Four ways the Karl-Anthony Towns trade could affect the Timberwolves this season

Something had to give.

That was the thinking around the NBA when it came to the Timberwolves’ long-term roster construction. In this era of a punitive second apron of the luxury tax — which carries stiff payments and imposes roster-building restrictions on those who exceed it — the Wolves having three players on maximum contracts seemed unsustainable in the long term. But the team seemed content to pay a hefty luxury tax and run it back this season in hopes of exceeding its Western Conference finals appearance.

That all changed Friday night. The Wolves agreed to trade franchise mainstay Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop and a 2025 protected first-round pick via Detroit. With the move, they are opting for some financial flexibility in the future to build around Anthony Edwards, but it comes at the risk of the team’s prospects in the short term, especially in a crowded Western Conference.

Here are four ways the trade affects this season’s team as it prepares for training camp:

Naz Reid becomes the longest-tenured Wolves player as he enters his sixth season. Reid is making about $14 million this season and has a player option next summer that he likely would decline to enter free agency. His career has ascended in the past two years, with his NBA Sixth Man of the Year award proving how valuable he is in the league. Reid averaged 13.5 points in 24.2 minutes last season, and he figures to be in the same bench role when the season begins.

But if Randle doesn’t mesh with the Wolves, or if Reid can continue making leaps as an efficient offensive player (he shot 41% from three-point range compared with Randle’s 31%), there might be even more minutes for Reid and a larger payday in his future. Before the Towns trade, signing Reid to a big-money deal seemed far-fetched for the Wolves. After the trade, there’s a better chance Reid is in Minnesota long term.

Wolves President Tim Connelly has long been a fan of Reid and his game, and when Connelly identifies someone as a potential long-term fit, he will make sure they are around for a while. The Wolves will lean on Randle to replace the scoring pop Towns leaves behind, but stylistically Randle’s brand of isolation ball can be a tough fit with how the Wolves prefer to play. Reid has thrived in the fast-paced, ball movement style of coach Chris Finch with his quick decision making and ability to space the floor.

For much of his tenure in Minnesota, Jaden McDaniels has been almost an afterthought on the offensive end. His scoring tends to come from the Wolves’ ability to move the ball as a team. Finch has often said McDaniels’ statistics are a barometer for how well the Wolves move the ball. The more he produces, the better the offense generally is. But his scoring went down last season from 12.1 points per game to 10.5.

His usage rate, or the statistic that calculates how often a player consumes a team’s possessions via shot attempts, free-throw attempts or turnovers, was 14.3%. That was just above Rudy Gobert’s (13.9%) and less than half of Edwards’ (28.9%).

Having McDaniels go from the fourth or fifth option in the offense to a reliable third might benefit the Wolves in the long run. Towns’ departure might allow McDaniels to showcase more of skills instead of just spacing to the corner on most possessions.

The Wolves gave up the best player in the trade but now appear to be one of the deepest teams in the NBA, something not every Western Conference contender can boast. The Wolves solidified their top eight with Randle joining the starting lineup and DiVincenzo figuring to play significant minutes in the guard rotation off the bench, along with Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The Wolves have options to play taller lineups or smaller ones, and the acquisition of DiVincenzo should give No. 8 pick Rob Dillingham a longer runway to develop in his rookie season. The Wolves won’t need him to contribute as much right away.

Beyond that, the Wolves still have veteran Joe Ingles, 24-year-old rookie Terrence Shannon Jr., and a stable of young players who have spent at least a season or more developing in Luka Garza, Leonard Miller, Josh Minott and Jaylen Clark. Depth should not be an issue for the Wolves and should help them stay competitive throughout the regular season when injuries hit. What happens in the playoffs when rotations shrink and minutes consolidate is a question for the spring.

Dealing Towns, who was on a four-year supermax that will pay him $49 million this season, frees up that money for the Wolves to use on other players, should they choose to do so. Not only is Reid a possibility for a longer-term deal, it could help the contract talks with Gobert, who Connelly said he hopes retires in Minnesota. Gobert has a player option after this season. Randle will have a season to prove where he might fit with the Wolves going forward, and it could also free up room to re-sign a valuable role player in Alexander-Walker, whose contract expires after this season.

With their current status as a second-apron team, the Wolves can only sign their own players who will become free agents to more than a minimum salary. Randle’s contract, along with the first-round pick they received, could also provide them ammunition to make more trades.