“PG for KAT”: Fuming Fans Draft Early Trade Request for Karl-Anthony Towns as Timberwolves’ Season Hangs in Balance

The Timberwolves are in the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and, by all accounts, it looked like their season. Yet they’re stuttering shockingly in the conference finals and the fans are starting to blame individual players. After Rudy Gobert’s mistakes and Anthony Edward’s sudden lack of energy, Karl-Anthony Towns is looking like the misfit in the Wolves squad. With the Timberwolves down 0-3, fans are already demanding changes in the offseason. KAT has a target on his back and fans prefer another player in his position.

Since the Clippers also were eliminated early, fans have been demanding a better squad for Paul George. And they think PG and KAT could do better with a swap.

KAT staggers in Minnesota’s third straight loss

The last time Minnesota was in the playoffs, it was Kevin Garnett who led them there. 20 years later, the combination of Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Karl-Anthony Towns looked promising to restore the Timberwolves’ title hopes. The Dallas Mavericks are proving to be a tougher obstacle than anticipated for a team that was last in the finals in 2011. After losing 116-107 in Game 3, the Wolves are one game away from falling to the wayside.

The players are starting to feel the heat now, particularly Karl-Anthony Towns. He scored 14 points today along with 11 rebounds and 3 assists in 38 minutes. His promising rise is more on a downward skid as it turns out that his 3-point percentage of 13.6% is the lowest in a Conference Finals series in NBA history. At this rate, he’s not justifying the $221 million contract.

The Mavs eliminated the Clippers to get here. Since then, Paul George’s status in LA has looked rocky too. The trade rumor mill is rife with speculation that he is considering other options this summer. PG13 and KAT’s statuses make them look like misfits in LA and Minnesota, respectively. And apparently a trade, by most fans’ reckoning, would resolve that.

Karl-Anthony Towns’ not fitting in Minnesota?

When Minnesota once put their money on Garnett, they compromised their ability to build their squad around him. It might be looking just like that with Towns. He’s looking at a $49 million payday whether the Wolves reach the finals or not. But that will not satisfy fans.

KAT’s performance sparked a discussion on social media on whether he is a viable choice for the Wolves for the rest of his four-year contract. As someone posed a hypothetical question about which team could buy out his multi-million contract. A big idea floating around is that the Wolves and Clippers need to trade KAT for George.

“Your team pays big for Kawhi, PG, and Harden. If there was a team for it, it would be the Clippers,” one Reddit user commented. But while this person is suggesting KAT and PG could be teammates, another one countered, “I’d trade PG for KAT in a heartbeat lol.” The swap almost sounds like a saving grace for both Minnesota and LA as someone wrote, “damn that actually sounds like it solves both your teams’ problems… sort of.”

Paul George in Minnesota is as hypothetical as Paul George in the Lakers. There’s no confirmation if the rumors about him looking into a possible trade are true. However, it’s more difficult to imagine KAT getting noticed in a team with Russell Westbrook, PJ Tucker, and James Harden. “Is Kat old enough for the Clippers? I think he’s too young for the Clippers.”

Some still hope for PG and KAT to be teammates. “If there was no salary cap, PG would begged front office to add another one of his best friends (KAT).” Whether that be in Minnesota, LA, or another team, doesn’t matter. It’s still a matter of whether Towns can stand out in another team.