The Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves are not interested in doing a Karl-Anthony Towns trade, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
“For all the speculation about Minnesota sharpshooter Karl-Anthony Towns, there has been no apparent interest from either the Wolves or Blazers, sources said, on deal frameworks surrounding Towns for the third pick,” Fischer wrote.
The Blazers are unlikely to trade the third pick in the 2023 draft unless the franchise is getting back one of a select number of premium targets to pair with point guard Damian Lillard. Portland is interested in trading for Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, who has a close relationship with Lillard.
The Timberwolves must navigate the best path going forward in terms of roster construction given there were clear style clashes when Towns and Rudy Gobert shared the floor together. In today’s NBA, playing two centers is a challenge to be able to have sufficient floor spacing on offense and maintain the necessary defensive versatility to handle top teams.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves & Portland Trail Blazers Updates
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report is reporting that the Timberwolves could trade Towns this offseason. In July 2022, Towns signed a four-year, $224.2 million designated veteran player extension with Minnesota. With restrictions in the new CBA set to begin in the 2023-24 league year, the Timberwolves would encounter challenges in handling their cap sheet.
“Dealing Gobert will not return anything close to what the Timberwolves paid to Utah,” Pincus wrote. “Other competing executives think Karl-Anthony Towns will be long gone ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. Some even believe Minnesota would jump at an opportunity in the next few weeks.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves & Portland Trail Blazers Updates
Towns averaged 20.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists this past season for the Timberwolves while shooting 49.5% from the field, 36.6% from beyond the arc and 87.4% from the free-throw line. The three-time All-Star only played in 29 games due to a serious calf injury.
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