In a recent tweet from Evan Massey of HoopAnalysisNet, he stated longtime Boston Celtics trade target, Karl-Anthony Towns, could be on the move this summer:
"The Minnesota Timberwolves could be headed towards major changes in the offseason. In fact, one source tells HoopAnalysisNet that both Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell will be on the trade block."
This is 100 percent the type of move Boston needs to make to ascend into the upper-echelon of the NBA and cement themselves as contenders. We here at Hardwood Houdini have been on the Towns-to-Boston hype train for years now.
Karl-Anthony Towns truly is a generational talent — with his floor spacing ability, he is most likely the best shooting big in NBA-history. He puts up unprecedented shooting numbers that the likes of Nowitzki, Stojakovic, and Bosh haven’t even come close to.
Last year alone he made 41 percent of his triples on eight attempts per game. That is both a higher percentage and more attempts per game than Boston Celtics sharpshooter, Jayson Tatum.
Towns hit 42.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts, and I think that could become even more deadly in Boston. We have seen the playmaking development of Jayson Tatum, being an 88th percentile pick-and-roll ball handler.
Tatum has made Luke Kornet look like a star in the pick-and-pop game this season — can you imagine what he could do with the best shooting big man ever?
Now in his sixth season, KAT has already managed to have quite a career, and I think we all know it’s being wasted in Minnesota. In his career, he has averaged 23 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists.
He has amassed two All-Star appearances, as well as an All-NBA Third Team honor in 2018.
The Cs clearly lack defensive rebounding, being 23rd in the category this year. Towns is a beast on the boards, averaging 12 rebounds per game for his career, as well as nine defensive. His career defensive rebound percentage of 28.4 would be good for third best in Boston Celtics history.
If that’s not reason enough to want him on the team, then what is?
On the flip side, the 25-year-old big is not a very good defender. In fact, he is arguably one of the worst defensive centers that get starting caliber minutes.
It can be hard to build a contending team around a non-defensive big as your anchor in the paint. However, as we see with Brooklyn this year, maybe that notion has changed. Maybe, if you can develop a generational three-level offense, you can compete without a good defensive big-man.
Having Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Karl-Anthony Towns on the same court would be an offense probably second only to Brooklyn, who is producing at astronomical heights.
Having a reliable player like Towns will also be great for the playmaking development of the Jays, but Tatum in specific. We have already seen plenty of point-Tatum this year, and I’m sure it will only increase in usage as time goes on.
I doubt the Boston Celtics ever become heliocentric to Tatum, but as he becomes a floor-general, the team will benefit big time. He is night-in-night-out the most impactful player in Boston, and putting a player the caliber of Towns at the five will unlock more to both of their games.
In terms of what it would take to make the Timberwolves release Towns from their grasp, I’m sure it would be loads of draft capital.
If they wanted to go young, they could just keep Towns, who is already a borderline top-20 player at just 25. Towns fits any team’s timeline, but maybe the Wolves just feel it hasn’t worked to this point, being that they have only won one single playoff game in the KAT-era.
I highly doubt Boston is willing to give up young star Jaylen Brown, and, obviously, Jayson Tatum is off the table. However, outside of that, every player and every asset should be available to Minnesota.
Yes Cs fans, this includes Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, Payton Pritchard, and the rest. You have to give to get, especially with a player the caliber of Karl-Anthony Towns.
If I were Boston, I’d offer Smart, Timelord, and any and every pick for the foreseeable future that interests Minnesota. No more being in the 5-10 range in championship odds.
Enough content with mediocrity, we should make the move that can make us champions!
That is exactly what this type of deal would make Boston — a legitimate championship contender. I know it’s hard to say goodbye to talent, but when you get that and more in return, it is more than worth it.