Currently in the infirmary with a calf injury, Karl-Anthony Towns is helpless against the poor dynamics of Wolves, who remained on six straight defeats before the victory against Denver last night. Will his future return allow Minnesota to raise the bar? It would be better, because otherwise the rumors around KAT could multiply…
17 wins, 21 losses, 11th place in the West.
When the Wolves decided to go all-in on Rudy Gobert in order to create an XXL trio between the French pivot, Towns and Anthony Edwards, they undoubtedly imagined a more brilliant mid-season record. Sure, the Minnesota franchise expected a period of adjustment following the arrival of a player of Rudy’s caliber, but surely not such difficulties whether on the tactical-technical level (hello DD) or more generally on the collective dynamics of Chris Finch’s group. Let’s not forget that we are talking about a team that is riding the wave of a return to the Playoffs, and who wanted to take an additional step to be part of the best teams in the West.
If considering the new Wolves project as a failure after only half a season may seem premature, it is impossible not to ask certain questions, in particular about the ability of Gobert, Towns and Edwards to play together. Admittedly, the Wolves are struggling today without KAT (absent since November 30, 7-10 record), but the signals shown at the very start of the season by the trio do not necessarily suggest better days. On the contrary, according to some insiders, there are downright a scenario in which Towns comes to the center of transfer rumors as early as next summer.
“As he has just signed an extension, Towns cannot be transferred until this summer. But if Wolves miss the play-in or lose before the second round, expect a lot of noise about Towns’ future.
– Michael Pina, journalist for The Ringer
Karl-Anthony Towns next star available on the market? Not impossible.
Report: Karl-Anthony Towns trade chatter expected to pick up if Timberwolves miss play-in tournament https://t.co/abM5u4XhI2
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) January 2, 2023
In the event that new franchise boss Tim Connelly feels a change is needed, KAT is probably the most likely to transfer among Wolves’ “Big Three.”
- Anthony Edwards – considered both the present and the future of the franchise – is untouchable;
- Rudy Gobert just recruited against a huge counterpart and saw his rating drops since joining Wolves.
There remains Towns, who at 27 remains one of the most talented and unique interiors in the NBA (23 points and 11 career rebounds, at almost 40% 3-point success). If he were to hit the market, many franchises will no doubt be in on the action, and Wolves could grab a heck of a package to rebalance their roster (or get back some of the very many picks dropped in exchange for Gobert), while by giving the keys to the attack to Ant-Man. It is considered…
Will Karl-Anthony Towns still be in Minnesota next year? It may depend on the scenario of the second part of the 2022-23 season. If the Wolves fail to raise the bar, it will clearly be necessary to monitor the rumors in the land of the Wolves.
Source texte : The Ringer