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The darlings of the post-season, the Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards' ascension were an absolute delight. Watching their rabid defense discombobulate the defending champs harkened back to the '04 Pistons demolition of Shaq and Kobe.
This is a special team and I fully expect them to be back approaching the mountain top in the near future.
They do have one glaring problem, but fortunately it should be solvable.

KAT, the opposite of basketball Viagra

There's no turnoff in sports quite like Karl Anthony Towns. He's a graceless ox with absolutely no feel for the game. He makes two or three of the dumbest decisions you've ever seen, on a nightly basis. The kicker is that he possesses more skill than 99% of other centers, so he's perpetually letting everyone down by falling so short of his potential.
He is the antithesis of this young Timberwolves squad and they need to turn him into someone who belongs in this pack.
I don't even think he's part of the best 5-man lineup on this current team. The group that played the best, by my eye test, was
  • Gobert
  • Reid
  • Anderson
  • Edwards
  • Conley
They should try to build on the dynamic of that group.

Offseason options

KAT should still be easily tradeable. For all of his shortcomings, he is still in his 20's and he possesses skills that all 30 teams are constantly looking for. Plus, there may be some superstars demanding trades this summer and KAT may be the best their teams can do.
Here are some of my favorite KAT possibilities:

KAT->KD->Jimmy

After the Phoenix collapse, combined with KD's history, I don't think anyone will be surprised if he asks to be traded. Last time he asked to be traded he had two destinations on his list: Phoenix and Miami.
Meanwhile, Miami is in a tense contract situation with Jimmy Butler and Pat Riley has a long track record of shipping of his star players before it's too late to do so.
KAT for Jimmy in a straight swap would be the funniest trade possible. However, for all the reasons he has to leave Minnesota, he can't go to Miami. Phoenix, on the other hand, needs a skilled big and they have very few prospects of acquiring one.
These guys all make basically the same money and the new trade rules are confusing, so let's just say the trade is Jimmy back to Minnesota, KAT to Phoenix, KD to Miami, plus some draft picks to Phoenix from the other two.
On paper, I think that makes all three teams make more sense. Jimmy seems like an ideal fit for that SF spot, with the mentality and skill set this team needs.

KAT to Orlando

Doesn't KAT just seem like an Orlando guy?
Orlando has tons of cap space and they need floor spacing desperately. You might be saying "Doesn't Orlando already have ten centers on their roster?" And, yes, they do. So clearly KAT is right on brand for them.
The trade I'm imagining is KAT for Jonathan Isaac and Joe Ingles. Isaac can solve the defensive issues they've run into in this Dallas series, as he's athletic enough to put on Luka and/or defend against those lob passes. Joe Ingles is a smart vet who can help settle down the offense and space the floor.

KAT goes home

Here's my last one: KAT to the Nets for Mikal Bridges. KAT's a Jersey kid, so maybe they can do him a solid and let him play for his childhood team. Also, don't he and Ben Simmons belong together?
Mikal proved in Phoenix that he is an excellent 3-and-D wing. Minnesota really suffered for not having reliable 3-point shooting in this Dallas series.
Reid played extremely well but I am concerned that he is simply better suited to be a super 6th man. I remember when the Raptors had Rudy Gay and he was previously 6th man of the year and they tried to turn him into a starter and it didn't go well and then he moved on and become one of the best 6th man in the league again. I suppose they could give it a shot but if they are going to move on from Towns they definitely need to bring in another prominent scorer and they need better 3 point shooting. The teams that made the final are just torching people by hitting open 3s at a ridiculous percentage. Minny missed at lot of open 3s last night.
Siakam is a free agent. Pacers are going to offer him a max deal, they have already said so,. Most likely he stays but I think he would be a great number two for ant man if they moved on from KAT and went with Reid and Gobert as their two bigs.
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I haven't been thinking about Siakam, because I'd be so shocked if he wasn't back with the Pacers. He would be a great fit, though, I agree. I would probably prefer to have him at PF and bring Reid off the bench, in that scenario.
Siakam, McDaniels, and Edwards would be a nightmarish slate of wing defenders.
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Probably not going to happen. I think he will stay with the Pacers. They will build off an outstanding playoff run and gain some experience and next year probably not make so many mistakes to give winnable games away.
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Pascal is happy where he is, and the Pacers also want him there. He's not going anywhere.
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Likely but stranger things have happened.
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I think they probably want to run it back with this group and give it another shot, as this group still have room to grow and become better. The problem is whether or not they have enough money to keep the roster together? Can they afford the luxury tax if it comes down to that?
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That's one of the big reasons to trade KAT. They're spending way to much on their three front court guys, considering they can't all be on the court at the same time.
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Their guards could not defend Kyrie and Luca
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No one can defend Kyrie or Luka. You have to shut off the rest of the team and hope for the best.
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I agree that no one can defend Kyrie or Luka one on one. That's why I would rather double them and force the others to beat you. If we're talking about game 5 of the Mavs vs Twolves series, TWolves needed to double Luka right from the start and not let him cook like that. Once Luka started getting in rhythm and got hot, the game was over.
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Celtics have good perimeter defenders?
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Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are excellent perimeter defenders; they are both on the NBA second all defensive team this season. Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown are also athletic forwards that play decent perimeter defense.
Durant is past his prime and injury prone?
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And? So is Butler.
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Both are too old and expensive
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Maybe so, but they're also both under contract and they're both immeasurably better than KAT.
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