The Minnesota Timberwolves have gotten off to a surprising 15-4 start this season. After the Boston Celtics lost 122-112 to the Indiana Pacers in Monday’s quarterfinal round of the NBA in-season tournament, the Timberwolves stood along with the league’s best record.
However, it hasn’t stopped rumors from circulating regarding one of their best players.
The fit between big man Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns hasn’t been great, and it has led to whispers that Minnesota could look to trade Towns. He’s averaging 22.2 points and 9.0 rebounds a game while shooting a high percentage, and perhaps he could fetch a player or two who would fit more easily in Minnesota.
One of those players could reportedly be the New York Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley.
Quickley is putting up 15.4 points a game for the 12-8 Knicks, and while the Knicks are a good team, good simply isn’t good enough after they made the playoffs in two of the last three seasons. Fans in the New York City are starved for winners, especially with the New York Jets, New York Giants and New York Yankees going through rough times, and they would like to see the Knicks become championship contenders.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Immanuel Quickley, New York Knicks Updates
Perhaps Towns could make that happen, and perhaps he could even take his game to the next level with the Knicks.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype said that people in Minnesota’s front office are “fans” of Quickley. However, he cautioned that at least right now, a trade would seem difficult.
“While the Knicks were linked to Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns earlier in the season, there are several factors that make a trade difficult at this time and potentially through the trade deadline. First, Minnesota is rolling as one of the top teams in the West and doesn’t want to break up a good thing. Second, while Quickley has fans in Minnesota’s front office, the same cannot be said for Julius Randle, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Immanuel Quickley, New York Knicks Updates
In order to make salaries match, a Knicks trade for Towns would, in all likelihood, have to include Julius Randle, who is an All-Star caliber player but has seen his offensive efficiency fluctuate wildly from season to season.
Quickley’s contract will expire at the end of this season, and the Knicks haven’t been able to come to terms with him on a new deal. Rumor has it they may want to trade him simply to trim payroll.
