NBA Rumors: GSW Could Trade D’Angelo Russell And Three 1st-Round Picks For Karl-Anthony Towns

Despite the impressive performance of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, the Minnesota Timberwolves continue to struggle in the 2019-20 NBA season, sitting at the No. 12 spot in the Western Conference with a 12-20 record. With their inability to consistently win games, rumors have started to circulate that Towns is growing unhappy in Minnesota and could soon follow the footsteps of other NBA superstars and demand a trade from the Timberwolves. Once Towns becomes officially available on the trading market, several NBA teams are expected to express a strong interest in acquiring him from the Timberwolves, including the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors may be heading into the lottery this season, but they aren’t expected to remain at the bottom of the league for long. While waiting for the return of some of their core players – Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson – from injuries, reports have surfaced that the Warriors are “monitoring” Towns’ availability on the trade market. In his recent article, Andrew Ites of Fansided’s Dunking With Wolves suggested a hypothetical trade deal that would send Towns to Golden State.

In the proposed trade deal, the Warriors would be sending a trade package including D’Angelo Russell and three future first-round picks to the Timberwolves in exchange for Towns. The deal works on ESPN‘s NBA Trade Machine. The departure of Towns would undeniably break the hearts of lots of Timberwolves’ fans, especially those who still believe that he would be the player that would end their decades of title drought.

However, Ites thinks that acquiring Russell and multiple future first-round picks for Towns would “soften the blow” for the Timberwolves.

“Getting another All-Star player in return would soften the blow for the Wolves, and it helps that Russell is under team control through the 2022-23 season. Minnesota fans could even get excited about the pairing of Russell and Wiggins while they have a treasure chest of draft picks. If worse comes to worst and KAT forces his way out of Minnesota, this wouldn’t be a terrible move for the franchise.”

Meanwhile, for the Warriors, the potential arrival of Towns in Golden State would give them a strong chance of reviving their dynasty. Towns may only be 24-years-old but he’s already an All-Star caliber talent. His ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc would make him an incredible fit in Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr’s system. Once he builds good chemistry with Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Warriors once again become the heavy favorite to fully dominate the Western Conference and win the NBA championship title.