Timberwolves

The Wolves Should Weigh Their Options Before Giving Towns the Supermax

Photo Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Timberwolves can’t seem to stop picking up wins. Not on the court, unfortunately, but during the offseason. Just a day after news broke that the Wolves were signing Tim Connelly away from the Denver Nuggets to be their President of Basketball Operations, Karl-Anthony Towns learned that he is about to make a whole lot more money.

Towns was named to the All-NBA Third Team on Tuesday evening before Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors. That means that Towns is eligible for a four-year, $211 million “supermax” contract extension from the Timberwolves this offseason. It’s a huge boon for the three-time All-Star and now two-time All-NBA player who spent the better part of his last three seasons dealing with injury and personal tragedies.

The former first-overall pick finished his best season as a pro by leading the previously hapless Timberwolves to a respectable first-round showing against the Memphis Grizzlies, losing in six games. Although he struggled at times during the postseason, Towns registered 24.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game on 53/41/82 shooting during a stellar regular season. With two years left on his current deal, the Timberwolves have a chance to lock the 26-year-old up for the next six seasons. Unlike in 2018 when the Wolves would have been insane not to want to re-sign Towns, they should weigh their options this offseason before signing Towns to a contract that will pay him $58 million in his age-32 season.

Don’t get me wrong, the Wolves should absolutely give Towns the supermax extension. They would be stupid not to. The only thing worse than maybe overpaying a player six seasons down the road is losing all control over that player now. But there are more clear pros and cons to this franchise-altering decision this time around.

The pros to signing Towns to the supermax are pretty obvious. Towns is really good at basketball. Whatever your takeaway was after the playoff run, where Towns struggled with foul trouble and double-teams throughout the series, he’s proven he’s an elite offensive talent. Top-20 players don’t just fall out of the sky in the NBA, especially in Minnesota. Kevin Garnett is the only other player in 30-plus years of franchise history who was truly elite. (2012-14 Kevin Love might not enjoy reading this article.) Franchises would do whatever it takes to get a player of KAT’s ability on their rosters, and the Timberwolves have him under contract. It would be a bold move for the new decision-maker in town to say thanks but no to the second-best player in Timberwolves history.

Since Anthony Davis DNP’d his way from New Orleans to Los Angeles in 2019, most bloggers pegged Towns as the next star who would force his way out. Most of the chatter around Towns was due to the Wolves being an abomination for all but the Jimmy Butler year and Towns seeming unhappy in Minnesota after the Butler betrayal. However, Towns never said anything negative about his situation.

Lo and behold, the Wolves are a competent basketball team and a franchise on the rise. Towns seems to be content in Minnesota and genuinely interested in seeing this rebuild to term. So why rock the boat? Keeping players happy is a new concept in Minnesota, but it might work out. Ask Love how he feels about management being reluctant to hand out max contracts. The best plan is to pay the player now and figure out the rest later.

The real reason why Towns seems so happy to be a Timberwolf these days is a little ray of sunshine named Anthony Edwards. Yuta Watanabe might be the only person in the world who doesn’t like Edwards, and he probably sends Ant a Christmas card every year. On top of being the most likable player in the NBA, Edwards might become one of the best players in the league sooner rather than later. Teaming up with the 20-year-old superstar might be the best shot for Towns to win a championship as a slightly overqualified No. 2.

Saying championship and Timberwolves in the same sentence is a bit like saying the Vikings will win the Super Bowl, it just doesn’t make sense. The Wolves have a great foundation to build on. The Wolves are as fun as they’ve ever been. With Chris Finch leading the way, Ant, KAT, D’Angelo Russell, Jaden McDaniels, and Jarred Vanderbilt are growing into a formidable young core. New owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are making Minnesota cool again by taking their shoes off in public. What’s not to like?

The only thing keeping Tim Connelly from sending Towns the contract the second he’s allowed to is the constant, crippling fear that a fringe NBA star’s supermax contract becomes an albatross towards the end of the deal. It’s easy to look back at former stars who signed a max contract and got injured, asked for a trade, or simply got much worse at basketball during the deal and rethink inking Towns to a supermax. Just look at what happened with John Wall and Russell Westbrook, and you can see what’s at stake. Towns is younger than Wall and Westbrook were when they signed their supermax deals, and Wall declined due to a freak injury. But KAT’s recent playoff meltdowns could make Wolves management second guess their future with Towns.

It’s also a tiny bit concerning to think about giving the supermax to a player who might max out as a Third-Team All-NBAer. Towns has two third-team nods under his belt during his seven-year career and is just now hitting his physical prime. Still, it’s hard to believe Towns has another gear in him to vault up the ladder and become a bonafide top 5-10 player in the league. Third-Team is his comfort zone, which is totally fine. But teams are always looking to give max money to the cream of the crop. Think LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo-level superstars. Towns isn’t quite there, which means the Wolves wouldn’t be getting maximum value.

Signing Towns to the supermax is a no-brainer for the Wolves. On top of being a good decision for the franchise, Towns deserves every penny coming his way. Yes, his visible frustration on the court can upset some fans, and he hasn’t become the player that GMs thought he would be when they voted him the player they would most like to build around two years in a row. Still, Towns is one of the 20 best players in the league, and at just 26-years-old, he has a chance to improve. Any business paying someone $211 million for anything should take their time to look at the deal from all angles, but what’s best for Minnesota’s basketball future is locking up Towns until 2028.

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