Karl-Anthony Towns ‘confident’ he will stay with Wolves after WCF loss, would ‘love for tenure to keep going’

Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns doesn’t want to go anywhere, and he believes he’ll be back next season. “I’ve been here nine years,” Towns told reporters after the Timberwolves’ season-ending 124-103 loss against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday. “I would love for the tenure to keep going.”

Towns elaborated: “I’m confident that I’m going to be able to be here with my brothers and continue to do what I love here at home. So that’s the plan. Nothing’s ever changed on my side, and I love this city, I love this organization.”

The Timberwolves’ big man, drafted No. 1 overall in 2015, made his fourth All-Star appearance this season, and Minnesota advanced beyond the first round for the first time in his career. Next season, his 10th with the franchise, Towns will enter Year 1 of the four-year extension that will pay him an estimated $221.1 million. Under the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, there are severe penalties and team-building restrictions for big spenders, which is relevant here because, not only is Towns’ 2024-25 salary almost $50 million, but the combined 2024-25 salaries of Rudy Gobert, Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels total almost $109 million.

Trade rumors may be inevitable in this context, but given that Towns played an enormous role in the Wolves knocking out the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the second round, it would be a strange time to move him. On Thursday, Towns expressed his appreciation for Minnesota’s best season in two decades and lamented that it was over.

“I’m just happy, after all the years I’ve been here and all the ups and downs, to see the city come together so much for this team, it’s heartwarming,” Towns said. “For someone who’s been here, who’s seen both sides, to just see how much love these fans have given us and how much excitement we’ve given them in this playoff run as well, and this season, it brings joy to me. Because, like I said, I’ve seen the other side of it. 

“I think that’s what makes this so disappointing,”…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/karl-anthony-towns-confident-he-will-stay-with-wolves-after-wcf-loss-would-love-for-tenure-to-keep-going/

Author : James Herbert

Publish date : 2024-05-31 17:49:19

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