Atlanta considered best fit for Karl-Anthony Towns if he is traded

The Minnesota Timberwolves may have just advanced to the Western Conference Finals, but they could have a very important decision to make this offseason. The Timberwolves will move past the second apron next season if the team stays as it is and its trade assets have declined due to the trade for Rudy Gobert, who just won another Defensive Player of the Year award . This has led to speculation that the Timberwolves may try to trade star forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns in order to avoid the second apron and potentially recoup some draft picks.

While it’s unclear yet if the Timberwolves could actually do this, it could be a good idea for a team that already has Anthony Edwards. Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid is also set to take over Towns’ role, making the move even easier. If Minnesota decides to move Towns, there will be plenty of suitors around the league as Towns is one of the best offensive big men in the league.

The Atlanta Hawks will likely break down their backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray after two seasons of mediocre results. Could the Hawks consider trading one of their guards for Towns? Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey recently ranked the Hawks as the “top pick” for Towns:

Best Place: Atlanta Hawks

“The Minnesota Timberwolves just advanced to the conference finals with a 22-year-old leading scorer. In the past, this would have seemed like a surefire ‘go back’ situation.

But while Minnesota is on track to overcome the dreaded new second apron, it must at least consider cost-cutting measures. The most obvious would be a Karl-Anthony Towns trade, which is why he’s expected to pop up in trade rumors over the next few weeks.

A Hawks team led by Towns and Trae Young would be lucky to be even average defensively. But Atlanta would likely move closer to the top of the league on offense.

The Hawks could play a five-out, three-point scheme with Towns starting at 5, and they wouldn’t necessarily sacrifice the lob threat that makes up such a big part of Young’s game. Jalen Johnson is a high-flying player, and he could become the most common receiver for alley-oops, much like Aaron Gordon with the Denver Nuggets. »

I think if the Hawks added Towns to the roster and didn’t have to give up Young, they would form one of the best offensive combos in the NBA. Towns would be the best big man Young has ever played with and would give the Hawks plenty of spacing. The concerns would be on the defensive side. Young and Towns are not good defenders and the concern would be how far could you advance in the playoffs with a weak defense?

Bailey has a trade proposition that has the Hawks, the Timberwolves’ talented big man, teaming up with star point guard Trae Young:

The Atlanta Hawks receive: Karl-Anthony Towns

The Minnesota Timberwolves receive: Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanović

“Mike Conley has been a steady hand behind the wheel and an excellent three-point shooter since joining the Timberwolves ahead of the 2023 trade deadline. He also just signed an extension to stay in Minnesota, but he will be 37 years in October, and Edwards often looked overloaded as the primary ball handler.

Atlanta has more than one potential option to help on this front.

Young is the bigger swing, but Murray would still take the pressure off Edwards. And he would be more likely to help Minnesota preserve its current defensive identity.

The real coup, however, was the arrival of Bogdanović. Because Towns’ salary nearly doubles Murray’s, another decent-sized contract needs to go back to Minnesota. Bogdanović’s deal qualifies and he would help the Wolves as both a shooter and secondary creator.

For the Hawks, the move costs them depth and financial flexibility, but a top two of Young and Towns would be among the most explosive in the league. And while it would be difficult to create an average defense with those two in place, having multiple alternating wings like Jalen Johnson and De’Andre Hunter would help. »

If they made this trade, they would have Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, Hunter and whoever they take with the No. 1 pick (Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher or Donovan Clingan) to help the defense. A lineup of Young, Risacher, Johnson, Towns and Okongwu is interesting and has the potential to significantly raise the Hawks’ ceiling.

This could potentially be a crazy summer around the NBA and the Hawks and Timberwolves could be right in the middle.