The conversation around Karl-Anthony Towns has been relatively uniform over the last few seasons. Ever since Anthony Davis announced in 2019 that he wouldn’t re-sign with the New Orleans Pelicans, basketball pundits across the country have speculated when, not if, Towns would be the next star to force a move.
- Last week on the Lowe Post podcast, Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe discussed a possible Towns trade. The trade they discussed was Towns for DeAndre Ayton straight up, which technically wouldn’t even work.
- On this week’s Beach Steppin’ episode of the No Dunks podcast, a fan wrote in proposing another straight-up trade, this time Towns for Brandon Ingram. Most of the guys said the Wolves wouldn’t do it, but it is a trade the fan claimed as the one that Zach Lowe specifically said he wouldn’t mention on air during the pod with Simmons.
- Lastly, hot-take artist Kendrick Perkins tweeted that the Wolves “can trade everyone and build around Anthony Edwards” after Tuesday’s 137-121 loss to the Lakers.
First let me say, how dare you. Second, has Towns’ standing in the league really dropped this far? Fans should rejoice that Edwards is finally showing his star potential, but Towns is still the future of this franchise.
Apparently, it’s been a long four years since NBA GM’s voted Towns as the player they would want to build their team around. Since that vote Towns has made the All-Star team twice and third-team All-NBA once. He helped Jimmy Butler take Minnesota to the playoffs for the first time in 14 years and is the best-shooting seven-footer in NBA history.
And apparently lost all respect.
Yes, the Wolves have been horrendous during his first six seasons, but Towns is still one of the best centers in the NBA.
In fairness, the last 16 months have been rough for the 2016 Rookie of the Year. He was plagued by injuries last year and only played in 35 games before COVID-19 ended Minnesota’s 2019 season. The pandemic wreaked havoc around the world but hit KAT harder than almost everyone. It took the life of his mother, Jacqueline, last year and at least six other family members. KAT himself contracted the virus this January, causing him to miss the next 13 games. He has only played in 20 of Minnesota’s 40 games this season.
Since his return, KAT has seemingly lost a half step and looks at times like his athleticism has been sapped. In 16 games since returning to the lineup, Towns is averaging 22.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.4 blocks on 50.4/34.4/84 shooting splits.
Is the 2021 version of Towns as good as his ceiling seemed to be all the way back in 2017? No. But is that enough to drop his trade value to the depths of dumping him for another team’s third or fourth-best player?
Perhaps the Timberwolves’ record of 15-40 over the last two seasons in games Towns has played is a major factor in his declining trade value. Since the Davis trade, Towns has cemented his standing in the league as one of the premier “good stats on a bad team” guys. After the Pelicans traded Davis to the Lakers for Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, De’Andre Hunter, Brandon Ingram, and three first-round picks in 2019, it was fair to speculate that if Towns was the next star to leave, the Wolves would get a king’s ransom in return.
In fact, the next star to be moved was Paul George. The Oklahoma City Thunder got Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, five unprotected first-round picks, and two pick swaps. This year the Milwaukee Bucks traded two first-round picks, two pick swaps, and Eric Bledsoe for Jrue Holiday. Finally, the Brooklyn Nets went all in, trading Caris LeVert, Rodions Kurucs, three first-round picks, and four first-round pick swaps for James Harden.
Is Towns on Harden or George’s level? Of course not. But look at what others are floating out in trade proposals for Bradley Beal and Ben Simmons. For each player, you’ll often see someone like Michael Porter Jr. or a similar young player with a high ceiling, a few rotational players, along with at least one and as many as three future firsts.
Before the season ESPN ranked the 100 best NBA players. While it’s a flawed list, their experts ranked Simmons 16th, Beal 22nd, and Towns 23rd. Ingram was 28th and Ayton 52nd. This season, Simmons is in the running for Defensive Player of the Year and Beal is the league’s leading scorer. Has Towns’ trade value plummeted so far that the Wolves can’t even get a pick back?
Don’t get me wrong, Ayton and Ingram are fine young players. But are they really foundational franchise pieces? Perhaps I’m out of touch, but if the option is to trade Towns for 75 cents on the dollar or see what he can do with Edwards on an improved Timberwolves roster, the decision seems pretty simple to make.
It’s interesting that in the span of four years Towns went from arguably the most overrated player in the league to underrated at the age of 25. KAT remains one of the most gifted offensive players on the planet, even if he is suffering through his worst statistical season since his rookie year. He’ll likely never be a great defender, but he has improved from worst in the league to at least mediocre in that department.
The good news is that KAT has handled this constant speculation as professionally as a 25-year-old can. He always says the right thing, that he wants to stay and cement his legacy as the guy who turned the Wolves around. With three years left on his contract, we’re getting close to the Anthony Davis window where he could force a trade and the Wolves could take their time to find the best deal possible. If the best deal possible is DeAndre Ayton or Brandon Ingram with no additional picks attached, then the best deal would be to keep Towns in Minnesota and hope he’s a man of his word.
With everything that’s happened to Towns and his family in the last 14 months, he should get a pass this season. We’ll have to wait until next year to really find out if he has become incredibly undervalued or if he really has fallen into DeAndre Ayton territory.
