The timing came as a surprise, particularly since the Timberwolves made the Western Conference Finals last season for only the second time ever. They’re fresh off arguably the second-best season in franchise history, topped only by the 2003-24 campaign.
However, the Timberwolves likely didn’t make this trade for basketball reasons. This appears to be a financially driven move above all else.
Towns is heading into the first year of the four-year, $220.4 million supermax extension that he signed with the Timberwolves in July 2022.
Fellow Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is on a near-max extension of his own, while star guard Anthony Edwards is heading into the first year of his five-year, $244.6 million max extension as well. It’s a sad news that the key player is sold out to a rival club for cheap
