Portability is a concept that’s often discussed in some NBA circles. Some players can fit under any roster. Typically, we’re talking about floor spacers who are defensive positives. Those types of players can complement any other group.
O.G. Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors is one of the best examples. Pick an NBA team. In all likelihood, Anunoby would make them better. Even if they’ve already got an elite 3-and-D wing, they’ll move him or Anunoby to the 4. This is the type of player who’ll enhance any team.
Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves is a different matter. As an elite floor spacer, he’s extremely portable – on offense. Unfortunately, Towns struggles on the defensive end. With that in mind, it takes a particular roster construction to complement Towns. Could the Raptors trade Anunoby for Towns anyway?
The Trade Proposal
Toronto Raptors Receive: F/C Karl-Anthony Towns
Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: F OG Anunoby, G/F Gary Trent Jr., 2026 First-Round Pick (TOR)
Of course, portability isn’t the most important NBA skill. In fact, when we say that a player is portable, we’re usually paying them a backhanded compliment. The best players in the NBA aren’t necessarily all that portable at all.
Take Nikola Jokic. Could he play with Steph Curry? Absolutely. Jokic would be the playmaker, while Curry would function as Curry does – as the best off-ball threat of all time. Could Jokic play with Luka Doncic? That’s a different question. Perhaps they’d find chemistry, but taking the ball out of either’s hands isn’t optimal.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors & Minnesota Timberwolves Updates
Anunoby is tremendously portable, and he’s highly impactful. Still, he’s not among the best players in the NBA. In a roundabout way, that’s what makes him portable. Anunoby is built to complement the league’s most talented players. Would he be a good compliment to the Timberwolves?
Why The Minnesota Timberwolves Do The Deal
If the Wolves made this deal, they’d be making a wholesale commitment to Anthony Edwards. That probably makes sense. It’s time for the Timberwolves to have the keys to Edwards. The question is, how should they build around the dynamic young guard?
Putting an elite defense around him would likely be the right way to start. The Wolves would be doing so by making this deal. Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, and OG Anunoby could be the best defensive frontcourt in the NBA. The Wolves would have elite stopping power, and build their offense around Edwards.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors & Minnesota Timberwolves Updates
They won’t be title contenders. The Wolves will be stuck for a viable second option behind Edwards. On the other hand, if Anunoby can take a much-anticipated step forward in his playmaking, that may not be an issue. Should the Raptors risk watching him take that step elsewhere?
Why The Toronto Raptors Do The Deal
Towns may not be portable. That doesn’t mean he can’t be built around. Realistically, pairing him with Gobert was always a mistake. Towns doesn’t need to play alongside a stationary rim protector. He needs versatile, multi-positional defensive wings around him.
The Raptors can provide that. A frontcourt of Towns, Pascal Siakam, and Scottie Barnes would be among the biggest in the NBA. Siakam and Barnes can guard across positions and cover for Towns’ shortcomings as a rim protector. In the meantime, the Raptors get a true offensive focal point in this deal.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors & Minnesota Timberwolves Updates
Make no mistake: that’s what Towns is. He may have his warts, but he’s one of the best offensive big men in NBA history. Towns should make the Raptors a better team – whether he’s portable or not.
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