Post#607 » by Slim Tubby » Sun Jul 16, 2023 12:49 pm
NBA Rumors: ESPN Insiders agree to watch Wolves at 2024 NBA Trade Deadline (Dunking with Wolves)
If the ancient Greeks believed that the center of the known world (and at that time, the universe) was Delphi, Greece, then it falls to reason that the center of the NBA at the upcoming 2024 NBA Trade Deadline is the Minnesota Timberwolves. How so? Well, NBA experts, analysts, and pundits continue to point to the Timberwolves roster expecting the team to break up the frontcourt due to the investments made by the team already. And so far, that simply has not happened.
That may be the plan all along.
When the Timberwolves traded for All-Star center Rudy Gobert, I don’t believe that the Minnesota Timberwolves were not aware of the salary commitments that the team assumed with that trade. In fact, I suspect that the Timberwolves made the trade knowing full well that the feasible shelf life for the deal was no greater than the end of the 2023-24 NBA season.
NBA Rumors will persist for the Wolves this year
If the Minnesota Timberwolves roster fails to congeal this season, then there could be a lot of trade activity for the team in 2024.
But ESPN Insider Tim McMahon believes that the Minnesota Timberwolves will be far more active far sooner if the Wolves do not show up in a big way (pun intended) with their High Wall defense this season. In fact, both McMahon and ESPN Insiders Jamal Collier and Marc Spears agree that the Minnesota Timberwolves are the team and power forward Karl-Anthony Towns is the player to watch at the 2024 NBA Deadline.
With the Timberwolves struggling with injuries throughout the 2022-23 NBA season, many who casually follow the Timberwolves believe that the experiment of pairing Gobert with Towns is already a bust. In that type of setting, predicting a huge trade to absolve the team from the gaffe is an easy and expected prediction and one that three ESPN NBA analysts are eager to bite into.
Minnesota Timberwolves rumors: The team to watch at the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline
When asked which player will be a big storyline at the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline, both McMahon and Collier pointed at the Minnesota Timberwolves and Karl-Anthony Towns and discussed the Timberwolves’ salary cap situation. In fact, both offered similar reasoning:
‘There has been some discussion about Towns, but it shouldn’t be a surprise if that gets much louder as the trade deadline nears. The face of the franchise for the Timberwolves has transitioned to Edwards, fresh off signing a new potential supermax extension. If Minnesota is going to make another major change, it would need to be by trading Towns.’ – as per ESPN Insider Tim McMahon
That seems to be a rather strong opinion, doesn’t it?
ESPN experts agree: Timberwolves rumors will ignite at the NBA Trade Deadline
Not to be outdone, Jamal Collier also chimed in as well:
‘Towns. Minnesota did not live up to expectations last season, and had Towns not missed such a significant portion of the campaign with an injury, there might already be more questions surrounding that roster.’ – as per ESPN Insider Jamal Collier
While a bit less verbose, Spears named the Minnesota Timberwolves and Karl-Anthony Towns the nod as names to watch at the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline too:
‘If (Jerami) Grant’s salary weren’t so high, I could see him as a potential player for the rebuilding Blazers to move. I’m keeping an eye on Towns; it’s the Anthony Edwards show now.’ – as per ESPN Insider Marc Spears
So three of the five ESPN NBA Insiders voted for the Minnesota Timberwolves. So who were the other experts leaning to on this subject? Tim Bontemps suggested that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell could be heating up NBA rumors. Kendra Andrews takes a different path, naming the Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic.
That’s a 60 percent consensus, which is fairly reflective of the number of rumors that cite the Minnesota Timberwolves and trade scenarios that seem to fixate on moving Towns this offseason and/or potentially moving him at the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline.
Can expert consensus get it wrong?
While a consensus of NBA experts, pundits, and insiders carries some weight, it’s by far and away not a sure thing. Particularly now in the sports universe of Skip Bayless, Colin Cowherd, and Stephen A. Smith, reporting is as much about triggering emotional responses as it is about passing along information. Emotions equate to controversy, and controversy equates to views.
