Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Along with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, could another star be in the offing for next season?
The Warriors are “monitoring” Karl-Anthony Towns’ situation in Minnesota, according to an Athletic report Monday. The buzz around the recent G League Showcase, the report continues, involved the star forward being unhappy with a losing Timberwolves club. And because this is the NBA, disgruntled players can quickly become trade bait.
Minnesota has long been viewed as a potential home for D’Angelo Russell, whom they reportedly targeted last summer before the Nets-Warriors trade. There are so many contingencies at play — Minnesota would have to continue to circle the drain (at 11-20, the Wolves are just 3 1/2 up on the Warriors, and they’re 1-12 in December); Towns, signed through the 2023-24 season, would have to make his projected displeasure known; and the young Golden State pieces would have to keep progressing so they would appeal to teams like Minnesota.
Between Russell, who’s scored 52 and 30 points in the two matchups with the Wolves this season, and rookies like Eric Paschall, Alen Smailagic and Ky Bowman, each of whom has at least elevated himself to interesting this season, you begin to see how a potential Towns blockbuster would come together.
So as there seems nothing to play for in this gap season, with Thompson not expected to play at all and Curry still on the mend, the development is crucial for the franchise’s future.
And Towns, averaging a career-high 26.5 points plus 11.7 rebounds this season, is the type of star you sell pieces for. Even if the 24-year-old hasn’t proven he can carry a team on his own; with Golden State, he wouldn’t have to.