The 2023-24 NBA season is well underway. We’re in the middle of the All-Star break. So, if your team doesn’t have a win total in the double digits yet, it’s time to start thinking about the NBA draft.
Only two teams meet that threshold: the Washington Wizards and the Detroit Pistons. In a sense, these teams are in vastly different positions. The Wizards just got their rebuild underway. They expected to rack up losses in 2023-24.
On the other hand, the Pistons have been losing for a long time. This team needs to improve soon, or their best players will start to get antsy. Could they accelerate their rebuild by acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves?
NBA Trade Proposal
Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: G/F Evan Fournier, G Jaden Ivey, F/C Isaiah Stewart, 2026 First-Round Pick (DET), 2028 First-Round Pick (DET)
Detroit Pistons Receive: F/C Karl-Anthony Towns
After a disappointing season, a team is always tempted to make sweeping changes. Sometimes, that can be an overreaction. A team may be smart to stay the course and see if their team meshes.
Look at the Timberwolves. This team was wildly disappointing in 2022-23. As a result, people started talking. They wondered if Towns and Rudy Gobert could co-exist. Shouldn’t the Wolves move one of their big men?
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons Updates
Now, those takes look silly. The Timberwolves are at the top of the Western Conference. That begs a question – why would they trade Towns now?
Why The Minnesota Timberwolves Do The Deal
Money. This is one of the unfortunate realities of the NBA. Teams need to balance their books. With Anthony Edwards’ extension kicking in, the Timberwolves are about to get expensive.
If they make a deep playoff run, they may foot the bill. Towns isn’t a goner. Still, if the Timberwolves are disappointing in this year’s postseason, they’ll have to entertain some bold moves.
In that event, this would be a good return. Ivey still has star potential, and Stewart is a useful combo big who can play next to Gobert.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons Updates
The Wolves will have a glut of bigs between Stewart, Gobert, and Naz Reid, but that’s a problem worth solving if they’re adding a pair of first-round picks. Should the Pistons give up those assets?
Why The Detroit Pistons Do The Deal
Many will argue that the Pistons are being hasty here. They’ll say that a team in their position should be hanging onto their draft capital. That’s easy for us to say – we’re not Troy Weaver.
If we were the general manager of the Pistons, we’d probably be feeling some heat. This team needs to right the ship soon. By adding Towns, they’ll have one of the best shooting big men in NBA history spacing the floor for Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson.
Meanwhile, Towns has a reputation as a defensive liability. This season, he’s beginning to shed that reputation.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons Updates
If Towns can be neutral on that end of the floor, the revolutionary impact he’ll have on Detroit’s offense will be worth the trade-off. Who knows how many wins they might have at next year’s All-Star break?
