As long as the Golden State Warriors have D’Angelo Russell on their roster, and hold a high draft pick, there will be trade speculation surrounding the team.
How the Warriors manage Russell, their high draft pick, and other assets in a down season is a question that could define their 2019-20 season. With rumors buzzing, Golden State will start getting linked to potential players that could turn up on the trade block.
The latest potential trade chip paired with the Warriors, is Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star center, Karl-Anthony Towns. According to Ethan Sherwood Strauss of The Athletic, the Warriors have been “monitoring” Karl Anthony-Towns situation in Minnesota.
Strauss mentioned at the recent G League Showcase; multiple team executives believe Towns is unhappy in Minnesota as they sit near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
Towns is in the first year of a five-year, $190 million contract extension he signed before the 2018-19 NBA season. Yet, the clock could be ticking in Minnesota if the former Kentucky star is disgruntled with his situation.
Golden State could be the perfect team to dissolve the Towns and Minnesota drama. The Warriors have D’Angelo Russell, a reported close friend of Towns, whom the Timberwolves were linked to over the offseason.
Russell visited Minnesota as a restricted free agent before being shipped to Golden State in a sign-and-trade with the Brooklyn Nets. Russell, plus the Warriors 2020 draft pick, could be enough for Minnesota to bite in Towns trade talks, with each team having the chance to walk away All-Star caliber young talent.
Towns, who recently turned 24 years old, already has two All-Star appearances under his belt and is averaging a career-high in points-per-game in 2019 (26.5). Towns is also dishing a career-high 4.4 assists per game while grabbing 11.6 rebounds per contest in his fifth season since being drafted first overall in 2015 out of Kentucky.
The Warriors are amidst a down season due to injury with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson out. However, with the opening of their new arena in San Francisco, the Chase Center, and a shell of a championship roster, the Warriors could be a piece away from contention once fully healthy.
Adding a proven seven-foot talent like Towns to a core that features “the Splash Brothers,” and Draymond Green could accelerate the Warriors’ return to the top of the NBA mountain.