While I’m not suggesting that professionals who have highly regarded reputations in any professional sport are guilty of outright lying, I do believe that there is a strong bias towards SWAG-ging speculation. Scientific Wild Arsed Guessing. So what would it take for the Timberwolves to trade Karl-Anthony Towns at the trade deadline?
Condition IV: The Timberwolves would need to fall short of expectations
For the Minnesota Timberwolves to willingly engage in trading a player of Karl-Anthony Towns’ status, one of two situations would need to be present. Either he would need to make trade demands, much like that of Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets last season, or the Minnesota Timberwolves would need to be so far out of the NBA Playoffs picture by the time the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline arrived, that the Timberwolves would be compelled to trade Towns to shed his salary cap spike.
But Towns has repeatedly stated that he loves playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves. So that means that the team will keep Towns, with the exception of the team playing far below expectations again.
Is that, realistic?
Perhaps. If injuries resume and barrage the Timberwolves roster throughout the 2023-24 NBA season, there could be another letdown. Still, that seems unlikely to me. Not only did the team make moves to synch up players on the roster at the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline, but the team addressed the players who were underperforming on the Timberwolves roster in the offseason. Even if the team does face injuries in the 2023-24 NBA season, the Timberwolves should be in a better position to compete.
But to make these NBA Rumors believable, the Timberwolves will need to struggle. Now, what else?
Condition III: The Year of the KAT
It makes no sense for the Minnesota Timberwolves to sell or trade veteran power forward Karl-Anthony Towns when his value is deflated. The Timberwolves clearly have a lot invested in Towns, and value his production greatly. So, if you buy or build an expensive home, you don’t flip that home for a deep discount, do you?
Even if the Timberwolves sense that their salary cap position in the 2024 offseason will become chaotic, that adds no incentive for their front office to trade KAT prematurely. To make a trade at that time, the Timberwolves would need to get an offer that is so incredible and irresistible, that it compels the Wolves to make the deal. And the only way to attract those types of deals is for Karl-Anthony Towns to up career-high numbers.
Condition II: Other front-court players would need to have great seasons as well
If Karl-Anthony Towns is kicking names and taking ass, then the Timberwolves would want to keep him as the team lined up for the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Why would the team have any reason to deal away Towns at the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline? The only reason would be to free up minutes for other young players who are having a lights-out type of season as well.
If Naz Reid puts up Towns-like numbers, or other young players start showing great potential, then the Timberwolves might be willing to trade away Towns. The team would not find a trade partner if Towns struggles and the team would not want to trade Towns if there is nobody on the roster who can step up after a trade to fill his shoes in rotations.
And so, there is a fine area of intersection where Towns is playing well enough to attract trade offers, but other players must be playing well enough to take up the slack.
Timberwolves need to have a motivated trading partner
The toughest part of any trade scenario is not the components of the trade, but to identify the two or more NBA teams who ultimately agree that a trade is mutually beneficial for both teams. That is the rub.
NBA fans who propose trades often miss the mark on this point. While fans believe that a team must or should make a trade to improve the team, the NBA team’s front office does not always agree. And you can double that factor as we create NBA trade scenarios between two or more teams. After all, both teams must feel that their situation is improved by a trade. If one team emerges with an indecisive return from that trade, why do it?
Worst of all, it’s not just points and rebounds that motivate teams to trade. The NBA salary cap, a speed bump for fans who explore trades, is a huge component of any roster changes for NBA teams.
Having said all that, will there be a market for Karl-Anthony Towns at the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline? Of course. But will it be along the lines of “Just wondering what you want for him?” or more akin to “We are prepared to meet whatever your asking price is for him?”
Summing it all up
The belief that the Minnesota Timberwolves will trade Karl-Anthony Towns is a great headline, and it certainly is one of the hottest and most common NBA rumors going right now. But practically speaking, the actual effort to pull off a trade for Towns, or any major NBA player, takes a lot of time.
Doubt that? How long did it take for the Brooklyn Nets to trade Kevin Durant, a player who demanded a trade? Need more proof? Portland Trail Blazers veteran point guard Damian Lillard wants to be traded, but that has been the case for weeks and so far it does not appear that a trade is anywhere close to happening.
Glen Taylor: "Is this moron #1 (Layden)? Put moron #2 (Thibs) on the phone."