I'm not sure, day to day, what I think the Wolves should do this offseason.
If you want the Timberwolves to trade Karl-Anthony Towns, root for Jimmy Butler
The key to a good trade in any sport is creating a market. A big step in that process might be having the Knicks lose in the playoffs to the Heat.
May 8, 2023 at 4:28PM
I lean toward significant changes, including a potential Karl-Anthony Towns trade, because it's hard to see how a roster built around two centers can work in a big way — particularly with limited draft capital and if the ultimate goal is to build around Anthony Edwards.
But organizational chaos has been the norm, and a year of patience has merit.
Considering we aren't 100% certain who will even be making roster decisions this offseason, it's hard to know what the Wolves think.
The middle ground between two competing thoughts might be this: Agreeing that the Wolves should at least explore what market exists for Towns after a year in which he missed 52 games with a calf strain.
If you want that, which I think you should, then you should also want this: Continued playoff excellence from Jimmy Butler.
The logic is this: The Knicks have long seemed like a natural landing spot if the Wolves decide to trade Towns, and his name has already shown up in rumors to that effect this offseason.
The Knicks have a combination of starting-caliber players who are helpful salary matches (like Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett) and draft capital (as many as three first-round picks in 2024, including their own) that could help the Wolves restock after the Rudy Gobert trade with either their own selections or as future trade pieces.
New York perhaps overachieved to make it this far this season. Towns is from New Jersey. Tom Thibodeau coaches the Knicks and got a lot out of KAT in their time together.
But ... the Knicks' offseason pursuits might become less bold if they make a deeper playoff run.
Enter Butler, the chaotic former Wolves guard whose No. 8 seed Heat already knocked off No. 1 Milwaukee in five games. Miami is up 2-1 in the series over New York with a chance to take a commanding series lead at home Monday night.
The Knicks scored just 86 points in a Game 3 loss Saturday. Losing to the Heat might put the Knicks in the market for a star-caliber player like Towns.
Even if the Knicks didn't end up landing KAT, they could be an essential component for the Wolves to gauge and make a market for Towns.
Deals are all about markets and leverage. So pay attention to what happens Monday night and beyond.
When he was hired after the disastrous 2016 season to reshape the Twins, Derek Falvey brought a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent. It took a while, but the pipeline we were promised is now materializing.
