Local Insider Proposes Wild Karl-Anthony Towns Trade

The Minnesota Timberwolves won’t trade Karl-Anthony Towns. At least not this offseason. However, that hasn’t stopped Timberwolves trade rumors from emerging from all areas of the map.

There are several reasons why the Towns trade rumors won’t go away. For one, the four-time All-Star is one of the most skilled 7-footers in the NBA today. Of course teams want to add one of the NBA’s best shooting bigs to their roster, but that doesn’t mean the Timberwolves want to break up their potential championship core.

Another reason the KAT trade rumors won’t dissipate any time soon is the Wolves’ rising costs. His four-year, $220 million contract is undoubtedly a major contributing factor. He has a $49.2 million cap hit this season and $53.1 million in 2025.

Yet, as mentioned, Timberwolves PoBO Tim Connelly isn’t looking to blow up this roster or risk damaging the strong team chemistry built over the past few seasons. However, that won’t prevent some from fueling more Towns rumors all offseason long.

Related: 10 Greatest Minnesota Timberwolves Players Of All-Time

Darren Wolfson presents Timberwolves with a cap-saving solution

The latest KAT trade idea comes courtesy of local KSTP insider Darren Wolfson , with a classic rendition of reckless speculation on SKOR North . “Doogie’s” idea is to swap Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle and Josh Hart.

Does a Julius Randle + Josh Hart swap for Karl-Anthony Towns make sense?

While Randle would easily replace Towns in the starting lineup, slotting next to Rudy Gobert as the starting power forward, he wouldn’t do anything to improve the team’s offense. In fact, he’d make the spacing a lot worse.

Karl-Anthony Towns stats : 21.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 3 APG, 41.6% 3PT

Julius Randle stats : 24 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 5 APG, 31.1% 3PT

He’d also put the Timberwolves in an even worse position in relation to the salary cap. Towns, while expensive, is under contract through 2026-27, with an additional year available if he picks up his $61M player option. Keep in mind, if Towns hit the open market, it would take two seconds for another team to give him a new max contract, he’s not overpaid.

Meanwhile, Randle would likely only be in Minnesota for one season at a cap hit of $28.9 million. Yes, it’s a lot more than Towns earns, but he’d likely just decline his $30.9 million player option next offseason, where the three-time All-Star would seek another max-level contract extension. Randle’s even a year older than Towns.

Sure, in Wolfson’s proposal, the Timberwolves would also be getting 6-foot-4 wing Josh Hart back to go with Randle. Hart is an excellent rebounder and a plus defender with a non-stop motor, but he has flaws too.

Josh Hart stats: 9.4 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 4.1 APG, 31% 3PT

But he too would make the Wolves’ spacing worse, as he’s just a 34.4% 3-point shooter in his career. He’s also on a four-year, $80 million contract, earning $18.9 million next season. With Randle and Hart, that’s $47.8 million, compared to just keeping Towns at $49.2M.

Not to mention, where would Hart even fit in the Timberwolves’ lineup? He’d obviously earn a top role on the bench, but is it really necessary? Adding Hart would only make it that much harder for rookie standout Terrence Shannon Jr. to earn floor time, and Joe Ingles would get bumped to the back of the rotation too.

Ultimately, aside from skirting further penalties for being over the NBA’s second spending apron, this trade doesn’t make much sense for the current Timberwolves, but it is one of the better offers we’ve seen. It’s just not one that makes the team better next season, or in the long-term future.

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