NBA Trades: 7 Karl-Anthony Towns deals the Timberwolves must consider
By Cal Durrett
NBA Trades: The San Antonio Spurs make a win-now move for Towns.
The Spurs probably seem like an unlikely option to trade for Towns, but they might be one of the best-positioned teams to do so. After landing the number one pick in this year’s draft, they will select Victor Wembanyama first overall, putting the team on the clock to try and build around their new superstar. They could start immediately by making a blockbuster trade for Town.
With the Spurs likely to play Wembanyama at power forward to start his career, they could look to upgrade from Zach Collins (who played quite well last season) by acquiring Towns. With Towns under contract for four more seasons, the Spurs would probably be comfortable making an uncharacteristically big trade and speeding up their rebuild to win now.
They have plenty of picks and the young talent needed to get a deal done, though they almost certainly wouldn’t offer anything near what the Timberwolves offered the Jazz for Gobert. A possible trade package could include Collins, Keldon Johnson, and two lightly protected first-round selections via Toronto, and Chicago, each of which could be lottery picks.
That deal would allow the Wolves to recoup some of the assets lost in the aforementioned trade, give them two starters, and increase their flexibility to build around Edwards. For the Spurs, they’d get an established star to pair with their own while still preserving most of the draft assets to continue to build around them later.