Timberwolves president Tim Connelly met with Karl-Anthony Towns at Towns’ home to inform him of the trade to the Knicks, and it’s something Minnesota had been pondering for some time, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic . You can probably thank the new collective bargaining agreement and salary-cap rules for this deal. Now, the Timberwolves will aim to build around star guard Anthony Edwards following perhaps their best season in the 36-year history of the franchise.
“As the Timberwolves analyzed their cap situation and looked at the landscape across the league, it was getting harder and harder for the Wolves to see a scenario where they could keep this team intact beyond this season, team sources said,” Krawczynski wrote . “Edwards is beginning a five-year max contract this season, ( Rudy Gobert ) has two years remaining on his max and Towns was starting a four-year, $220 million max extension this season. Add to it big raises for ( Jaden McDaniels ) this season and ( Naz Reid ) last season, and the Wolves had entered the dreaded second apron that brings with it luxury tax penalties and obstacles for team-building meant to strongly discourage teams from crossing that threshold for more than a couple of seasons.
” The Timberwolves are landing power forward Julius Randle , guard Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick (via the Pistons) from the Knicks. “If they were going to relent to New York’s wishes by finally giving them Towns, DiVincenzo had to be part of t.