When you reach heights you’ve never reached as a franchise, isn’t it a no-brainer to run it back with the same group? Ask the Minnesota Timberwolves upper brass and the answer isn’t as obvious.
Within months of the their defeat in the Western Conference finals, the duo of Karl Anthony Towns (KAT) and Anthony Edwards exists no more. Instead, KAT is donning the orange and blue of the New York Knicks. At the same time the Timberwolves are trying to get Julius Randle to fill the void that KAT has left.
While the Timberwolves are struggling to get their offense going, KAT is in the middle of having his best offensive season. Hindsight is indeed 20/20.
KAT is a better basketball player than Julius Randle. That simple notion is enough to let us know that this trade wasn’t about a talent issue. It was a money issue. How else do you justify the trade?
The money issues are only a result of the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement. The NBA is a soft cap league, but the introduction of the second luxury tax apron punishes teams that go over the cap. That punishment is not allowing teams to add more expensive players to their roster down the road. Essentially, stopping the teams rich in talent from getting richer.
Look at the Timberwolves with all the talent and expensive contracts they had, and the trade makes financial sense. Just look at the contracts they have in their books.
Rudy Gobert
Anthony Edwards
Jaden McDaniels
These are just some of the more notable contracts. These contracts together with KAT’s enormous 4-year $220 million contract means a luxury tax is being paid by the franchise, and more restrictions on roster construction later on. Would you rather pay a 4- year $220 million deal, or $64 million split across two years? It’s simple business.
This trade can end up being one of those trades that changes a team for better or for worse. In the New York Knicks case it's for the better, while the Timberwolves might be subjected to the worst side of things.
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