2024 NBA Offseason: Atlanta Labeled As Best Fit for Karl-Anthony Towns Should He Be Traded

Could the Hawks attempt to acquire Wolves Forward Karl-Anthony Towns this offseason?

Mar 22, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Bogdan Bogdanovic (13) drives to the basket as Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) defends in the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports / Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Timberwolves may have just made the Western Conference Finals, but they may have a very important decision to make this offseason. The Timberwolves are going to be over the second apron next season if the team stays like it is and it has diminished trade assets due to trading for Rudy Gobert, who just won another Defensive Player Of The Year Award. That has led to some speculation that the Timberwolves could try to trade star forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns as a way to avoid the second apron and get some draft picks back potentially.

Though it is still unknown whether the Timberwolves might actually do this, it might be a smart idea for a team that already has Anthony Edwards. Sixth Man Of The Year Naz Reid is ready to step into Towns role as well, making a move even easier. If Minnesota does decide to move Towns, there will be plenty of suitors around the league due to Towns being one of the best offensive big men in the league.

The Atlanta Hawks are likely going to be breaking up their backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray after two seasons of subpar results. Could the Hawks look to trade one of their guards for Towns? Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey recently listed the Hawks as the "best fit" for Towns:

Best Spot: Atlanta Hawks

"The Minnesota Timberwolves just made the conference finals with a 22-year-old leading scorer. In the past, that would've felt like a surefire "run it back" situation.

But with Minnesota on track to be over the dreaded new second apron, it has to at least consider cost-cutting moves. The most obvious one would be a Karl-Anthony Towns trade, which is why he figures to show up in trade rumors for the next several weeks.

A Hawks team led by Towns and Trae Young would be lucky to be even average defensively. But Atlanta would likely near the top of the league on offense.

The Hawks could play a five-out, three-point-heavy scheme with Towns starting at the 5, and they wouldn't necessarily be sacrificing the lob threat that's such a huge part of Young's game. Jalen Johnson is a high-flyer, and he could become the more common receiver for alley-oops, sort of like Aaron Gordon with the Denver Nuggets."

I think if the Hawks added Towns to the roster and did not have to give up Young, they would be one of the best combos offensively in the NBA. Towns would be the best big man that Young has ever played with and would give the Hawks a lot of spacing. The concerns would be on the defensive end. Both Young and Towns are not strong defenders and the concern would be how far could you advance in the playoffs with a weak defense?

Bailey has one trade proposal that lands the Hawks the talented big man from the Timberwolves to pair with star point guard Trae Young:

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Karl-Anthony Towns

Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanović

"Mike Conley has been a steady hand at the wheel and a lights-out three-point shooter since joining the Timberwolves ahead of the 2023 trade deadline. He also just signed an extension to stay in Minnesota, but he turns 37 in October, and Edwards often looked overtaxed as a primary ball-handler.

Atlanta has more than one potential option to help on that front.

Young is the bigger swing, but Murray would still take pressure off Edwards. And he'd be more likely to help Minnesota preserve its current defensive-minded identity.

The real coup, though, is the addition of Bogdanović. Because Towns' salary nearly doubles Murray's, another decent-sized contract needs to head back to Minnesota. Bogdanović's deal qualifies, and he'd help the Wolves as both a shooter and secondary creator.

For the Hawks, this move costs them some depth and financial flexibility, but a top two of Young and Towns would be among the league's most explosive. And though it'd be tough to fashion an average defense with those two in place, having multiple, switchy wings like Jalen Johnson and De'Andre Hunter would help."

If they made this trade, they would have Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, Hunter, and whoever they take with the No. 1 pick (Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, or Donovan Clingan) to help the defense. A lineup of Young, Risacher, Johnson, Towns, and Okongwu is interesting and has the potential to elevate the Hawks ceiling in a big way.

It could potentially be a wild summer around the NBA and the Hawks and Timberwolves could be right in the middle of it.