 1st (top 4), 28 1st (top 4)

Something like that.

I could be talked into the towns part provided there was assurance this wouldn’t irritate Tatum (town doesn’t have a great reputation as a teammate and Tatum seems to like smart and brown)

The second part is an overpay unless there was an agreement murray was signed. You can’t give up smart and multiple firsts for a guy on an expiring contract. (Smarts contract is for two more years after this and also quite reasonable).