Nobody wants to talk about it, but it is impossible to ignore.
Karl-Anthony Towns is a transcendent player in today’s modern NBA game. The Minnesota Timberwolves have been a consistent bottom feeder of the Western Conference for the majority of his career. There are two likely outcomes: the Wolves either start to win or your disgruntled star will take matters into his own hands and demand to be shipped elsewhere.
The latter has unfortunately become a far-too-common theme. In recent history, we’ve seen James Harden, Anthony Davis and Jimmy Butler all beg for greener grass and be granted their wish. Loyalty over royalty is a foreign concept to most nowadays.
In Towns’ case, this is his 6th year in Minnesota. They’ve had one winning season and can thank Butler for that (I promise this is the last time I bring him up).
This year is no different. Lots of potential and frequent losing streaks. He is still only 25 years old and playing the best basketball of his career. He embodies everything you want in a franchise player, but there have been rumblings about his frustration with the franchise and their inability to win.
A 'really good player' who knows Karl-Anthony Towns 'incredibly well' reportedly said, 'KAT is as good as gone,' from the Timberwolves.
(via @DWolfsonKSTP, @SKORNorth) pic.twitter.com/VuFEw6USjv
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) September 24, 2020
Trusting every rumor the media spits out is a dangerous game to play. There are few who really know what KAT is truly thinking. We all know he has been through enough mentally, physically and emotionally in the last year, so it is fair to give him some time to process these type of things. On top of everything else, he plays for one of the most unsuccessful franchises in the history of sports.
Not ideal.
To his credit, Towns has dismissed these notions and eased concerns by saying all of the right things. He even went as far to express his commitment to this team long-term.
Karl-Anthony Towns expressed his commitment to Minnesota on Tuesday following the firing of former coach Ryan Saunders.
"I would love to finish my career here in Minnesota." https://t.co/rouHf84rf6
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 23, 2021
Is It Too Late?
History has shown us that when disgruntled stars want their way out, they generally get their wish. It puts their respective franchise in such a disservice for a multitude of reasons. The team essentially loses all leverage and incoming trade offers reflect that. Teams want to keep this kind of stuff in house and solve it internally before it blows out of proportion. Trading for D’Angelo Russell, a longtime friend of Towns, likely went a long way to relieve immediate vexation.
But the more Minnesota continues to labor, the faster the clock ticks until the inevitable: Karl-Anthony Towns demanding out of Minnesota.
In Minnesota’s case, trading Towns would result in losing the franchise’s second-best player of all time, and smacking the restart button once again. Rarely do teams improve when they get handcuffed by player demands. Centers like KAT don’t come around often. His skillset is so unique and highly sought after in this league.
To make matters worse, this give fans eerie memories of how the Wolves once lost Kevin Garnett in similar fashion. This team is desperately in need of stability and trading Towns would cause another reshuffle of the deck. It would be in their best interest to start showing some progress before it’s too late.
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