NBA Trade Rumors: Minnesota Timberwolves committed to keeping Karl-Anthony Towns despite ongoing speculation
What's the rumor?
The Minnesota Timberwolves have quickly faded after making an impressive early start to the season, and it appears they will again miss out on the postseason. Since 2004, the Timberwolves have qualified for the playoffs just once - 2017-18 - while a lack of on-court progress has led to speculation regarding a potential Karl-Anthony Towns trade.
However during an interview with Chris Hine of the Star Tribune, Timberwolves president Gersson Rosas revealed that Minnesota are confident of keeping their star man for the foreseeable future:
I'm extremely confident we're on the same page and there's full commitment from every level here to make this successful. There's always noise in whatever pursuit you have. Unfortunately even though that noise is unwarranted or unconfirmed, we don't allow that to distract us from our goal of building a championship organization here.
In case you didn't know...
Towns was selected by Minnesota with the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, and the Kentucky product was named Rookie of the Year following an impressive debut campaign.
The 24-year-old has since developed into an All-Star, and the Timberwolves signed him to a five-year, $190 million super-maximum extension ahead of the 2018-19 season. Injuries have restricted Towns to just 23 appearances this term, although the center has impressed when on the court, averaging career highs in points (26.5) and assists (4.4).
The heart of the matter
Towns has long been viewed as the future of the Timberwolves, and he appears well on course to establish himself as one of the NBA's biggest stars over the next few years.
With his current contract lasting until 2023-24, the Timberwolves are also under no pressure to trade the New Jersey native - although the front office needs to do a better job at putting talent around the two-time All-Star.
What's next?
The Timberwolves are back in action later this evening as they take on the Indiana Pacers - although Towns (knee and illness) remains sidelined. He's expected to return at some stage in the next week.