In the past decade, we witnessed how hard it is for small market NBA teams to keep their stars. The latest example is Oklahoma City Thunder, who said goodbye to two All-Stars in just a couple of weeks.
There is one franchise, however, that doesn’t need to worry about losing its best player.
Minnesota Timberwolves’ All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns recently decided to dismiss all rumors about his potential departure from the organization. In a recent interview, Towns told The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski that he is happy with the Timberwolves and that he plans to be in Minnesota “for a long time.”
“The biggest thing when you have that conversation [about stars switching teams] is you say, ‘Is he happy here?’” – said Towns. “I’m tremendously happy. I love my front office. I love my coaching staff. I think we’ve made great moves and great changes. I love the culture we have here. If you want to leave, you have to be miserable somewhere. I am not there. I’m planning to be in Minnesota for a long time.”
After Jimmy Butler forced a trade at the beginning of the past season, Towns became the de-facto face of the franchise and it is the role that the 23-year-old gladly embraces.
“I think we’re going to have a really good team and we have to go out there every single night and try to accomplish it. My job as a leader, I’ve got to get the best out of every single player,” – he added.
Karl-Anthony Towns had one of his best years as a pro in 2018/19, averaging 24.4 points per game alongside career highs in rebounds (12.4) and assists (3.4). Unfortunately for KAT, Timberwolves didn’t manage to make a serious run to get into the playoffs and finished the season with a 36-46 record, which was enough for 11th spot in Western Conference.
Despite this, Timberwolves are trying to make moves and surround Towns with pieces that could help him lead the team to contention. It remains to be seen, however, whether they’ll manage to get the job done.
