Report: Teams watching Timberwolves to see if Karl-Anthony Towns becomes available

"If the bottom falls out of this thing and they go forward that way, there are going to be teams knocking on the door."

All of the rumors, speculation and naysaying can be thrown in the trash if Karl-Anthony Towns returns from his calf strain and the Minnesota Timberwolves make some noise in the playoffs. 

If the Timberwolves get bounced and the pairing of Towns with Rudy Gobert looks like a mess in the playoffs – or worse they don't make the playoffs – the proverbial bleep will hit the fan and there will be demands for change. 

That's precisely where Towns takes center stage. Would Minnesota dare trade their superstar/self-proclaimed greatest big man shooter of all time this summer?

“Teams are already talking about it,” Timberwolves insider Jon Krawczynski said in a conversation with Zach Lowe on the Lowe Post podcast. “There’s no doubt that other teams are eyeing this situation and looking to see if KAT will become available.

“I can tell you from everyone that I’ve talked to within the organization, they very much believe in KAT. They believe that once he comes back and they have some time to build around [Anthony Edwards] and Gobert and KAT, they very much believe that can still work. Chris Finch believes it. Tim Connelly believes it. They don’t have any plans to trade him.

“But if the bottom falls out of this thing and they go forward that way, there are going to be teams knocking on the door. I do think that overall, especially locally here, there’s a lack of appreciation among fans for what Karl-Anthony Towns is as a player.”

The bottom falling out remains a possibility for a team that still has sights set on a top-six seed in the Western Conference. Entering play Tuesday the Timberwolves are one game under .500 (31-32) and hitting California for a troublesome three games against the Clippers Tuesday night and then a back-to-back against the Lakers and Kings Friday-Saturday. 

The margin for error is very small. Beat the Clippers Tuesday night and suddenly a dark mood will become optimistic. Lose to the Clippers and there's a real chance that Minnesota wakes up Wednesday 11th in the West. 

With Towns' return coming sometime in the near future (presumably), the Wolves have time to right the ship and become a dangerous team with loads of talent. But again, if the bottom falls out and they go into the offseason with more questions than answers, then this won't be the last story you read about KAT and trade scenarios.