It’s been a messy week for the Minnesota Timberwolves, with star swingman Jimmy Butler requesting a trade (and he won’t be reporting to at least the initial stages of training camp).
But there is some good news for the franchise going forward- they’ve locked up star big man Karl-Anthony Towns to a a five-year, $190 million super-maximum extension.
In a deal that cements him as the franchise’s long-term cornerstone, Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns has agreed to a 5-year, $190M super-maximum extension, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 23, 2018
“5 More” pic.twitter.com/aBRVJJBvdh
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) September 23, 2018
You may be thinking, “Holy crap, that’s a lot of money.” And you’d be correct!
But KAT is totally worth it. He’s played 82-of-82 games in all three of his NBA seasons, which is rare for any player these days, and especially centers. The durability is a big plus, but the main thing is that he’s an absolutely awesome basketball player. The Kentucky product has averaged 21.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and a 24.5 Player Efficiency Rating so far in his NBA career. He’s seen his field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three-point percentage increase every season; those are great trends.
So, this was a no-brainer move for the T-Wolves, and they likely felt the urgency to get it done with the Butler saga going on. Locking up KAT gives the T-Wolves a true franchise player for the long term, and gives the fans something to actually be excited about.
