A huge trade was made a month before the NBA season. Why was this huge trade suddenly made.
A trade that surprised NBA fans broke out on the 28th (Korea time). Carl-Anthony Towns was traded to the New York Knicks. The counter-benefits were Julius Randle and Donte DiVinchenzo and one first-round draft pick.
Towns’ trade was shocking before weighing which team’s gains were. The reason was that there was no sign of trade. Even Towns, the party involved, wrote on his personal SNS that he was embarrassed. In other words, a trade that no one expected broke out.
Towns has been a pillar of the team since he was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He grew up as an all-star in Minnesota and became a big man representing the NBA.
Towns was out of the spotlight as before, losing to Rudy Gobert, who joined ahead of the 2022-2023 season, and Anthony Edwards, who took the team’s ace position with tremendous growth. However, in the 2023-2024 season, both Minnesota and Towns performed well and made the conference finals for the first time in 20 years since the Kevin Garnett era. Although they failed to advance to the finals, they showed signs of Minnesota’s future. Minnesota was expected to compete for supremacy in the Western Conference in the next season as well.
Towns’ performance in the playoffs was decisive. Without Towns in the first and second rounds, Minnesota would never have made it to the conference finals. In particular, in the second-round series against the Denver Nuggets, Towns was the No. 1 contributor to the victory, harassing Nikola Jokic with his outstanding performances on both sides of the offense and defense.
What is the reason for premature disposal of Towns, a franchise star and a key player in the team.
The biggest reason is Minnesota’s financial situation.
Minnesota had its annual salary fixed at around 205 million dollars before the Towns trade for the upcoming 2024-2025 season. The NBA announced a luxury tax line of 170 million dollars during the 2024-2025 season. Minnesota has exceeded that by 35 million dollars. The luxury tax is not a form of paying the amount that is exceeded by the amount of the line. +@ is attached to it.
Minnesota would have to pay approximately $56 million in luxury tax if Towns had not been traded. Minnesota could save $26.5 million in luxury tax if it closed the trade for Randall and Divinchenzo. Of course, the situation is still the same, but the amount has decreased significantly.
Minnesota is a small market club that represents the NBA. It is nearly impossible to pay a huge luxury tax. For Minnesota, even saving this amount of luxury tax will greatly help Minnesota. It is correct to assume that Minnesota did not have the ability to pay such a luxury tax in the first place.
In other words, Minnesota had to trade a high-salary unconditionally to save on luxury taxes. Minnesota’s high-salaries include Towns ($49 million), Govere ($43.8 million), Edwards ($42 million), and Jaden McDaniels ($23 million).
Among them, McDaniels’ salary is small, so even if he trades it, the luxury tax is reduced. Eventually, he had to send one of Govere, Towns, and Edwards.
Edwards is a resource Minnesota can never send. He has grown to be the team’s ace, the NBA’s leading guard, and is the youngest of the big three. It is safe to say that he is currently the best.
In the end, he had to send one of the two big men. Minnesota’s choice was Towns. Kobe proved his worth in the 2023-2024 season. He transformed Minnesota into the best defense team in the NBA. He also received passes from Mike Conley and Edwards in offense, showing efficient scoring.
Towns, on the other hand, seemed to have adjusted in his own way in the 2023-2024 season, when he did not match Govere at all. However, it was far from the team’s ace in his heyday and the NBA’s best offensive big man. As mentioned earlier in the playoffs, he did well in the first and second rounds, but he was greatly sluggish in the conference final, contributing to his elimination.
In fact, the reason Towns was chosen for sale was because of the remaining contract situation rather than the problem of his ability. Govere’s contract will end when the 2025-2026 season ends. Considering Govere’s age in his mid-30s, even if he renews his contract with Minnesota, his salary is likely to be cut.
Towns, on the other hand, has a contract until the 2027-2028 season. It is even a contract in the form of an annual salary increase. In the 2027-2028 season, the last season of the contract, he will receive $61 million. It is highly likely that the size of Towns’ contract was burdensome.
Link: 안전놀이터