NBA Rumors: Boston Celtics Could Tender Trade For Karl-Anthony Towns

It could just be a matter of time before Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves announce their split, and suitors are now getting ready to make a move for the former NBA top draft pick.

The Boston Celtics might just be the most ideal candidate. In the face of having the luxury of scoring talents and blue-collar workers, the C’s could not simply get over the hump when facing rivals that flaunt a solid frontcourt. And so tendering an offer to acquire Towns, arguably a top-three player in his position, is not far-fetched as the Celtics aim to punch their ticket bound for the promised land.

Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report dug deep into the report and came up with a potential bid that the Celtics could offer the Wolves. According to him, KAT’s value is one that could cost a prospective trader a substantial price given the big man’s consistently rising numbers as well as his contract. That said, Brad Stevens is left to pick his poison: a crippled paint that his team has been enduring for a long time now, or an abandoned core for the sake of having a rigid center to anchor the middle.

“If Minnesota were to make Towns available, his value would be astronomical due to both his production and long-term contract,” Swartz said. He then cited as an example of the cost that the Los Angeles Lakers had to give up to sign Anthony Davis last summer. “The Los Angeles Lakers had to give up a king's ransom for Anthony Davis even though he's on an expiring contract (player option). Towns don't carry Davis' elite defensive skills, but he's arguably even more versatile on offense and is in the first season of a five-year, $158.3 million extension.”

He projects the Celtics to give up two of their core five – Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward – along with Carsen Edwards, Robert Williams III, and a 2020 first-round pick (lottery-protected). In return, he expects the Wolves to surrender KAT and another big man Gorgui Dieng. In support of his forecast, Swartz said, “If center is a weakness for the Celtics, this trade would make it a strength.”