Trade Packages for Karl-Anthony Towns If Timberwolves Trade Star

The Minnesota Timberwolves won 56 games this season. They swept the star-studded Phoenix Suns in the first round and eliminated the reigning champion Denver Nuggets in the second.

In the regular season, Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 threes, while shooting 41.6 percent from deep.

And yet, after an embarrassing, 21-point home loss that ended their own playoff run on Thursday, social media is buzzing with the possibility of KAT being moved this offseason.

The frontcourt combination of he and Rudy Gobert certainly worked better than it did in 2022-23, but Minnesota is on track to be over the NBA’s new and dreaded “second apron” this summer.

The restrictions and penalties that come with exceeding that line are severe (including the inability to aggregate outgoing salaries in trades), especially for a team that’s generally been a little better when Gobert plays without Towns on the floor.

With Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid on the roster and seemingly ready to step into KAT’s current role, a trade to add a little depth and/or duck back under the second apron would not only make sense, it’d probably be wise.

So, even though the pain of elimination is probably still fresh on the minds and hearts of Timberwolves fans, it’s time to think about reworking this team. Some Towns trades that would do just that are below.

Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Trae Young

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Karl-Anthony Towns, a 2026 first-round pick swap and a 2029 first-round pick swap

In the summer of 2022, the Timberwolves and Atlanta Hawks both made against-the-grain trades that crowded one end of their starting lineups.

Atlanta added Dejounte Murray to a backcourt that already featured Trae Young. Minnesota dropped Gobert into a frontcourt that already had Towns.

Obviously, the T’Wolves found a little more success with their lineup experiment, but the fits haven’t been perfect in either location. And now, they have an opportunity to help each other find a little balance.

Young has been in trade rumors for months, and though his offense-first game would potentially shift Minnesota’s identity, he’s far more productive and 11 years younger than the Wolves’ current starting point guard, Mike Conley.

There would certainly be a bit of an adjustment period with Young and Anthony Edwards, whose on-ball prowess has developed over the course of this campaign, but they’re a more natural fit than Murray and Young. And Trae’s playmaking, particularly as a pick-and-roll ball-handler and lob passer, would instantly make life easier for Gobert.

For Atlanta, this deal could bring help with draft assets, since Trae is three years younger than Towns, and since quarterbacks typically have a little more value than receivers. And again, it restores a little balance to the starting five.

Another trade involving Clint Capela or Onyeka Okongwu might be necessary, but Murray and Towns could be the basis of a solid inside-out attack. And surrounding those two with shooting from Bogdan Bogdanović and Jalen Johnson would obviously help.

Figuring out the defense could take some time, but the Hawks weren’t exactly locking people down with Trae either.

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Karl-Anthony Towns

Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanović

Mike Conley has been a steady hand at the wheel and a lights-out three-point shooter since joining the Timberwolves ahead of the 2023 trade deadline. He also just signed an extension to stay in Minnesota, but he turns 37 in October, and Edwards often looked overtaxed as a primary ball-handler.

Atlanta has more than one potential option to help on that front.

Young is the bigger swing, but Murray would still take pressure off Edwards. And he’d be more likely to help Minnesota preserve its current defensive-minded identity.

The real coup, though, is the addition of Bogdanović. Because Towns’ salary nearly doubles Murray’s, another decent-sized contract needs to head back to Minnesota. Bogdanović’s deal qualifies, and he’d help the Wolves as both a shooter and secondary creator.

For the Hawks, this move costs them some depth and financial flexibility, but a top two of Young and Towns would be among the league’s most explosive. And though it’d be tough to fashion an average defense with those two in place, having multiple, switchy wings like Jalen Johnson and De’Andre Hunter would help.

Brooklyn Nets Receive: Karl-Anthony Towns

Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Cameron Johnson, Dennis Schröder, Day’Ron Sharpe, a 2027 first-round pick swap (via Phoenix) and a 2029 first-round pick swap (via Phoenix)

They’ve since relocated to Brooklyn, but Towns grew up in close proximity to the New Jersey Nets, who today clearly need a bona fide No. 1 option alongside Mikal Bridges.

This season demonstrated that Bridges is better suited as a second or third (or maybe even fourth) option who can focus on defending multiple positions and hitting open catch-and-shoot opportunities.

And with him, Towns and Cam Thomas, the Nets would boast a potentially explosive and three-point heavy attack.

Over the last two seasons, Bridges shot 37.6 percent from deep, Thomas was at 36.9 and Towns connected on 39.9 percent of his triples.

This move certainly impacts Brooklyn’s depth. And depending on the availability of Ben Simmons, the Nets would probably be short on playmaking. But in spite of all the criticism, Towns is still a star, especially on the offensive end.

For Minnesota, this brings a competent backup 1 in Dennis Schröder, a flyer on some frontcourt depth with Day’Ron Sharpe, the chance at improved draft position in a couple seasons and Cameron Johnson.

The former North Carolina Tar Heel isn’t the same level of creator or defender as Kyle Anderson (who’s a free agent this season), but he’s a much better shooter. And lineups with him, Jaden McDaniels and Edwards would feature plenty of defensive switchability outside.

Orlando Magic Receive: Karl-Anthony Towns

Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Cole Anthony, Wendell Carter Jr. and the No. 18 pick in 2024

This deal doesn’t bring quite as much balance to the Wolves’ frontcourt as the others, but it still gives them another on-ball threat to spell Conley in Cole Anthony.

And though Wendell Carter Jr. probably can’t start alongside Gobert, he’d be one of the league’s better backup bigs as part of a three-man rotation in the frontcourt.

Getting a first in this year’s draft is a bonus, too. Under this CBA, late firsts will be even more valuable for playoff teams. Those rookie-scale contracts could go a long way toward filling out rotations while keeping the total payroll under control.

The biggest benefit from this particular framework, though, is that it not only gets Minnesota under that second apron, it puts them right around the luxury tax line.

If the Orlando Magic renounce their rights to their own free agents (a group that includes Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris and Chuma Okeke), they can create enough cap space to absorb the roughly $24.5 million more Towns makes than Anthony and Carter in 2024-25.

And while this move would leave the Magic with a need at the 1, Anthony Black has shown some potential there, and Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner do plenty of on-ball creation anyway.

Orlando could really use Towns’ specific skillset, too. It was 22nd in points per 100 possessions, tied for 23rd in three-point percentage and tied for last in threes per game.

New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Karl-Anthony Towns

Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Brandon Ingram and Dyson Daniels

Brandon Ingram is another former All-Star whose name has been churning through the rumor mill for months.

And though he doesn’t help as much on the playmaking front as Young or Murray, he has averaged 5.7 assists over the last three seasons. He’s gotten used to being a No. 2 option playing alongside Zion Williamson. And despite some defensive struggles throughout his career, his length would lend itself to switchability alongside McDaniels and Edwards.

For the New Orleans Pelicans, who could lose Jonas Valančiūnas to free agency this summer, this move gives them a shooting 5. The benefit of that should be obvious. With Zion on the floor, shooting at every other position is critical. And New Orleans could do that with KAT, Trey Murphy III (an obvious replacement for Ingram), Herb Jones and CJ McCollum.

The inclusion of Dyson Daniels isn’t ideal for the Pelicans, but his salary is necessary to make this work under the CBA. And given his range, Towns probably has more value around the league than Ingram. So, Minnesota might insist on getting a young player with upside to make this happen.