Phoenix Suns: Blockbuster trade possibility for Karl-Anthony Towns

If Karl-Anthony Towns is made available due to being disgruntled, the Phoenix Suns would have the trade chips to get him.

The Phoenix Suns have long coveted Devin Booker‘s good friend, Karl-Anthony Towns, but have never been able to make a trade. However, things are starting to get very cold in the midwest…so cold that Karl-Anthony Towns may not want to be in Minneapolis any longer. At least, this is the word from a guy who knows a guy.

According to the SKOR North podcast:

"I reached out to an agent who represents a draft prospect. The agent ran into a player who knows KAT ‘really really well.’ The player told the agent that KAT is as good as gone.”"

https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1309251109861634049?s=20

The Phoenix Suns should seize on the opportunity to trade for Karl-Anthony Towns.

Getting the Big KAT from Minneapolis would be a steal, and the Phoenix Suns are set up well enough to pull off that theft! Towns is due to make $29,467,800 next season and is under contract for the next four seasons.

For the Suns, it means they would get a legit star to go along with Devin Booker. The 24-year-old KAT is a two-time All-Star with the Wolves and last season averaged 26.5 points while shooting 50 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3, and 80 percent from the free-throw line per game while hauling in 11 rebounds and dishing out 4.4 assists.

Karl-Anthony Towns is very much an All-Star, a well-rounded player that does everything well except play defense. That kind of describes 80 percent of NBA players anymore and it very much describes the guy I am suggesting to trade to the Wolves.

This is a very easy trade to pull off and should be done tomorrow…well, as soon as it can be done.

The Phoenix Suns will ship the talented yet soft, Deandre Ayton, the always entertaining Kelly Oubre, and next year’s first-round draft pick OR this year’s 10th pick depending upon whichever is best for the Suns, for Minnesota’s defensively challenged, but offensively gifted star.

For those of you that think I am giving up too much, Oubre is a free agent after this year and is going to make something north of $20 million. In two years the Suns will need to extend Ayton’s contract. The first-round pick is the price of getting an All-Star, and the Wolves won’t get a better deal.

That means the Phoenix Suns would start five players that can all hit the 3. Sounds like Golden State a bit doesn’t it?

On a quick side note, did I mention Towns LOVES Ricky Rubio and Dario Saric? He told the Arizona Republicans Duane Rankin:

"“When they garnered Dario, I called (Booker) and told him how fortunate he is to have a player like him. He’s really talented and he’s really good. He’s one of those guys you just love to have in the locker room. Dario is such a great person to have around, not only from his basketball side but for just who he is.“I [also] gave (Booker) a gleaming report on Ricky. I said Ricky is such an amazing teammate, such an amazing passer that he’s very fortunate he has someone like that who can really help him make the team better. Ricky is someone who definitely does that. Just his leadership. His uncanny ability to pass and just his all-around IQ for the game. It makes it easier. It’s going to make it easier for (Booker).”"

Ricky Rubio is the PERFECT point guard for the KAT and Book show!

Now, how would the Phoenix Suns afford these “Big Two” salaries?

As I have discussed in previous articles, but in this case, subtracting Ayton from the team and adding KAT, that will bring the Suns to a cap number of $95,651,958 leaving the Suns $19,348,042 under the cap of $115 million. This includes:

PG: Ricky Rubio / Cameron Payne / Ty Jerome / Jalen Lecque
SG: Devin Booker / (Cam Payne)
C: Karl-Anthony Towns
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: Cam Johnson
* If they keep the 10th pick, subtract $4,698,732 from the $19+ million.

That will give the Phoenix Suns eight to nine players under contract (depending on the draft pick) and around $19 million to fill out the roster.

More from Valley of the Suns

How can they fill out the roster? First, for the Suns would have to do what other good teams with a “Big Two” or “Big Three” have to do, sign players to NBA veteran minimum contracts. They can go from $800k+ to $2.6 million each. Easy, right?

But the Suns have two moves I haven’t even talked about yet. They have the Mid-Level Exception and the Bi-Annual Exception this year. That means the Suns could offer Dario Saric the mid-level at the scheduled salary of $9,720,900 for this upcoming season allowing them to go over the cap with it.

Teams can sign players up to four years with it, so the Suns should offer him two years with a team option on the third and I bet he takes it.

The Bi-Annual carries a price tag of $3,804,150 next season; this tag can be used for two years with the second year getting a five percent bump.

I have been on the Suns for years for not having even an All-Star on this team, so when you get a chance to go into a season with two actual All-Stars, then they need to pull this KAT out of the bag!